Altara ALT 1007 mono, 59:55 (Distrib. Albany) ****:
Along with the recent issue on Philips of a two-disc set for the Steinway Legends series, we have a 1955 appearance in concert by elusive, willful Italian master Arturo Benedetti Michelangelo (1920-1995), who plays every note on full throttle. From the opening notes of the Bach Chaconne in Busoni’s arrangement, we are in the presence of a grand master whose feverish approximations of a violin’s bariolage technique render us awestruck. Michelangeli had the habit, like Josef Hofmann before him, of republishing the same musical apples in constant reinvestigation. The Brahms Paganini Variations he edited according to his own lights, ignoring variation 9 in both books, and splicing the last two variants from Book I as a coda to the whole. The overwhelming impression we receive is a titanic swallowing of the Op. 35 in one idiosyncratic gulp, where rapid figurations, block chords, and extreme dynamic shifts are mother’s milk to this often demonic interpreter. Michelangeli’s staccati are studies in themselves, detached notes of explosive power; then, he can do legato and turn anything into a lullaby. His ppp for variations 3-4 of Book II turns Brahms into a purveyor of sexy waltzes, a la his Op. 39 and Op. 65. Zither effects are no challenge to Michelangeli, who brushes them off and then flies in wild agogics peppered with his own ad libitum grace notes, a peroration that gets the audience off its feet.
The sound on the Schumann Concerto is distant, but I like the editing so that the last two movements play as distinct whole. The microphone placement (for National Polish Radio) favors the piano, where again we can appreciate Michelangeli’s virtually limitless dynamic palette. Since Schumann repeats each phrase twice, we can savor Michelangeli’s subtle adjustments to the musical line to maintain his own interest. Rowicki makes orchestral points of his own; it’s a pity the sonic placement does not do full justice to the Warsaw Philharmonic woodwinds. Clarity and romantic fervor mark the entire performance, although many would remark how chaste and “classical” is Michelangeli’s approach. The first movement cadenza rings with excited fury, three-voice execution of singularly clear articulation. The Intermezzo affords some lovely collaborative sound, the middle and upper registers of Michelangeli’s instrument in clear definition. The big chord to the Allegro vivace, and we are off to the metric races, the march tempo possessing something of Schumann’s penchant for fairytales. Rowicki and the Warsaw turn up the emotional fireworks, which in conjunction with Michelangeli’s clarion fioritura, makes for a pungent, satisfying performance – poetry and power in lyrical harmony.
— Gary Lemco
