Idil Biret was a 20-year-old firebrand loaded for bear when she recorded two LPs for the French Vega label in 1961, including the Brahms Paganini and Handel Variation sets reissued here. There’s not much in the way of dynamic range, and the original mono source material has slight distortion in loud moments and occasional warbles. But who cares, in light of such confident and vividly characterized piano playing?
The Handel Variations’ repeats often feature whimsical changes in voicing, along with ear-catching tempo extremes, from the overtly drawn-out yet rivetingly sustained No. 9 to the tumultuous and hard-rocking climactic Nos. 23 and 24. True, Fleisher’s tempo relationships are more rigorously worked out and Katchen’s tone has more variety, but I suspect that Idil’s brashness would have elicited a wink and a secret smile from the composer.
Listeners familiar with Biret’s extroverted Paganini Variations edition on Naxos will encounter similar energy and sharp articulation here, but with faster all-around tempos that scarcely give the hands room to regroup after negotiating quick leaps, clumps of heavy chords, and all varieties of double notes. At the same time, Biret shapes slower, lyrical episodes with sensitivity and a genuine singing line. I can’t imagine keyboard fanciers not getting a kick out of Biret’s headstrong, entertaining performances. My only complaint is that the variations are not demarcated by individual access tracks.
