As a Schubert player, Seymour Lipkin mirrors his mentor Rudolf Serkin’s literalism, albeit with less intense, more variable results. For example, I’ve rarely heard the C minor Impromptu unfold in such a dry, inflexible, and lyrically self-denying manner. Yet the E-flat and G-flat Impromptus allow a modicum of melodic inflection and breathing space, while in the D. 899 group, the concluding A-flat piece’s right-hand arpeggiated figures lack charm and delicacy. Notwithstanding its limited dynamic range, D. 935’s opening F minor Impromptu’s headlong pace avoids the aforementioned C minor’s rigidity. Lipkin’s brisk treatment of D. 935 No. 2 features lovely voicing of the melody against the accompaniment. Neither the cautious and studio-bound Theme and Variations and concluding F minor Impromptu take wing beyond Lipkin’s accurate marksmanship.
Lipkin’s Moments Musicaux similarly reflect the Impromptus’ virtues and drawbacks. He fares best with his beautifully sung-out middle section in No. 2, his deft voice leading in No. 4’s whirling polyphony, and with a true Allegretto for No. 6 that contrasts to the drawn-out dirge many pianists wrongly wish this music to be. However, Lipkin’s picky, studied No. 3 and boring, uninvolved No. 1 are non-starters.
The sonatas are better. Lipkin brings seasoned character and contrast to the main themes of the A minor sonata’s outer movements. He takes the central Allegretto quasi Andantino at an unusually rapid alla breve tempo that requires more control of the right hand’s legato, non-pedaled octaves than the pianist can consistently deliver. Yet the early E-flat sonata benefits from Lipkin’s subtle phrase pointing and variations in touch.
Given Lipkin’s co-producing credits, we should assume he approves of the recording’s intimate yet overly dry acoustic, as well as his frequent humming along. While the best of what Lipkin offers is worth hearing, collectors seeking the Impromptus and Moments Musicaux together should try to hunt down Konstantin Lifschitz’s extraordinary live recordings on Palexa (type Q3798 in Search Reviews).
