Ivan Moravec Live in Brussels

Anything new from Ivan Moravec must be heard, but while this does qualify as "new"— all tracks never before appeared on LP or CD — the recordings were made more than a quarter century ago. Until now, I was unaware that this material even existed.

Moravec made two recordings of the Beethoven Pastoral sonata for Connoisseur Society back in 1969, one in a New York studio, the other in a concert in Italy. The latter was chosen for its particular excitement to accompany some other Beethoven on LP. However, though VAI and Nonesuch and others have re-released virtually all of Moravec's Connoisseur Society output on CD, neither 1969 Pastoral ever made it to silver disc.

So we finally have a Moravec Pastoral on CD, and it's very fine in every way, a little more pianistically oriented, a notch more Romantic, and faster in the finale than the 1969 Italy performance. It is thoroughly enjoyable, full of energy and beautiful phrasing, with Moravec's infinitely variable touch gloriously on display.

Moravec had committed the four Brahms pieces to LP not long before this concert in Brussels, so it is clear that he was thinking about them in that era. These certainly join a number of fine recorded performances. I do enjoy how Moravec can make a miniature seem as if it's the centerpiece of the concert. The G minor rhapsody is given a big Romantic treatment, similar to Kovacevich's on Philips, if you know that one.

That Moravec gave the world towering performances of the Chopin nocturnes is well known, so the question is, How do the two on this disc compare to the 1966 recordings? There's a bit more spontaneity in the new B-major, it's played slightly faster; the old one digs a little deeper. The new C sharp minor is very different. Much faster, disappearing into the moonlight at 4:35 as compared to 5:42 for the 1966 version. But overall I prefer the studio recordings of 1966 for their absolute background silence, their close-up sound, and the superb engineering by E. Alan Silver. I want to be alone in quiet when I hear a Chopin nocturne, not among other people. I can't remember which great pianist said that the late bagatelles of Beethoven should be played only privately, not in concert, but I feel the same way about the nocturnes. My personal prejudice, I admit.

Moravec had recorded these two Mazurkas in 1965 and again in 1969, so this is his third go-round. Nevertheless, I'm glad to have them. And if he wants to play the same two again on his next disc, that's fine with me, too. This is characteristic of Moravec, who recorded the C# minor op. 25 etude in 1969, ruminated over it for 20 years, and recorded it again in 1989. This musician is not out to complete as many cycles as he can of this or that.

It's harder for me to review the B minor scherzo. Much of it is quite furious, terrifying difficult to play, and I tend to prefer a slower, more expansive reading that dwells longer on the beauty of the moment. Moravec plays it the way Chopin apparently wanted it, so I guess I shouldn't argue with that. The performance is unquestionably superb, very much like the one on Dorian, recorded six years later, and the one on VAI, recorded 14 years earlier. Interesting that all three clock within one second of each other. I find it amazing that anyone can get through this piece at such tempos without missing a note, but that what I hear on this disc.

A note on the recording. With concerts, you always run the risk of capturing intrusive coughing, rustling of programs, and other distracting noise. Luckily, this Belgian audience was quite respectful, and there's not a whisper or crackle to be heard throughout. You wouldn't know this was a concert until you heard the applause, and the audience was refined enough to wait until the last notes had faded away. These are analog 1983 recordings analog remastered in 2009, and they sound just fine.

Als letzte ältere oder historische Aufnahme in dieser Ausgabe haben wir eine wunderbare Live-Aufnahme ausgesucht. Ivan Moravec gab im Conservatoire von Brüssel zwei Klavierabende, im Iahr 1983. Aus diesen beiden Abenden ist diese CD entstanden. Der Tscheche Moravec war besonders in den ersten Jahren des neuen Jahrtausends wieder in den Fokus geraten, hatte Ehrungen und Preise erhalten, trat in zahllosen Ländern auf. Doch plötzlich ist es wieder still geworden um diesen grandiosen Pianisten aus Prag. Hier nun kommt ein Zeugnis seiner großartigen Kunst. Denn allein schon die tiefe seelische Ergriffenheit, die Moravec in der Klaviersonate Op. 28 von Ludwig van Beethoven in der Lage ist heraufzubeschwören, lässt ihn leicht in die vorderste Front der Klaviertitanen vordringen. Hier spielt einer der Pianisten, die aus einer Generation stammen, die noch in einer vor allem klanglichen Hinsicht zu arbeiten verstand und dabei den Notentext als das Maß aller Dinge ansah. Hier ist ein Interpret am Werk, der in jeder Hinsicht den Charakter der Musik zu treffen versteht, dynamisch, agogisch, in Bezug auf Phrasierung und Klangfarbe. Dies wird vor allem auch in den aus Op. 76 und Op, 118 zusammengestellten Intermezzi und Capricci von Brahms deutlich. Die beiden Intermezzi aus Op. 118 sind ein Beweis für seinen untrüglichen Sinn für das Melancholische, die Art des weisen Alterns, mit gleichzeitiger Hoffnung auf ein Mehr vom Leben. Und auch Chopins Mazurken und Nocturnes wachsen unter seinen Händen zu einer Ehrlichkeit und Direktheit, wie man sie nur selten zu hören bekommt. Man sollte nach dem Hören dieser Einspielung wieder mehr an Moravec denken und hoffen, dass er auch wieder häufiger die Gelegenheit bekommt, in Deutschland und den angrenzenden Ländern zu konzertieren, denn diesem Pianisten zuzuhören ist eine Offenbarung!