NADEJDA VLAEVA

Pancho Vladigerov: 6 Exotic Preludes Op 17; 10 Impressions Op 9 Hyperion CDA68327 ★★★★

Pancho Vladigerov (1899-1978) was a Bulgarian Rachmaninov – or Szymanowski, as Francis Pott’s first-class booklet essay suggests

– in full command of a Lisztian performing and composing technique which wasn’t quite yet anachronistic in these two opulently registered cycles of tone-pictures from the 1920s. Pott nails the ‘picturesque escapism’ of Vladigerov’s three-stave writing while pressing the case for its weightless and surprisingly cosmopolitan intricacies as persuasively as Nadejda Vlaeva’s native advocacy. The ‘exotic’ nature of the Preludes extends to little more than hand-me-down Spanishry and hints of modal middle-Eastern harmonies; the slightly sparer, more allusive style of the Impressions should beguile anyone wondering ‘What next?’ after late Debussy and Scriabin. Rich fare in one sitting; utterly charming in small helpings, thanks largely, I fancy, to Vlaeva’s dexterity and less-is-more sensitivity in music already soaked in rum and tears.