| Site review by Polly Nomial August 7, 2006
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Performance: Sonics (MC): |
This disc showcases an artist who holds promise for the future. In this disc though, the performance of the Schubert sonata badly lets down the encouraging Schumann rendition.
To get the negatives out of the way first, Kawamura's Schubert. This is very earth-bound playing compared to Schubert: Piano Sonatas - Thomas Günther, and this is not just a function of using a modern piano. Artist's like Brendel manage to avoid sounding lethargic and give compelling & imaginative performances on Steinway's so there is really no excuse for what has been issued here. Even the relatively well done Scherzo is let down by some very distracting pauses I've not heard or seen before. It is a shame that more Schumann wasn't chosen as this seems to suit Kawamura's style of playing much better to my ears.
The Schumann is, fortunately, an entirely different league of performance. Apart from the odd passage that sounds like pressured playing, the performance has all the feeling of spontaniety that the Schubert lacked. Not that the Romanze or Intermezzo are played fleetingly but rather, when the music demands an energetic response it is forthcoming here. Still, for all this, it would not trouble accounts from Perahia or Richter (were they on SACD). To Kawamura's credit, at no time does the piano sound "hammered" and she produces a tone of frequent beauty.
An interesting feature of this disc is the use of a Kawai piano. This instrument produces very beautiful sounds under Kawamura and has a pleasing clarity. This is also reflected in the recorded sound, where the piano is captured very well by Audite. Thanks must also go to the technician Atsusji Komiyama for keeping this instrument in such fine condition throughout the sessions.
Not really recommendable unless you really can't wait for an alternative of the Schumann to come along.
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Copyright © 2006 John Broggio and SA-CD.net
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