Janina Fialkowska’s superb Liszt recordings (including a stunning Mephisto Waltz No. 1 “borrowed” by one Joyce Hatto) made me curious about her 1998 Chopin Etudes for the obscure Canadian label Opening Day, reissued via Arkivmusic.com’s “on demand” program. The faster pieces well suit Fialkowska’s ebullient temperament. In Op. 10, the opening C major and closing Revolutionary etude’s taxing figurations effectively push and pull around the beat (modified Cziffra, perhaps), the Black Key’s right hand darts and dances, and the F major’s runs are both supple and playful. Lightness and point abound in Op. 25’s third, fourth, and twelfth etudes, while the pianist sensitively sculpts the opening “Aeolian Harp” etude’s billowy arpeggiated textures.
Although Fialkowska is too sober and literal-minded for the Op. 10 E major and E-flat minor etudes to bloom, her well-judged rubatos and skillful textural layering make the Op. 25 C-sharp minor etude sound faster than its longish six-minute playing time suggests. However, her habit of elongating opening upbeats wears thin. The dry, close-up, and rather airless recording quality works against Fialkowska’s proven capabilities as a colorist. Not a great Chopin Etudes cycle, but a very good one.
