| Site review by Polly Nomial December 30, 2006
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Performance: Sonics (MC): |
A wonderful disc from a wonderful player who confirms her potential as displayed in Wanderer, Works by Liszt and Schubert - Luiza Borac
This set comprises two discs with 94 minutes of material split as follows:
Disc 1
Prelude and Fugue
Nocturne
Scherzo
Pièce sur le nom de Fauré
Disc 2
Sonata 1
Sonata 3
(Sonata 2 was sadly never committed to paper by Enescu.)
Throughout, from Ravelian andante "finale" to the first Sonata to the shadowy world of the Nocturne, Borac displays complete mastery both technical and musical. The sonatas could not be more contrasted with a definite progression in musical language displayed by Enescu between the two works; the first is composed seemingly in honour to Ravel with occasional forays into Romanian folk music whereas the second draws far more extensively and explicitly on such material.
The first disc is a more reflective disc, which gives balm to the soul such is the calm and pathos of the music in Borac's hands. A particular favourite is the quasi-Bach Prelude and Fugue (which sounds like a Busoni transcription that didn't feel the need to display a huge amount of testosterone) or perhaps the Nocturne, in which not all the shadows are pleasant (there are distinctly nightmarish episodes before the calm returns). The Scherzo and Pièce are small but attractive make weights which Borac gives the same level of service.
The engineering is gorgeous, with as good as piano sound as one could wish to hear.
Highly recommended.
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Copyright © 2006 John Broggio and SA-CD.net
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| Review by wehecht May 6, 2006 (7 of 7 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics (MC): |
George Enescu may have been the greatest musical polymath in recent history. Just reading the biographical material included in Martin Anderson's excellent notes to this recording is enough to encourage anyone to want to explore Enescu's work beyond the ubiquitous Romanian Rhapsodies. This is Luiza Borac's second Enescu recording for Avie, the first being of the three suites for piano (I cannot submit a formal review since I've heard it only on rbcd, but any comments about performance may be taken to apply equally to that disc as well). This disc (actually two discs totaling a little over 90 minutes and priced just a bit over the normal price of one)is arranged chronologically covering a period of more than 30 years of the composer's life. Disc one consists of works in a variety of forms, and disc two contains the first and third sonatas (the second was never written down, it existed only in the composer's head). While the sonatas are clearly the major works, and IMO they are the equal of any others of the first half of the 20th century including Rachmaninov's and Prokofiev's, my particular favorite is the 20 minute long Nocturne on disc one, a truly visionary and disturbing work.
Luisa Borac is a relatively young pianist who was born and trained in Romania, including time as a student at the Enescu Music School in Bucharest. It is no overtatement to say that she has this music in her blood. A prize winner at numerous international competitions her technique is fully equal to the significant demands of the music. She produces a wonderfully solid and rounded tone that retains it's essential character over a wide dynamic range. Because I haven't heard any other recordings of most of this music, not do I have access to scores, I cannot comment with any authority on the interpretations beyond saying that they sound convincing to me, opening up a new and wonderful corner of the repertoire. All of this has been recorded (mc) very naturally, conveying a real sense of listening to a compelling recital in an moderate sized hall.
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