Pianist
Nathanael Gouin
explores the caprice as it has evolved, with works that fall squarely into that form and some that, as
Gouin
discusses in the booklet interview, fit the mold.
's phrasing and style seem best suited to the Romantic and Post-Romantic periods, and that is where he excels here, especially in the
Valse-Caprice No. 2, Op. 38
, of
Faure
and
Alkan
's
Le festin d'Esope, Op. 39/12
. Another draw is the premiere of
Reynaldo Hahn
Mignouminek
from 1943, an unpublished work that was dedicated to and later found in the library of
Francois Lang
, a pianist and collector who died in Auschwitz in 1944. There are countless recordings of
Rachmaninov
Rhapsodie sur theme de Paganini, Op. 43
, and this one is worth considering. The freedom associated with the caprice form is necessarily reined in owing to the presence of the orchestra here. The
Sinfonia Varsovia
under conductor
Aleksandar Markovic
is a good stylistic match with
. The juxtaposition of the
variations with those of
Brahms
' first book of his
Variations sur un theme de Paganini, Op. 35
, for solo piano, allows listeners to hear the extra freedom given to the pianist in the
. The inclusion of
Bach
Caprice sur le depart de son frere bien-aime, BWV 992
, makes sense given the title and the overarching theme of the album.
is less convincing in this Baroque master's work as his playing is sometimes uneven and loses a bit of momentum in the slower movements, but the quicker, lighter movements are better matched to his playing style. ~ Keith Finke