Frederic Chopin (1810-1849)
      Barcarolle, Op. 60

Yves Nat, piano
Recorded 1953
EMI Classics 69461 [2cds]
Program:
Schubert's 6 Moments musicaux, D. 780
Chopin's Sonata for Piano, Op. 35
Fantaisie, Op. 49
Barcarolle, Op. 60
Waltz No. 14
Brahms' 2 Rhapsodies, Op. 79
Variations & Fugue on a Theme by Handel
3 Intermezzi, Op. 117
Franck's Symphonic Variations for Piano and Orchestra
Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2
Stravinsky's Danse russe (extr. from Petrouchka)
Nat's Pour un petit moujik

Just a few weeks ago I acquired through the Berkshire Record Outlet a
box set of Schumann piano works performed by the legendary French pianist
Yves Nat and reviewed his two recorded performances of Kinderszenen which
were quite good and close to the top tier of all Kinderszenen recordings.
Thinking highly of Nat, I went searching for more of his artistry and
found a used 2-cd set of performances of Chopin, Brahms, Schubert, Franck,
Liszt, Stravinsky, and Nat himself.  Most of the recordings are from the
1950's, although a couple go as far back as 1929.

This review covers only Nat's recording of the most famous Barcarolle
in the world.  I'll be reviewing the Chopin Sonata, Fantaisie, Waltz,
the Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody, and the Handel Variations at future dates
in my review regimen.

Although Yves Nat is not generally mentioned in discusssions of the
great pianists of the 20th century, he continues to have an exceptional
reputation on the European Continent.  Americans might not give him much
recognition, but don't be fooled by the anomaly.  Nat was one of the
best, and his recordings deserve much more exposure than they receive.

March of this year was the last time I reviewed a recording of Chopin's
Barcarolle.  That one came from Claudio Arrau on Archipel and was quite
an improvement on his Philips version.  In fact, I think of it as one
of the best on record along with Moiseiwitsch on Pearl, Feltsman on
Urtext, and a Philips grouping of Cherkassky, Sofronitsky, Harasiewicz,
and Moravec.  My desert island choice would be Laura Favre-Kahn's version
on the French label Arion.  Surprised?  I was also, but her interpretation
is a dynamite one in gorgeous and incisive sound.  What these eight
versions have in common is a degree of rapture that seems to transcend
human limits.  Just slightly lower in my estimation are two Richter
versions on BBC Legends and Doremi which represent the best of the 'soft
and subtle' approach to the work.

With such an array of outstanding recorded interpretations of the
Barcarolle, does the Nat performance hold up well?  In most respects,
he does splendidly.  Tension, rapture, poignancy, and strength are all
in abundance.  However, two considerations lead me to conclude that Nat's
recording is not close to the level of those I praised above.

One negative consideration is that the recorded sound does not allow for
any appreciable bloom to the music; the result is that the musical space
is too confining with notes getting in each other's way.  The other
factor concerns the nature of Nat's barcarolle rhythm.  It tends to be
somewhat flat with little inflection - the water is quite calm and
rhythmic swaying is low.

Don's Conclusions: Nat's Barcarolle is for 'land lovers'.  His strong
artistry is always in place, but this Chopin piece doesn't seem to be
in his comfort zone.  Those who love the ebb and flow of the sea would
do better to look elsewhere.

Don Satz
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