Emmanuelle Bertrand – Pascal Amoyel Chopin – 1846 – Last year in Nohant

French
We guessed their new recording would present an intelligent program. Around the Cello and piano sonata op.65, we have: Barcarolle op.60, Three mazurkas op. 63, Waltzes op.64, Mazurka op. 67 n°4 and Two nocturnes op.62.

Barcarolle : this intepretation surprised us firstly, seeming to be very « mezzo voce », thus we listened to Zimmerman : he his a little bitfaster, with more curved figuress and more dynamic contrasts. But we you go back to Amoyel’s, you are taken by a deeper and more poetic lecture, af if the famous part « dolce sfogato » had permeated the entire work…

Three mazurkas op. 63 : The author of the book points out that the 2 slower ones belong to the kujawiak genre, a dance from central Poland, the other four Polish national dances being: krakowiak, mazurka, oberek, et polonaise.

Cello and piano sonata op.65 : We are not familiar with this work and thus listened several times to Rostropovich / Argerich before tackling this new version. Especially the first long movement was not played at the creation by Chopin and Franchomme, considered too difficult for the public. We had this impression with Argerich / Rostropovich but it completely disappears here: it is played more finely, more freely, more dancing and singing, and our ‘national Jacqueline du Pré’ is amazing.

Waltzes op.64 : As for the mazurkas, Chopin’s Pascal Amoyel is never demonstrative, exterior or full of effects, we just seem to pass on the other side of the mirror and enter a dream world. If you swear by Horowitz in Chopin, go your way …

Two nocturnes op.62 : We can compare Amoyel with himself, since he recorded the complete Nocturnes :

Here we find his poetic cantabile; it is a new interpretation; for example, 1 is interpreted here a little faster.

A CD to listen on headphones while walking in the gardens of Nohant by a beautiful summer evening!