Grieg • Mendelssohn

Grieg: Lyric Pieces; Mendelssohn: Lieder ohne Worte Denis Kozhukhin (piano)

Pentatone PTC 5186 734 (hybrid CD/ SACD) 65:37 mins This charming if hardly groundbreaking recital presents an appealing account of the Romantic miniature through 11 Mendelssohn Songs without Words, followed by 15 Lyric Pieces by Grieg. These pieces are probably still played by those of us who had piano lessons as children, or have returned to the piano after a break. They are (mostly) forgiving of a less developed, or neglected, amateur technique.

So I was hoping for a pyrotechnics-free performance evoking the tender nostalgia and improvisatory roots of this music. But this is evident only in patches. Denis Kozhukhin plays Mendelssohn with an almost business-like elegance. I enjoyed his undeniably tremendous virtuosity, for example in Mendelssohn’s much-loved Spinning Song (Op. 67 No. 4), which bubbles along delightfully. The quieter numbers also inspire some exquisite, tonally-shaded playing, such as in the heart-rending Venetian Gondola Song. When Kozhukhin allows himself to stretch the tempo and immerse himself in the music’s informality, a different musician emerges (the first Grieg ‘Arietta’ is truly gorgeous). Ultimately, though, these pieces should be lyrical, and too often, the mechanics of this pianist’s impressive hands trump the expressivity of an imagined singer’s voice.

Grieg’s straightforwardly programmatic pieces (elves, castles, trolls and so forth) suit Kozhukhin better, inspiring much characterful playing. But even here, the ‘March of the Trolls’ suits him better than the following ‘Notturno’. It feels as though this fine virtuoso is more at home in the extrovert world of the concerto stage, rather than in the intimate world of these tiny, nuanced works. Natasha Loges PERFORMANCE ★★★ RECORDING ★★★★