Erno Dohnányi’s solo piano music is slowly but surely getting its due, and listeners are discovering that he’s not just “the Hungarian Brahms” but also is a vibrant creative voice in his own right. Like many composer/pianists, Dohnányi tailored his piano writing to suit his own formidable virtuosity. As a result, much of his music is not easy to play, let alone play well. The Five Humoresken, for example, is not quite the lightweight fare implied by the title, but rather is an ambitious set of showpieces (March, Toccata, Pavane with Variations, Pastorale, and Introduction & Fugue) that requires strength and staying power. Pianist Ilona Prunyi’s solid technique and ability to conjure huge, ringing sonorities from her instrument are exactly what this difficult repertoire needs, although her softest playing often is louder than necessary.
Her wonderfully characterized performance of the Op. 29 Variations may not match the composer’s own lightness and sweep (APR) nor equal the shimmering evenness of David Korevaar’s suave fingerwork (Ivory Classics), yet she manages to serve up more textural variety and harmonic tension. For the most part Prunyi rises to the Twelve Etudes’ cruelly exposed demands. Granted, the C major Etude in Thirds needs a suppler, more effortless right hand for the double notes, but Prunyi dispatches the A major Etude’s arpeggios in opposite directions with tremendous aplomb, sustaining power, and virtually no pedal (easier said than done, rest assured!). Some listeners might find Hungaroton’s full-bodied engineering a bit dry for such “wet” music, yet I found its warmth and immediacy very appealing. Recommended.
