FEATURE REVIEW by Colin Clarke
BRAHMS (transcr. Keller) Symphony No. 2 • Pianist Nada (pn) • 4TAY 4074 (Streaming audio: 41:27) https://jamesarts.com/records-archive/op-73-nada-tracks/
Reviews by several Fanfare critics of Pianist Nada’s recording of Brahms’ First Symphony in a transcription for solo piano by Otto Singer appeared in 46:2. Here’s the second, this time in a masterly arrangement by Robert Keller that is fearsomely difficult, and yet infinitely rewarding.
The Second Symphony works beautifully on the piano—its intrinsically lyrical nature sees to that—and Pianist Nada is able to bring her wealth of experience in Brahms’s music to the table. Recorded on what is obviously a fine Baldwin concert grand over two days in Bardstown, KY, Pianist Nada provides a viable alternative to the orchestral score. Hearing the first movement on piano actually allows for an expanded appreciation of the composer’s polyphonic workings; even with a conductor at the helm known for his x-ray clarity (Abbado, for instance), this aspect is less pronounced than here.
Pianist Nada has a highly developed rhythmic sense, which pays huge dividends in the first movement in particular. She is able to maintain real independence of lines, so that moving against an established rhythm takes on real power. It is a testament to the driving force of her conviction that tremolos sound completely convincing; another aspect is a sense of piano-as-organ. The more pared-down close of the movement does hang together; Pianist Nada’s grasp of Brahms’ structural processes ensures this.
The Adagio non troppo is positively monumental. There is an objective aspect to the chordal work, complemented be an almost unstoppable slow flow of melody. It is an Adagio; the non troppo might be debatable, but it works: Particularly when heard in “black and white,” as it were, one feels dissonances all the more keenly, unsoftened by timbre. There is some rubato, but it is very carefully judged and never superficial. A moment of slow dance appears, too, around the three-minute mark. Under Pianist Nada’s fingers, the slow movement becomes a symphonic poem speaking of dark Romanic journeys and, as with the first, it has a distinct sense of trajectory and direction.
The Allegretto grazioso (quasi andantino) is often characterized by its charm. There is less of that here; instead, the opening leads naturally into the later dynamism. One of the finest aspects of Pianist Nada’s reading is her low use of pedaling; in this movement in particular that pays dividends, with the chordal staccatos being perfectly judged and each individual chord carefully weighted. The finale is carefully paced, perhaps less con spirito than the marking might imply but full of insights, not least of which is a bell-like invocation. Pianist Nada’s execution is superb in its attention to the placement of each chord, and in keeping the underlying rhythm intact. She does not have to slow unnecessarily for the contrasting lyrical theme, either. Her performance of the finale is full of light and shade, of rigor and unshakable belief in Brahms’s music. As the carillons continue and blossom, the music moves perfectly towards its mighty conclusion.
This is not a disc I expected to enjoy; Brahms’s Second is very near to my heart, as is I am sure the case with many others, and to transfer it to piano sounds in theory like a pedagogic idea at best. And yet Pianist Nada’s conviction convinced me that this is a valid and thought-provoking listening experience. You might never hear Brahms’s symphony on orchestra in quite the same way again. Colin Clarke
