Schumann
Fantasiestücke, Op.73; Adagio und Allegro; Märchenerzählungen, Op. 132 etc
Maxim Rysanov (viola), Julian Bliss (clarinet), Dasol Kim (piano)
Onyx ONYX4245 57:26 mins
Clip: Brahms – 2 Sonatas Op. 120, No. 1 in F Minor III. Allegretto (Maxim Rysanov/Onyx)
Please don’t fall for the old chestnut that Robert Schumann’s late works were of inferior quality because he was mentally ill. Among Rysanov, Kim and Bliss’s achievements is to prove – if it is necessary – that these pieces can reach an emotional space subtler and even richer than the heady passion of Schumann’s early piano works.
The Märchenerzählungen, Op. 132 for viola, clarinet and piano are positively heavenly and the group makes the best possible case for them. These rare pieces date from that crucial month of October 1853, when the Schumanns first met the young Brahms, and are thus contemporaneous with, for instance, the Violin Concerto’s finale. Rysanov, Bliss and Kim capture the knife edge of heightened awareness upon which Schumann balances between love and its potential loss (in his case, all too imminent). The performance feels as if they are cherishing every note.
Rysanov and Kim offer technically immaculate, expressive and intimate performances of the viola and piano works, plus a selection of songs from the cycles Dichterliebe and Liederkreis, which they successfully transform into rewarding instrumental pieces. Rysanov’s nuanced phrasing and excellent variety of tone colour would present a challenge for some actual singers to match, and Kim’s piano playing is a special joy. The best Lieder pianists can establish a magical atmosphere of raptness and longing from the very first note of Dichterliebe, and he is to the manner born.
It’s wonderful to find a recording like this: one that, as soon as it finishes, you want to start it all over again. Jessica Duchen