Anne-Marie McDermott’s intelligent musicianship and disciplined virtuosity lend themselves well to Chopin in a recital drawing upon longer and shorter works in a variety of genres. The opening Barcarolle gleams with carefully considered details such as evenly matched trills and forceful inner voices, and even a few old-fashioned breaking of hands at the start. Sometimes McDermott pushes too hard to make musical points (the coda is a bit too driven and overloud, unlike the sublime repose of pianists as different as Moravec and Rubinstein); on the other hand, she admirably shapes the G minor Ballade’s right-hand filigree as rapid melodies. Yet her ritards throughout the Berceuse weigh the music down, in contrast to the more shimmering transparency and steadier gait distinguishing interpretations by Marc-André Hamelin and Murray Perahia.
The Mazurkas are large-scaled and full of wide dynamic contrasts, while the Op. 64 waltz group is projected to concert hall specifications rather than the intimate confines of a salon. The two Op. 9 Nocturnes stand out for McDermott’s scrupulous left-hand work and subtle rubato. While collectors won’t want to give up more individually profiled versions of these pieces, you cannot go wrong with Bridge’s full-bodied, close up sonics and the best of McDermott’s artistry.
