Mozart Piano Sonatas Nos 13 & 14; Fantasies in D minor & C minor; Six Variations Elena Bashkirova (piano) Avi-music AVI 8553498 78:27 mins
Elena Bashkirova conjures clear, beautifully phrased sounds from her Steinway, with dynamics that never become overbearing and discreet ornaments in the repeats of the first movement of K333. Though she has a tendency to rush, the arch of the music always has shape and direction. She spins an eloquent line in the Andante cantabile, sustaining a relatively slow tempo with ease and subtly changing colour in the minor key section. The swagger in the final Allegretto comes across with a real sense of fun.
The dark world of the D minor Fantasia suits Bashkirova well, and she conveys the ebb and flow of tempo which lie at its heart, together with timbral variety and its dramatic contrasts in dynamics. The C minor Fantasia has a yet greater range of tonality, mood and speed, and Bashkirova encompasses all these from the tender to the violent.
In the opening movement of K457, she avoids the trap of playing as if it were by Beethoven, but doesn’t shirk at conveying its innate turbulence through her incisive fingerwork and tight rhythms. The Adagio brings another well-judged change of mood – warm but firm – before the ambiguity of the finale. The Variations on the theme from the final movement of the Clarinet Quintet make a delightful encore.
Martin Cotton