[.ca] Three Sons/Four Scherzos/Four

Rough sketches of what could have been...:
The pianist on these discs has been forgotten by many, but he certainly is a remarkable person. Adam Harasiewicz is one of the foremost Polish Chopinists of the post-war period. OK, there weren't that many competitors (except Rubinstein). But still, he made a name. Harasiewicz won the 1955 Chopin Competition. Shortly after, the Philips label was so clever to sign him in. He made some recordings (of Chopin, what else) for the label, but he disappeared afterwards. And until today, he has remained out of the spotlights (although he is said to be still very famous in his homeland). What was left to the world, were about six or seven discs containing his view on Chopin, and Philips has been so kind to put them back into the catalogue. So, here are recordings of Chopin's Sonatas, Scherzos, Ballades, the Barcarolle and the Fantasy. No childish program! This was my first introduction to all mentioned works, for which I've always treasured the set. But having listened to it again, I am not entirely satisfied with what's within. Let's first talk about the recording quality. It varies a lot. The recordings were made between 1958 and 1968, and some of them are really bad for the period. I've heard very well recorded recitals from around 1960, also by Philips. But in this set, there are pieces that make you wonder if there was a lot of dust lying on the piano strings. The first Scherzo, the first Ballade and the Fantasy stand out as the most terrible ones. Normally I don't care about bad sound, but here it really affects the sound of the piano. But, most important: it didn't have to sound this bad! Harasiewicz's playing, to continue, is impressive, though not the ultimate Chopin. He has a very romantic, passionate style, just what you'd expect of a Pole. He may be close to what Chopin himself would have done. But I found his playing somewhat monotonous. I admire the heroic mood he must have been in while recording the pieces (especially with the Ballades and Scherzos); on the other hand he has some difficulties with changing the mood of a piece suddenly. It's fine to hear his powerful, fast-driven playing, but too few soft colours can be found here. It's all a cup of the same coffee what we get. I wish he would not hurry so much. Take the Ballades. One example is the Ballade op. 38: instead of playing the first -calm- part as a lullaby (which I think is what Chopin intended), he runs through the song, as if he wants to get his hands on the Presto con fuoco as soon as possible. Doing so, he makes the sudden breakout of the Presto sound quite predictable, instead of bringing it as an absolute surprise. He plays the Presto impressively, however. But the final silent scene is again not very beautiful. Other example: the G minor Ballade op.23. It seems that he's already very agitated before reaching the first acceleration point! He plays the famous main theme without any rest, again spoiling some things that have yet to come. Overall, I think Harasiewicz tries to fill every scene with passion. But there are also so many moments in this music where rest and silence are required. He kind of forgets about that. Regarding the Ballades, the results are quite negative. Some problems can also be found in the fourth Ballade, although that piece is much more filled with unrest. This applies to Harasiewicz, of course. The only gem is the op.47 Ballade, which is heroic to the top. The pianist's formula is well suited to this kind of music, and it has some wonderful results. I haven't heard it much better than this. The Scherzos are also a good terrain for Harasiewicz. Every measure in this music is filled with action. Harasiewicz' playing in the first three Scherzos is exemplary, and I can surely recommend all three. All contain a very Chopin-like drive, and Harasiewicz's accentuation is often brilliant. He draws out the most important notes in the whirlwinds of op.21, and the almost fugue-like theme in the beginning of op.39 also sounds very clear. Speaking of op.39: the changes between the octave-sections and the so-called angel's choirs sound much better that you'd expect from Harasiewicz. The more lyrical fourth Scherzo is a bit unconvincing, though. The Scherzos are, as a whole, very interestingly played, but I may like the aforementioned Vladimir Ashkenazy even better here. He's just somewhat fresher and more lyrical. Then come the Sonatas, and again it's just not the top. My favourite performer here is again Ashkenazy (haven't heard much others, by the way), and he's better and fresher on each one. Harasiewicz is much too serious in the juvenile First sonata, which can only come to life when it's played with fun. In the Second sonata's opening, he does not play as if the fire is on his heels. And the March is not stately enough. The Scherzo and the weird conclusion, though, get a spectacular treatment. The Third sonata is Harasiewicz' best job: he zips through the Scherzo and the Final (though still a bit seriously) and the Largo sings beautifully. Still, not my favourite one. Same thing needs to be said of the Barcarolle, which is good but not great, and the Fantasy is dull stuff. Overall: a twofer with some admirable, passionate playing, but it's never really the best (except the Third Ballade!). Everything hangs just under the top, and it's no wonder that recordings like these aren't remembered for long. The sound quality isn't optimal either. Still, somehow, I feel a strong admiration for this pianist. I can clearly hear he 'has' something, and I also think he would have developed it in the following years (he was around 30 in these sessions) to great heights. But somehow he disappeared from the concert stages, and the story ended. A pity. Three-and-a-half stars.

• Piano Sonata No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 4: 1. Allegro maestoso
• Piano Sonata No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 4: 2. Minuetto. Allegretto
• Piano Sonata No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 4: 3. Larghetto
• Piano Sonata No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 4: 4. Finale. Presto
• Piano Sonata No. 2 In B Flat Minor, Op. 35: 1. Grave - Doppio Movimento
• Piano Sonata No. 2 In B Flat Minor, Op. 35: 2. Scherzo - Piu lento - Tempo I
• Piano Sonata No. 2 In B Flat Minor, Op. 35: 3. Marche Funebre. Lento
• Piano Sonata No. 2 In B Flat Minor, Op. 35: 4. Finale. Presto
• Piano Sonata No. 3 In B Minor, Op. 58: 1. Allegro maestoso
• Piano Sonata No. 3 In B Minor, Op. 58: 2. Scherzo. Molto vivace
• Piano Sonata No. 3 In B Minor, Op. 58: 3. Largo
• Piano Sonata No. 3 In B Minor, Op. 58: 4. Finale. Presto non tanto
• Barcarolle In F Sharp, Op. 60
• Scherzo No. 1 In B Minor, Op. 20
• Scherzo No. 2 In B Flat Minor, Op. 31
• Scherzo No. 3 In C Sharp Minor, Op. 39
• Scherzo No. 4 In E, Op. 54
• Fantaisie In F Minor, Op. 49
• Ballade No. 1 In G Minor, Op. 23
• Ballade No. 2 In F, Op. 38
• Ballade No. 3 In A Flat, Op. 47
• Ballade No. 4 In F Minor, Op. 52