You’d think that at 86 Earl Wild would have surveyed all of the forgotten Romantic piano literature that’s worth reviving. Not quite, folks! Here’s an absolutely exquisite cycle of “53 poèmes pour piano” by Reynaldo Hahn, collectively titled Le Rossignol Éperdu (The Distraught Nightingale). Synthesize early Scriabin preludes, the sparse lyricism of late Liszt, Fauré’s subtle harmonic palette, the delicate balance of Mompou’s piano miniatures, plus Massenet’s melodic fluidity, and you’ve got the gist of Hahn’s attractive if modestly deployed keyboard writing. The pieces range from 30 seconds to eight minutes and draw inspiration from literary and artistic images, but you don’t need to know that in order to simply enjoy them as pure music. Under Earl Wild’s seasoned but spirited fingers, each piece seemingly unfolds by itself with no trace of interpretive baggage. The full, somewhat dry engineering conveys an intimate drawing room ambience that suits this project well. Add Lord Londonderry’s fascinating annotations, and you’ll wonder where these treasures have been hiding before Wild took up their cause. I only hesitate to call this important release “the crown jewel of Earl Wild’s recorded legacy” because you never know what this eternally youthful pianist has in store for us next! [12/21/2001]
