Souvenirs de Chopin. Kotaro Fukuma, pianist. Naxos NYCC-27315DG.
Pianist Kotaro Fukuma has had a busy performing career following his First Prize award at the Cleveland International Piano Competition in 2003. It's not hard to see why. At his best he plays with both formidable technique and keen sensitivity. He frequently makes a good impression on concert critics, and his Laureate Series disc of Schumann piano works with Naxos (8.557668) has won deserved praise as part of an already sizable discography. Yet his consistency as a recording artist would seem to be uneven. For example, I find I agree with Jed Distler in his valuation of Fukuma's earlier Chopin disc (ARS Produktion 38237), where he cites problems with phrasing and dynamic balance.
This feeling of hot-and-cold also marks Fukuma's Souvenirs de Chopin, which offers a somewhat motley crew of pieces by the eponymous composer. I mean, check out the playlist (taken from Naxos's website):
This is a generous helping of music, as you can see by the total playing time. But it's also kind of an odd mixture. I find that this aesthetically matches an equally curious dichotomy of good and less good in Fukuma's playing, both within pieces and from piece to piece.
The biggest issue(s) I have is that Fukuma occasionally likes to over-rubato some slow portions while rip-roaring through the quicker, more virtuosic passages. When he does the latter, the tone is too harsh and the pedaling muddies the texture. For some reason the pieces toward the front of the playlist exhibit these flaws more starkly. The First Ballade, "Heroic" Polonaise, Op. 18 Waltz, and the famous E-Flat Nocturne from Op. 9 are his low points of the bunch.
In the "decent" category are the Fantasy and the Second Sonata. The former has good tempi and some lovely passages in the slower portions. But the fast parts quickly become muddy and frenetic. The same thing is true at times in the opening movement of the sonata (though less so), and in the scherzo. But here again the slow movement contains some beautiful pianism.
Fukuma saves his best almost for last. I expected the Polonaise-fantaisie to prove troublesome for the overall manner of playing displayed thus far. But actually we get a wonderful performance. Fukuma better restrains his rubato, avoids noisiness in the virtuosic stretches, and pedals throughout with more clarity. This is refreshing not only after his earlier fare, but also within the larger recording catalog. In truth, some 'distinguished' interpretations of this piece don't sit well with me – they're often too eccentric. The Polonaise-fantaisie is a delicate creation that ill suffers those who are overbearing. But in Fukuma's sober reading we properly hear the intricate melodic lines, delivered with a clear tone that sings gorgeously. If you listen to a single track from this recording make it No. 10.
The C-Sharp Minor Nocturne and remaining waltzes are fine...I have nothing significant to report about them. Nor, really, do I have much to say about the included "curiosity" – Carl Reinecke's solo piano arrangement of the Largo from Chopin's Second Piano Concerto. A quick-and-dirty search didn't turn up any other recordings of this, but I could easily be mistaken. (Leave a comment if I am; I'd like to know of any others!) Fukuma plays it splendidly, which is all the more reason collectors might have to collect this release.
Verdict: Recommended (especially for the Polonaise-fantaisie)
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