Robert Schumann(1810-1856)
      Waldszenen, Opus 82

Pierre Huybregts
Centaur 2135
Recorded 1989

Phyllis Moss
Centaur 2106
Recorded 1991

Centaur doesn't have one of the largest catalogs in the business, and
Waldszenen isn't one of Schumann's most popular piano works.  Yet, here
we have two versions of Waldszenen from this same record company.

Pierre Huybregts, born in Antwerp, studied in Paris with Marguerite
Long and made his New York debut in 1981 at Lincoln Center.  He has given
numerous concerts throughout the world and made many recordings, but major
international recognition has not been forthcoming.

Phyllis Moss has also performed much in public and has four other Centaur
discs to her credit:  Chopin, Hummel, Mussorgsky, and Weber.  Also, like
Huybregts, major recognition has been an elusive quantity.

I'm glad to be able to review these two versions from the same record
company; it creates for me a heightened level of competition.  Of course,
their couplings are not identical although both are devoted to Schumann; in
fact, there are no duplications except for Waldszenen.  Huybregts offers
Carnaval, Arabeske, Blumenstucke, and the 2nd Romanze of Opus 28.  Moss
gives us the Opus 22 Piano Sonata and Fashingsschwank aus Wien.

There certainly is not much difference between the two versions as to
general tempos; Huybregts clocks in at 21:24, while Moss covers the work in
20:50.  Another common bond is that neither version comes close to matching
the best performances except for the "Farewell" from Moss.  Here's the
scene-by-scene action:

1st Scene(Forest Entrance) - Moss is quick, direct, youthful, and vibrant;
her recorded sound is exceptional.  A slower pace and more variety of
dynamics and tempo would likely have been advantageous, but the version
is certainly of high quality.  Huybregts does provide the greater variety
of tempo and dynamics in a more mature reading of lower vibrancy.  His
recorded sound is more tilted toward the lower range of the keyboard; as a
result, the upper voice is less distinct.  Both performances are excellent.

2nd Scene(Hunter's Ambush) - Huybregts takes a nose-dive.  I don't believe
I've ever heard a less rewarding rendition than Huybregts provides.  The
music needs to be driven; Huybregts is at best a back-seat driver.  This
alone makes for little appeal, but Huybregts has even worse to offer with
ridiculous hesitations and clumsy phrasing; it's no better than what I
would expect from an amateur with fleet fingers.  As for Moss, she offers
plenty of drive and excitement with phrasing that flows in a natural
manner.

3rd & 4th Scenes(Lonely Flowers/Place of Evil) - Although Moss doesn't
provide a lonely rendition of the 3rd Scene, her performance is well
nuanced and charming.  She's also charming in "Place of Evil", but her
articulation is too weak to conjure up any thoughts of evil or foreboding.
With excellent inflections and articulation, Huybregts puts the 'lonely'
back into the 3rd Scene and a decent degree of foreboding in the 4th Scene;
his performances aren't up to the level of Richter or Elisso, but they are
a significant improvement over Moss.

5th & 6th Scenes(Friendly Landscape/Shelter) - Moss is very quick and
playful in the 5th Scene, perhaps a bit too quick and quirky.  Her 6th
Scene is fine as she slows down sufficiently to convey the warmth of the
homefront.  Huybregt's 5th Scene is much slower than Moss' and a rather
somber and studied affair.  In the 6th Scene, he continues to sound
earth-bound and overly serious.  I feel that these two scenes need a
highly playful delivery not merely given lip-service as Huybregts conveys.

7th Scene(Bird as Prophet) - Huybregts handles the most popular scene
of Waldszenen quite well; he is very mysterious and contemplative with
excellent articulation.  He isn't at Michel Block's level of exceptional
pacing and intervals, but the reading is a fine one and better than what
Moss comes up with.  Her inflections tend to be innocuous, and that's a
killer in this music.  Also, her middle section hardly could be described
as sublime, sounding rather perfunctory.

8th Scene(Hunting Song) - Huybregts gives a robust performance that
flows naturally, but there are times when he unfortunately goes slack for
whatever reason.  Moss also has trouble maintaining a strong momentum;
these two artists sound like they collaborated on how to approach the
piece:  pussy-foot around whenever they like.  My view is that this music
needs a more consistent drive.

9th Scene(Farewell) - Although on the right track, there's a heaviness and
loudness to Huybregt's reading that dampens the theme of serene comfort;
I'd call the performance overly romanticized.  This time, Moss is right on
target with a heart-felt interpretation that never gets into an over-blown
delivery.

Don's Conclusions:  Although I prefer Moss to the heavy Huybregts,
my overall recommendations remain untouched.  Neither of these two
artists seems to have a consistently innate understanding of Schumann's
soundworld/psychology.  Seek out Richter, Elisso, Arrau, and Jegorov.  The
other reviewed recordings can safely be passed over, and Centaur might have
been wise to release no versions of Waldszenen at all.

I do have one more version of Waldszenen to review if it ever gets out of
the 'backorder' status, unless it moves to 'cancellation'.  The performance
is from one of the Casadesus clan, but I'm not very optimistic that I will
ever receive it.  I love H&B's website and search engine, but orders not
quickly filled tend to not get filled at all.

Although not one of Schumann's most popular works for piano, I do consider
it quite worthy of having a few great recordings in the library.  Some of
the movements are as good as any that Schumann composed; lack of
consistency is the only failing.

Don Satz
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