For the most part Pola Baytelman and Robert Schumann mesh well. The Humoreske’s whimsical shifts in mood and character particularly suit the pianist’s poetic impulses and cushioned legato. At times, however, Baytelman’s quest for inner voices (the beginning of “Hastig”, for instance) finds her right-hand melodies phasing in and out of focus. Faster passages, too, could sparkle more, with greater solidity at climaxes. The fault partly lies with the instrument’s rather nasal and colorless top registers.
Baytelman’s intelligent voice leading and instinct for harmonic tension distinguishes the F-sharp minor sonata’s opening movement. Yet her generalized approach to the composer’s obsessive dotted rhythms, both here and elsewhere, falls short of the razor-sharp articulation and poise you get from pianists such as Leif Ove Andsnes, Emil Gilels, Murray Perahia, and Klara Wurtz. Baytelman’s gawky transitions in the mercurial Scherzo, for example, minimize the wild contrasts between sections, while the Polonaise-like trio barely swaggers. Lastly, the Arabeske is notable for the different emphasis with which Baytelman colors the “A”-section repeats. Good annotations; fine engineering.
