Roger Peltzman, a New York-based pianist and teacher, has devoted this all-Chopin recital to the memory of his uncle Norbert Stern (1922-1944). Born in Berlin, Stern was considered something of a pianistic wunderkind. His family fled Germany in 1933 and moved to Belgium, where the young prodigy attended the Brussels Conservatory, winning prizes and competitions. During the Nazi occupation Stern was captured and subsequently deported to Auschwitz, where he died in 1944, although the circumstances surrounding his death remain unknown. Peltzman’s diligently researched annotations discuss his uncle’s life, career, and fate in moving detail. Whether or not Peltzman actually channeled Stern’s talents by recording this beautifully engineered disc onstage at the Brussels Conservatory, he proves to be an accomplished and sensitive artist in his own right.
Among the recital’s highlights are limpid, forward-moving accounts of both Op. 27 Nocturnes, and a Berceuse featuring impressive legato control. While Peltzman’s Third Scherzo operates at a lower, less febrile voltage than others (Argerich’s classic recording, for example), its clarity and rhythmic exactitude deserve praise. These words similarly apply to the steady and forthright Barcarolle. However, the F minor Fantasy lacks dynamic variety and dramatic contrast between sections. The Fourth Ballade certainly doesn’t want for poetic details, yet the performance is hampered by restricted dynamics and a gingerly paced, underplayed coda. Still, there’s no questioning Peltzman’s sincere aims, artistic integrity, and generous spirit (50 percent of this disc’s proceeds benefit the Holocaust Museum of Belgium).
