Johannes Brahms(1833-1897)
   Handel Variations, Opus 24

Rosalyn Tureck
VAI Audio 1058
Recorded 1974
Performance Time 27:00

Rosalyn Tureck
VAI Audio 1024(2 discs)
Recorded 1992
Performance Time 29:45

Boris Petrushansky
Symposium 1092
Recorded 1991
Performance Time 33:57

Part 6, the final section of this review project, is devoted to the
two Rosalyn Tureck performances of the Handel Variations on VAI Audio
and one from Boris Petrushansky on the Symposium label.  The 1974 Tureck
performance has Bach, Mendelssohn, Schubert, and Busoni as companions, and
the disc is titled "The Young Firebrand".  Although Tureck wasn't exactly
young in 1974, the other performances go back as far as 1939.  Joining the
1992 performance are Mendelssohn, Liszt, Debussy, Graun, A.  Scarlatti,
and Paradies.  All performances on the 1992 recording took place at a
recital at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires on August 14.  Petrushansky's
disc is an all-Brahms effort also having the Paganini Variations and a
transcription of the second movement of the Opus 18 String Sextet.

Rosalyn Tureck's claim to fame is Bach, Bach, and more Bach.  Known as
the "High Priestess" of Bach keyboard works, I totally concur that Bach has
no better musical representative than Tureck.  Her natural lyricism, slow
but inevitable pacing, extremely broad and deep emotional understanding,
and incisive articulation make her recorded Bach performances among the
greatest in the classical repertoire.  The highest accolade I can give
Tureck is that she is supreme in Bach's most complex music.

Is Tureck supreme in the Handel Variations? Not quite.  Although Handel's
Theme, the Fugue, and some of the variations are brilliantly performed in
the 1972 performance, the sound is not really up to snuff for the time
period and Tureck rarely astounds me as she does in her Bach recordings.
The Handel Variations, less complex than a work such as the Well Tempered
Clavier, calls for a more straight-forward approach and doesn't play into
Tureck's most effective strengths.  Still, her sense of architecture is
exceptional, and her articulation highly rewarding.

Tureck gets off to an auspicious start with Handel's Theme where she
provides a great blend of ceremonial and pensive/hushed messages; it's
quite similar to the exceptional Moiseiwitsch performance and equally
rewarding.  Tureck's 1st Variation has fine rhythmic bounce and vitality,
her 2nd Variation excellently reaches for enlightenment, and the interplay
of voices in the 3rd Variation is effectively conveyed.

Tureck's 4th Variation is on the slow side but still a driving and strong
performance.  Her 5th Variation has great yearnings and poignancy, and the
6th finds her growling bass line conveying inevitability.  The 7th and 8th
Variations require great power and momentum in an invigorating display;
Tureck is commanding in the 7th but a little subdued in the 8th.

The 10th Variation calls for a playful and happy mood beautifully delivered
by Tureck; she *can* be light and breezy.  The urgency she brings to the
11th Variation is delectable, but I don't care for her generally demure
12th Variation which could have used more intensity of feeling.

Tureck bounces back in the most powerful variation of the set, the 13th
Variation; the energy she sucks up and releases is very impressive.  In the
next two variations, she excites this listener with strong and magnetic
interpretations.

One of Tureck's best interpretations is of the 19th Variation where she
is utterly sublime and assuring; her 21st Variation has fantastic urgency
and depth of feeling.  In the last three variations, Tureck's exuberance,
strength, and determination are second to none.  The ending Fugue finds
Tureck making a meal out of this Bach-like creation.  She is quite slow,
but the articulation is exceptional.  All musical strands are highlighted,
and she makes more sense out of this thorny fugue than all other pianists
on record.

Although I have reported enthusiastically about Tureck's 1974 performance,
I can not place her among the best performances on record.  Aside from
her magnificent Fugue, Tureck is not really distinctive nor illuminating.
Also, the rather drab sound is a factor that always seems to be slightly
dampening my enjoyment.  The performances are uniformly excellent though,
and the recording earns a strong recommendation.

Does Tureck offer anything different in her 1992 performance? Yes, her
readings are more subdued than in 1974.  This feature shows up immediately
in Handel's Theme and the first two variations.  She's also slower, and I
thought her slow enough in the earlier performance.  Offsetting these
performance considerations is a much more vibrant soundstage.  Overall, I
consider the two Tureck recordings of equal merit.  Perhaps the deciding
factor is that the 1992 2-cd set only contains 83 minutes of music.

Boris Petrushansky's readings hold up very well to Tureck's.  In fact,
they surpass Tureck and enter the exalted ground that she occupies in Bach.
Although Petrushansky's performance time is well over 30 minutes, that's
a bit deceptive.  Aside from a few *very* slow readings, his tempos are
in the normal or quicker range.  These very slow-paced readings bring out
all of the Brahms architecture in a most inviting and illuminating fashion.
That being said, when power, speed, and drive are called for, Petrushansky
is never lacking; his exuberance and determination are exceptional.

Petrushaky's very slow readings include the Variations 3, 5, 6, 9, 12,
13, 18, 20, and 21.  I list these, because they reveal that he applies
his slow tempos not just to the tender and contemplative variations but
also to the most powerful and gritty ones as well.  Although he risks the
lose of momentum and flow, it never happens.  Instead, like Tureck in Bach,
Petrushansky gives us the full flowering of the music's proportions,
details, and structure.  These are transcendent performances not to be
missed.  Recorded sound is fine, although it can bet a little congested in
the strongest passages.

Don's Conclusions:  After reviewing 20 versions of the Handel Variations,
I have come to the end.  They break down as follows:

Top Level: Fleisher, Cohen, Solomon, Petri, and Petrushansky.
Essential: Katchen, Boriskin, and Kovacevich.
Thumbs-up: Serkin, Artymiw, Arrau, Dichter, Richter, Biret,
Moiseiwitsch, Schiff, and both Turecks.
No Thanks: Pratt and Ax.

I suppose that my inclusion of Cohen, Petrushansky, and Boriskin among the
best versions might raise some eyebrows.  I simply suggest that you check
them out for yourself.  The remaining exceptional performances need no
advertising; they have routinely been counted among the best versions over
the years.

The eight best performaces all have one common feature; they give the
music what it needs as opposed to conveying some stylistic approach binding
the variations together and neglecting each one's unique characteristics.
Brahms put a wealth of emotions into his creation, and these eight versions
bring all of them to the forefront.  If sound quality is a big priority, I
most recommend the Cohen performance which is the only one of the eight
with exceptional sound.  Happy listening!

Don Satz
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