Frederic Chopin(1810-1849)
   Fantaisie-Impromptu, Op.66

Shura Cherkassky....Ivory Classics 72003(1940's - 4:49)
Alfred Cortot.......EMI Reference 61050(1933 - 4:31)
Janina Fialkowska...Opening Day 9318(1999 - 5:26)
Garrick Ohlsson.....Arabesque 6642(1993 - 5:08)

Of the above pianists, Cortot and Cherkassky are legendary while Ohlsson
has the complete Chopin piano works for Arabesque under his belt.  The
relative 'unknown' is Janina Fialkowska.  She is a Canadian, born in
Montreal to a Canadian mother and Polish father.  Her career took off
after a prize winning performance in 1974 at the Arthur Rubinstein
International Competition in Israel.  Since that time, she has made many
recordings for CBC, Opening Day, and Naxos.  Fialkowska has also appeared
with most of the leading orchestras in the world.  To top it off, she
is the founder of "Piano Six", a group of Canadian pianists committed
to bringing recitals to areas of Canada where classical music performances
are infrequent.

Although timings can be quite deceptive, the average recorded performance
of Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu is in the five minute range.  Of the
four performances being reviewed, only Fialkowska extends well beyond
the norm; Cortot is well below the norm, but that was typical for the
time period.

The Cherkassky performance is part of a 2-cd set offering his historic
recordings from the 1940's.  The list of pieces is quite long, so I won't
go through the program contents.  However, major works covered include
the Brahms Piano Sonata Opus 5, four Liszt Hungarian Rhapsodies, and
seven other Chopin pieces in addition to Opus 66.  The two discs are
well-filled with over 140 minutes of music.  The price is premium, but
so is Cherkassky.

Cortot's EMI disc is all-Chopin and includes the Opus 28 Preludes, Prelude
Op.45, Berceuse, and Barcarolle.  Needless to say, you don't want to be
without these vintage performances.  Fiakowska gives us the Four Impromptus
and the 2nd and 3rd Piano Sonatas, while Ohlsson's 2-cd set covers the
Four Impromptus and all 16 Polonaises.

As I continued listening to these four readings of Opus 66, three features
kept occupying my mind: tension, primitive human urges, and desperation.
Their significance was most clear when comparing Ohlsson's account to
Cortot's.  Ohlsson is certainly louder and more powerful than Cortot who
has the additional disadvantage of aural debris and a slightly recessed
sound.  Yet, Ohlsson's version just bounces off me, and the Cortot
penetrates my core.  Why?  It all starts with tension.  Ohlsson offers
power but with little tension; I had to use my equalizer and some very
odd settings to get any decent tension from Ohlsson, and those results
were still not close to being compelling.  Of course, if tension is low,
primitive urges are low, and desperation is just a fleeting thought.
But Ohlsson is certainly loud if that means anything to you.

Turn to Cortot and we have an interpretation that is permeated by a
tightly coiled tension, primitive urgings just busting to take over one's
being, and a strong dose of life's desperate elements.  Yes, the sound
isn't good at all, and there are plenty of times when the piano tone
becomes recessed.  Through it all, Cortot rises to the top with one of
the best versions on record and joins Arrau, Ashkenazy, Francois, and
Moiseiwitsch at the elite level.  Cortot even manages to instill the
gorgeous 2nd section with an impressive degree of tension.

The Cherkassky and Fialkowska versions occupy a middle position between
Ohlsson and Cortot.  Both provide plenty of tension and angst, but they
can't compare to Cortot, Moiseiwitsch, or Arrau.  Also, their 2nd sections
don't rival the transcendent one from Ashkenazy.

Cherkassky, like Cortot, has to put up with some significant aural debris
and recessed sound.  Unlike Cortot, Cherkassky can't quite rise above
it, as his tension goes slack at times in the 1st section.  However,
Cherkassky's 2nd section is highly lyrical and noble in conception.

I would have liked more fire-power out of Fialkowska's 1st section and
a little more vitality from her 2nd section.  However, it's a very fine
performance on the lyrical end with some profound utterances in the 2nd
section.  Also, Fialkowska does turn on the heat with a little over a
minute left in her reading and finishes with an idyllic conclusion.  The
sound quality has excellent balance and depth, although I wouldn't rate
it as state-of-the-art.

Don's Conclusions: Cortot's tension-filled version is the gem among the
four reviewed and one of the best on record.  The Fialkowska and Cherkassky
interpretations have much to offer, but the Ohlsson is problematic at
best.

I have a few more versions left to review including Jorge Bolet and
Angela Lear.  Part 3 should be distributed in a few days as long as the
pressing requirements of life don't rear their heads too insistently.

Don Satz
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