This attractively priced reissue in Universal Classics’ Trio series complements an earlier release featuring Tamás Vásáry’s 1960s Deutsche Grammophon Chopin Ballades, Scherzos, Nocturnes, and Waltzes. Some performances wear the test of time and catalog competition better than others. The B minor sonata counts among the work’s most distinguished recordings. Here Vásáry’s meticulous yet poetic fingerwork conveys a kind of Mozartean clarity and classical reserve akin to Dinu Lipatti’s justly celebrated traversal. On the other hand, Vásáry’s account of the B-flat minor “Funeral March” sonata is too reserved and emotionally contained for my taste, while the pianist’s square and somnambulant Berceuse lacks the light-fingered buoyancy that deliciously vivifies his Four Impromptus.
In the ’60s Vásáry’s Chopin Etudes provided a safe reference for collectors seeking a regulation model, objectively characterized, modern school, musically intelligent stereo version, one that Pollini’s more finished 1972 DG recording would eventually supercede. Still, Vásáry’s crisply articulated, imaginatively voiced accounts of Op. 25 Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are absolute keepers by any standard. Although the A-flat Polonaise lacks Rubinstein’s inimitable swagger and rhythmic lift, Vásáry’s firmly etched left-hand octaves in the Trio make a refreshingly light-footed effect. He lavishes shimmering, jewel-like refinement and delicacy upon a selection of five Mazurkas (a pity he didn’t record the whole set!) and on the flashy, seldom played Introduction and Variations. I reviewed the two concertos via their Australian Eloquence reissue (type Q1468 in Search Reviews), and rehearing DG’s slightly fuller transfers only reinforces my earlier observations–gorgeous slow movements, underplayed outer movements, droopy conducting. Eloquence credits Janos Kulka as conductor for both concertos, but in fact, Jerzy Semkow is at the helm for the E minor (No. 1).
