Robert Schumann(1810-1856)
      Waldszenen, Opus 82

Abdel Rahman El Bacha
Forlane 16722
Recorded 1993
Couplings: Sonatas, Opus 14 & 22
TT 63:19

Waldszenen Comparisons: "Elisso" - Richter - Arrau

Sometimes I do wonder why I acquire recordings from relatively obscure
artists on equally obscure record labels.  Of course, the answer is that
there can be 'gold' in these discs, and one will never know without going
through the listening experience.

As it happens, El Bacha's performance of Waldszenen is more like a trip
through a thin layer of rust than through a rich vein of gold.  "Thin"
is the theme of the performance and recorded sound.  Bass response is
weak, and the piano sounds hardly up to professional standards.  El Bacha
is up to professional standards, but not by a large margin.  His phrasing
is frankly unattractive and reveals a lack of immersion in Schumann's
soundworld; he often goes legato when a light staccato is needed, and
he also offers us staccato when a legato is in order.  In "Place of
Evil", El Bacha's legato strategy is cloying and entirely erases any
chance of feeling danger from the music.  He can be poignant at times,
but those brushes with real feelings are not frequent.  In "Bird as
Prophet", El Bacha's poor phrasing ruins any chance for an evocative
reading.  When excitement and power are called for, El Bacha gives us
some generalized interpretations that could come from any early Romantic
composer.

It's always a land-mine to start discussing what an artist should be
doing when performing a particular piece of music, and the fact is that
artists can do whatever they please.  So, I'll couch this in terms of
what I personally expect from an artist.

I remember a recent TV series called "Homicide - Life on the Streets".
In one episode, the veteran detective tells his younger partner, "We
speak for the victims".  That's how I feel about performing artists;
they speak for the composers(especially the dead ones).  Artists need
to get a good handle on the composer's life, personality, and musical
idiom.  Otherwise, they only speak for themselves, and most of them don't
have much to say.

With El Bacha, be assured that he does not speak for or represent Schumann.
If he knows anything at all about Schumann, it hasn't penetrated his
Waldszenen interpretation.  Why did he bother and why would he want this
performance as a permanent documented legacy?  I'd say it's bad judgement
all-around.

I won't say at this time that the disc is a loser, because I will be
reviewing different versions of Schumann's Piano Sonatas at a future
date.  However, El Bacha's Waldszenen does not give me high hopes for
his performances of Schumann's last two sonatas.

Don's Conclusions: El Bacha's performance of Waldszenen leaves me cold;
not one note or phrase in the entire reading penetrates me.  This generic
and not very appealing reading has little to offer given that there are
plenty of other recordings which are superior.  El Bacha, of Lebanese
origin, needs to go back to the drawing board and develop some insight
into Schumann's psychology before he tackles any more of Schumann's piano
compositions.

Don Satz
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