Portuguese pianist Maria Joao Pires is especially identified with the music of Chopin. She explores his late works on her newest release.
When this recording was pre-released in Portugal last year, it entered the pop charts at No. 6. That says a lot about the talent behind this Portuguese native who now calls Brazil home.
Maria Joao Pires is celebrating her 20th anniversary as a Deutsche Grammophon recording artist with a 2-CD collection devoted entirely to the late works of Chopin.
"What I wanted was not a systematic traversal of Chopin's output," she explained, "but a sort of stroll through this late period."
The recording opens with the Sonata No. 3 in B minor, winds its way through various nocturnes, mazurkas and waltzes, and lingers at the largest work on the recording, the Sonata for Violoncello and Piano in G minor.
Maria Joao Pires is widely recognized as one of the most brilliant pianists of the last 40 years.
She has a special affinity for Chopin, affirmed by the fact that her 1996 recording of Chopin nocturnes remains one of the best-selling solo piano recordings of the past 20 years. She shares two nocturnes on this recording, both of which appeared on her previous collection.
This time, Pires takes a more leisurely approach, pausing after the poetic opening of the B Major Op. 62 nocturne and inviting the listener to join her as she enters into the beauty of this work.
Pires feels a special connection to Chopin's Third Sonata. This work, she says, may seem tightly controlled, but it's really profoundly chaotic. The energy in this sonata rises and falls incessantly, as if the composer is remembering past struggles and trying to move beyond them.
"Whenever I play this work," she explained, "I have the impression that it starts by taking everything apart before reassembling it again."
Numerous ideas swirl in every direction in the first movement, until finally the singing melody emerges.
After a sparkling scherzo, Maria Joao Pires immerses herself in the enchanting Largo. Pires turns this movement into a delicious daydream, playing with a delicate touch, never rushing the tempo.
In the final movement, Pires believes the composer comes to terms with his personal suffering by accepting it. Every time she plays this demanding finale, she says, it requires an insane amount of energy. But in the end, she's physically relaxed.
The centerpiece of the second CD in this two-CD set is the Sonata for Violoncello and Piano in G minor, Op. 65. Pires is joined by Pavel Gomziakov, a dynamic young Russian cellist. The voice of Gomziakov's cello is dark and earthy. These performers are thoughtful poets who communicate the composer's intentions with rich expression.
Just as you may take a leisurely stroll through a summer garden to take in the fragrance of each bloom, you'll want to carefully absorb every nuance of the Chopin on this collection.
It's been more than four years since Maria Joao Pires has released a new recording, and it was worth the wait.
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