Several critics following the 2010 International Chopin Competition wrote that the second-place winner, Ingolf Wunder, was the one who deserved first prize rather than the actual winner, Yulianna Avdeeva. Deutsche Grammophon seems to concur, and presents the Austrian pianist in (what else?) an all-Chopin recital.
In the main, scintillation and surface panache take a back seat to lyricism, patiently spun melodies, and an ever-present left hand. This especially applies to the B minor sonata’s outer movements. Wunder underplays the Scherzo outer section’s molto vivace directive and maintains a similar tempo for the Trio, as Stephen Hough also does, albeit with more varied articulation. Beautiful linear interplay between the hands underscores the Largo middle section’s chorale prelude roots, although Wunder’s ritards and rounded-off phrases grow predictable as they accumulate.
For all of his attention to detail and rhetorical authority, Wunder’s Polonaise-Fantasie lacks the surging climaxes and pointed dance rhythms that Argerich (DG), Richter (DG), Pollini (DG), and Horowitz (Sony) generate. Wunder’s slight ritards at phrase endings sometimes impede the Fourth Ballade’s narrative flow. Similar tempo fluctuation sectionalizes the difficult coda, although Wunder’s voicings and novel phrase groupings will grab your attention.
Op. 22 is a non-starter; Wunder’s refined introspection in the Andante spianato flattens out the undulating left-hand arpeggios and soaring right-hand line, while the Grande polonaise is too bass-heavy and rhythmically square next to the lighter touch and lilting animation you hear from Emanuel Ax (RCA), Anna Malikove (RS), and Cyprien Katsaris (Sony). In other words, Ingolf Wunder is very talented indeed, but not yet so “Wunder-ful” as his press releases claim.
