Mendelssohn: Piano Concertos Nos.1 & 2, Etc.

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Mendelssohn: Piano Concertos Nos.1 & 2, Etc.

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Many of Jean-Yves Thibaudet's recent recordings – not only his pale Rachmaninov, but even his dimly characterized Debussy – have represented him as a technically fluent but interpretatively self-effacing pianist, one who prefers to skate across the music than take a position on what lies beneath the surface. One might have expected the polished veneer of Mendelssohn to encourage more of this faceless graciousness; but in the event, these turn out to be impressively firm, even tough-minded, performances. Not that they're brutal, as Katsaris's unyielding readings of the concertos are: whether in the fluid transition into the second theme of the first movement of the First Concerto, the supple shading of the cantilena in the following Andante or the artful weighting of the cadences in the Variations, Thibaudet offers urgency without sacrificing poise. Nor, for all his attention to the music's larger design, does he disdain the concertos' glitter, as Kalichstein does in his daringly dark and probing readings. Still, it's fair to say that Thibaudet's performances are more desperate than dapper, more thrilling than tender, more spiky than succulent. Note, for instance, how his slightly craggy articulation in the Second Concerto's Adagio keeps the music's sentiment at bay, or how his jabs at the left-hand octave interruptions (for example, at 1'15") inject a sense of threat to the normally placid Andante that introduces the Rondo capriccioso. Those who dip into Mendelssohn for his charm may find it all too stern – but those open to Thibaudet's tart perspective may well rank this among the most persuasive recordings that he has given us. Blomstedt and his orchestra are at one with the pianist and the engineers have captured them with power and immediacy. Jeremy Siepmann's notes only add to the pleasures of the disc. Warmly recommended.

Peter J. Rabinowitz