Robert Schumann(1810-1856)
           Kreisleriana, Op.16

Pavel Jegorov, piano
Recorded 1994
Sony/Infinity Digital [71:55]
Program: Kreisleriana & Symphonic Etudes

Lars Vogt, piano
Recorded 1994
EMI Classics 55425 [63:19]
Program: Kreisleriana & Bunte Blatter

Fou Ts'ong, piano
Recorded 1989
Carlton Classics 3036601127 [2cds - 121:36]
Program: Kreisleriana/Arabeske/Kinderszenen/Papillons
Davidsbundlertanze/Waldszenen(Op.82/7)

Volker Banfield, piano
Recorded 1998
CPO 999598 [53:38]
Program: Kreisleriana/Abegg Variations/Three Romances, Op.28

Mitsuko Uchida, piano
Recorded 1994
Philips 442777 [67:27]
Program: Kreisleriana & Carnaval

Helene Grimaud, piano
Recorded 1988
Denon 73336 [58:31]
Program: Kreisleriana & Brahms Piano Sonata Op.2

Youri Egorov, piano
Recorded 1978
Double Forte/EMI 74191 [2cds - 147:23]
Program: Kreisleriana/Carnaval/Toccata/Arabesque
Bunte Blatter/Papillons/Novellettes, nos.1 & 8

Pavel Jegorov - I have three Infinity Digital discs primarily devoted
to Pavel Jegorov's Schumann solo piano music.  When I initially bought
these very inexpensive recordings, I had no idea what to expect.  As it
happens, each of the three has been a pure delight, and I've spent dozens
of hours enjoying them.

You could call Jegorov a 'man's man' in his Schumann interpretations.
Jegorov doesn't go for the notion that Schumann is a flowery composer;
he projects and punctuates strongly while rarely neglecting Schumann's
softer side in the person of Eusebius.

His Florestan isn't all-powerful like Gieseking or Schliessmann, but the
tension is always at high levels.  Most appealing, Jegorov gives Florestan
a very hard-nosed demeanor and also fully conveys Florestan's fractured
and unbalanced mind set.  Even Eusebius is not relieved from the fractured
category.  Overall, Jegorov has an innate understanding of Schumann's
extreme personality traits which were in full swing prior to marrying
his beloved Clara.

Every movement is rewarding, and the interlude of the 3rd Movement, the
Toccata of the 7th Movement, and the entire 4th and 8th Movements are
truly exceptional.  In the 3rd Movement interlude, Jegorov is sublime
and poetic in a relaxed manner with pin-point articulation.  He captures
the melancholy of the 4th Movement's primary subject as if *he* was in
love with the woman he couldn't have; the interlude finds Jegorov ascending
to enlightenment in the most loving manner with compelling inflections.
The Toccata section of the 7th Movement is punched out with great
determination, and the conclusion of the movement is highly varied in
tempo as it winds down.  Best of all, Jegorov gives us terraced right-hand
figures in the final movement's primary subject that float seductively
in the air.

The only bone I have to pick with Jegorov's performance comes in the 1st
Movement where he shortens the note values of the upper voices in the
interlude to such a degree that they sound clipped; it's usually a poor
idea to clip Eusebius' wings.

I find Jegorov's Kreisleriana a highly-prized version, and the disc
is strongly recommended.  In fact, you can safely buy all three of his
Schumann recordings and revel in his idiomatic and incisive interpretations.
He is better than Schiff, Perahia, and most other modern-day Schumann
pianists.

Lars Vogt - Jegorov's Florestan marches into battle, but Vogt presents
a Florestan flying into the fray with a wide grin on his face.  Vogt's
Florestan is giddy with excitement as he slays all before him.  In giving
us such a happy Florestan, Vogt does risk our action man becoming a
caricature.  For example, the tempo in the 3rd Movement's primary subject
is extremely fast to the point where it sounds rather like a spoof.
However, there's no denying Vogt's propulsion and exuberance.  I just
question some reduction in serious matters.

Given the speed and good cheer of Vogt's Florestan, one might expect
his Eusebius to be too fast and light to convey much impact on the
listener.  Such is not the case.  Yes, Vogt is on the quick side with
Eusebius, but he manages to fully convey the melancholy and dream-like
nature of Schumann's music such as in the gorgeous primary theme of
the 2nd Movement.  Throughout the work, the sadness comes through with
conviction.   Recording quality is not very good; the sound is a little
thin, bright, and piercing in the loudest passages.

Although the Vogt version has much to offer, it suffers from a flighty
Florestan and less than sterling sound.  With so many other recordings
of Kreisleriana to choose from, this one has low priority.  The companion
work, Bunte Blatter, is also well played but not essential listening.

Fou Ts'ong - Sometimes, the world turns in a highly natural and logical
fashion.  Fou Ts'ong has some common traits in his Schumann performances:
sharp/jagged rhythms and phrasing, strong punching out of the music, and
a prevalent use of hesitations and changes in dynamics.

I have already reviewed two performances from this Carlton Classics set:
Kinderszenen and the Davidsbundlertanze.  Since Kinderszenen relates to
the adult-child relationship, it doesn't take very well to Fou Ts'ong's
approach to Schumann.  However, his style is tailor-made for the Florestan
and Eusebius personalities which dominate the Davidsbundlertanze.  Hence,
Fou Ts'ong's Davidsbundlertanze is a much better proposition than his
Kinderszenen.

Kreisleriana is another Schumann work featuring Florestan and Eusebius
in addition to other characters on the edge of reality.  At first blush
it would appear to fit perfectly with Fou Ts'ong's preferred style, and
so it is in the long-run also.  Sharpness, punch, and wide changes in
tempo and dynamics have a natural affinity with Schumann's two fractured
imaginary alter-egos which is readily apparent from the Fou Ts'ong
performance of Kreisleriana.

Although Fou Ts'ong's version has ample poetry, it does tend to be a
'rough and ready' interpretation.  He clearly places greater weight on
truth than beauty, and I share his sense of priorities; placing primary
concentration on beauty tends to squash other important considerations.

Concerning changes in tempo and dynamics, Fou Ts'ong generally uses these
features in the Eusebius episodes and those where Eusebius interacts
with Florestan such as in the interludes of the 3rd and 4th Movements.
I find the approach most effective and one which enhances the poignancy
of the music.

Florestan gets a strong and tension-filled portrayal, although Fou Ts'ong
does tend to soften his attacks now and then to infuse Florestan with
some internal contrast.  In this regard, I'm not entirely sold on the
results as they can dampen momentum.  From my perspective, continuous
momentum is an integral and exciting part of Florestan's mode of operation.

Heading into the last two movements, Fou Ts'ong has my full attention.
However, his playing seems segmented in the 7th Movement, and his
right-hand figures in the final movement are rather ordinary.  So overall,
this is a better than average performance of Kreisleriana that should
appeal greatly to those looking for an interpretation that is distinctive
and generally compelling.

Volker Banfield - Reviews of Banfield's Schumann discs tend to give a
picture of accomplished playing of little distinction and variety.  To
a degree, that's right on the money.  Banfield gives us 'just the facts'
in a very straight-line set of performances.  Is there anything wrong
with 'just the facts'?  Not when they are presented as convincingly as
Banfield presents them.

What are the facts?  We know that Schumann, Kreisleriana, and Hoffman
were hardly well-grounded individuals.  Florestan and Eusebius were more
centered in that each knew his true identity, but even the two Schumann
alter-egos had fractured personalities.  Clara might well have been a
stable person, but Schumann's not being allowed to see her only exacerbated
his inner turmoil.

I suggest that the above considerations flow into a performance that
captures Schumann's psychology, and Banfield has the true flow throughout
the work.  Florestan and Eusebius are exceptionally portrayed, and the
consistency of it is very impressive.

Of course, going beyond the facts is the only way to come up with a
transcendent performance, and Banfield doesn't stray far.  Also, his
phrasing is not particularly supple.  Recording quality is very good,
but I often hear sound which is superior.  For these reasons, Banfield's
version cannot stand among the best, but it does rate a warm recommendation
for its idiomatic flavor.  Volker Banfield is an excellent Schumann
performing artist.  Somewhat irritating is the small amount of music on
the disc; Papillons would have fit nicely.

Mitsuko Uchida - Although I consider Uchida superb in her Mozart Piano
Sonata cycle on Philips, I have not been as enthusiastic about her other
Philips recordings.  The same applies to her Kreisleriana, although I
sure had high hopes based on the first two movements which were in the
transcendent category.  Both movements have Florestan in his tension-filled
and unbalanced mode, while Eusebius is tender yet incisively melancholy.

Matters start going downhill some in the 3rd Movement where her right-hand
figures in the interlude have an insistent quality to them that changes
this heart-piercing music to the heart-stabbing category.  In the 5th
Movement's primary subject, Uchida is much too demure and soft for
Florestan utterances.  The 6th Movement finds her so slow and tender
that forward momentum seems not to exist at times; it's like serving a
pot roast where all the meat falls off the bone before the carving begins.
The last two movements go very well, particularly the final movement
with excellently detailed upper voice patterns in the primary subject
and a truly uplifting 1st interlude.

Uchida's version of Kreisleriana is quite a mix of the transcendent,
sublime, and not quite up to snuff.  Overall, I have no problem recommending
the performance, but Uchida is far from the last word on this magical
composition.  Recorded quality is good, but there is a somewhat cavernous
quality that tends to blur passages.

Helene Grimaud - Grimaud's Kreisleriana is one of her earliest recordings
when she was associated with Denon in the late 1980's, and her performance
ranges from excellent to exceptional.  She imbues Florestan with all the
power and spontaneity he possesses; my sole reservation is that Florestan's
tension could have been more tightly coiled.  As for the interactive
sessions between Florestan and Eusebius, they are superbly balanced as
in the 1st Movement interlude.

I only question her approach to the 5th Movement which is rather choppy
and gives me the impression that Florestan might be intoxicated with
drink.  Schumann never did provide any hints of the drugs of choice for
his two alter-egos.  Did Florestan have a drinking problem?  Was Eusebius
inactive because of injesting mind-altering substances?  Does the ending
of Kreisleriana simply recount the crashing from a five-day high?

Back to Grimaud.  Recording quality is acceptable in a DDD context, but
the clarity is not up to the levels we hear from today's discs and there
is a general lack of incisiveness.  Overall, Grimaud offers an excellent
version marred slightly by that 5th Movement and some less than sterling
Eusebius inflections which are likely exacerbated by the soundstage.  I
bought the disc years ago and have enjoyed it regularly - nothing
astounding, but very solid and idiomatic.

Youri Egorov - I generally am not a big fan of Egorov's Schumann recordings,
but his Kreisleriana is a different story.  With a tension-filled Florestan
of perpetual motion and a Eusebius just a little less effective, his
version is close to being among the best available.  Egorov tends toward
quicker than usual speeds, but he also can slow down and give all the
nuance of Eusebius such as in the 2nd Movement's primary subject which
is absolutely sublime in his hands.  I also love his 1st Movement where
Florestan is a whirlwind of strength and momentum.  The sound is fine
for the time period but doesn't compare to the best of modern-day
recordings, being slightly cloudy.

Don's Conclusions: The Jegorv and Egorov versions are the gems of this
batch of seven Kreisleriana recordings.  Fou T'song, Banfield, and Grimaud
get a hearty recommendation, Uchida is just a little behind, but I can
only give Vogt a very mild approval.

Part 9 will cover two of the giants of 20th century pianism: Yves Nat
and Vlado Perlemuter.  That should take me to the conclusion of the
review project which I have found illuminating and enjoyable.

Don Satz
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