Recording Review #77: Bertrand Chamayou Performs the Complete Mendelssohn Songs Without Words (Erato)

 

Mendelssohn: Songs Without Words (complete cycle). Bertrand Chamayou, pianist. Erato 2756801961.

The press release for this recording features the following remarks from Bertrand Chamayou: “Mendelssohn’s Songs without Words are very well known, yet little known at the same time. There are 48 of them in all, but fewer than ten of them feature regularly in concert programmes.” He's onto something. There are not as many recorded cycles of the Songs as you might think. More pointedly, I can recommend none without at least a couple of reservations. Individual selections? I have favorites galore. But the entire traversal remains a tricky venture full of unexpected challenges.

If I had to put my finger on it, the main difficulty is that the Songs Without Words reward restraint and punish impulsivity. Their best qualities emerge under careful stewardship. This can be very difficult for the contemporary pianist to pull off. It's not over-simplifying things to say that every piece here requires grace and elegance...even the ostensibly stormy numbers. These qualities can be counterintuitive for Romantic repertoire, which is why you hear so many performances that better suit Liszt or Schumann. I fear we live in a world inhospitable to Mendelssohn's refinement. Bombast and pathology are much more our wavelengths. 

Ideally, then, the performer would demonstrate an "able and willing" dynamic: are they able to supply sufficient warmth and elegance of tone, and willing to submit to interpretive self-discipline? Bertrand Chamayou is certainly able, but it's that last inch of "willing" which for me ever so slightly tarnishes an otherwise excellent venture. Simply put, he occasionally overplays some of the quicker selections. There is sometimes a Schumannesque freneticism that, even in small amounts, quickly begins to burden these pieces. Perhaps the clearest example is the first time it happens: Op. 30/4. Here Mendelssohn sets a cruel trap for the pianist. Whereas Op. 30/2 is likewise on the virtuosic side, it only comes with the tempo indication Allegro di molto while starting quietly. But Op. 30/4 is also quick and starts quietly, yet additionally sports an Agitato e con fuoco direction. To many pianists this direction, combined with the piece's sf and con fuoco indications, is irresistible temptation to "let 'er rip!" But notice the slurring; Mendelssohn still wants the pianist to craft smooth phrases. Moreover, most of the sf indications deliberately come with initial or other strong beats. These subtleties are in place precisely to prevent the spasming into which Chamayou sometimes slips. Comparing Mendelssohn's rhythmic and articulative patterns to Schumann's much more idiosyncratic ones is to experience night and day. (For a good Op. 30/4 alternative, behold how Daniel Adni walks this tightrope particularly well. EMI 724356935228.)

Actually, Chamayou doesn't always need a con fuoco marking to let 'er rip. The famous Op. 67/2, for example, doesn't have one...just a modest Allegro leggiero. To hear his interpretation, it might as well say Agitato. Again, the conception is a bit too frenetic. Similar things could be said for Op. 38/1-2, Op. 67/4, and Op. 85/3, to varying degrees. None of this (not even Op. 30/4) sinks the entire cycle, not by a long shot. But it's the kind of frustrating caveat that prevents full-throated enthusiasm - a common refrain when evaluating available Songs Without Words recordings.

But make no mistake: this is one of the best ones. Chamayou's greatest assets include not only the warmth of tone I was asking for earlier, but also pristine dynamic and articulative command. When he applies them well, he's as good as anyone. The entireties of Op. 19b and Op. 102 are smoothly satisfying, as are highlights like Op. 30/1 and Op. 53/1; I don't think I've heard better. And most interestingly, with pieces like Op. 53/2 and Op. 62/5 Chamayou proves that he can exercise the kind of restraint I find compromised in Op. 30/4 etc. One other misstep bears mentioning, however: the famous "Spring Song" (Op. 62/6). The frilly accompaniment here sounds oddly crimped, and out of keeping with Chamayou's finest instincts. Just another execution foible in repertoire that peculiarly elicits them. 

I can't overly fault Chamayou for succumbing to pitfalls that encumber nearly everyone else. Indeed, he does so considerably less. The more interpretations one samples, the taller his stands. Clunky, overplayed offerings abound. Which naturally begs the difficult question of a gold standard. Probably the one most often touted as such is Daniel Barenboim's on DG (453 061-2). I understand why - his seems to best balance performer personality with baseline elegance. But given what I've argued above, I'm still throwing in with Daniel Gortler on Roméo Records (7273/4). It's not a perfect cycle, but it most consistently preserves the music's precious qualities, which are especially vulnerable to misjudgment. That said, it's nice to have a new option that I can mention in the very next breath. 

Verdict: Highly Recommended