Deutsche Grammophon Recordings

While DG's sound for solo piano recordings was not exceptional, Berman nonetheless made several important recordings of repertoire few major pianists ever touched at the time. Rachmaninoff's Moments Musicaux, Schubert-Liszt (in Russia some did, but few ever in America), and of course his pure Liszt. His Tarantella alone is one of the most dazzling moments in piano virtuoso history. But Berman was not always incredible, such as in Pictures at an Exhibition or parts of Romeo and Juliet. But his greatness alone was like watching a great home run hitter hit a ball 500 feet but not get on base as frequently as the lead off hitter (those pianists who are consistently good, but rarely amazing). Also, one must consider the political climate of the time - Berman suffered the worst treatment (Gavrilov will argue - his writings are intense) of the star Russian pianists of his time. Even in the west, I recall being at a concert of his and the moment he sat at the piano in New York - someone screamed about Russia's treatment of Jews (the irony, Berman was Jewish and had to suffer from concert experiences like this frequently in what he thought was a safer country). He was banned from traveling outside the USSR for bringing back a unauthorized book back to his country - a single book with no relation to communism or its competitor ideologies. Thus, I feel this set does not truly capture what Berman could have been, as the West and his own country never let him. Yet Gilels and Richter never suffered so. Maybe CBS will also release a complete set of Berman, as he deserves such attention (and listening).

The Liszt performances on this set are real touchstones for the interpretation of these works - most particularly Annes de Peligrinage and the sonata. It is sad that such a master interpreter is so forgotten on this side of the Atlantic.

I first became aware of Lazar Berman when, as a teenager, I borrowed his early LP of Beethoven’s Appassionata and Liszt’s Sonata from my local library. Despite the murky recording and out of tune piano, I was bowled over by the bearish Russian’s virtuoso playing. Not long after that, I heard a broadcast recording of Berman’s 1979 recital from Cleveland’s Severance Hall, which left me perplexed by the sloppy, disjointed, banged performances of Clementi’s B minor sonata and Chopin’s B-flat minor sonata. Were both performances really by the same pianist? This boxed set, his complete recordings for Deutsche Grammophon, presents yet a third Berman: one of controlled virtuosity and relatively sober interpretations.Disc 1 - Chopin Polonaises: Berman’s Polonaises are studies in contrast. While the extroverted sections are brought off with flair, he brings a meditative quality to the central sections - where the polonaise rhythm is treated with a great deal of freedom. Here and elsewhere throughout the set, Berman uses expressive devices, including preceding his right hand with his left, that were frowned upon during his time.Discs 2-4 - Liszt Years of Pilgrimage: From the delicate tone-painting of the Bells of Geneva to the thundering octaves of Orage, Berman’s performances balance the poetic, picturesque, and virtuosic elements of this masterful triptych in a way I’ve never heard from any other pianist. There are certain individual items where I prefer other renditions (Horowitz in By the Source and Petrarch Sonnet 104; Arrau in The Fountains of the Villa d'Este; Bognár in the Dante Sonata), but Berman’s remains my “go-to” set of the complete cycle.Disc 5 - Liszt Concertos: Berman and Guilini appear to be striving for a measured, rather than thrill ride, approach to these warhorses. The benefit of this approach is that it highlights the structural ingenuity with which Liszt (drawing on Schubert’s approach to the Wander Fantasy) composed the First Concerto. But with every benefit there’s a drawback, which in this case means performances lacking the sense of “oomph” brought by Richter and Hough. Berman’s treatment of the sustained trills which lead to the entry of the triangle part (for once, not spot-miked) is especially musical. Guilini draws fine playing from the Vienna Symphony.Disc 6 - Prokofiev: Many pianists have an unfortunate tendency to bang Prokofiev, but Berman’s performance of the Romeo & Juliet suite is notable for its crisp pedaling, dry humor, and restrained emotional pathos. Berman never forgets that the suite derives from a ballet score, and many of the faster pieces move with a bouncing rhythm. There is a pronounced lack of adrenaline in Berman’s rendition of the Second Sonata, with the outer movements both lacking in tempo and propulsion, and no sense of conclusion at the end of the work. Graffman’s recording remains my preference.Disc 7: Prokofiev’s 8th Sonata is not a pyrotechnical work like the 6th and 7th Sonatas. Berman focuses on structural cohesion, and delivers a straightforward reading with a sense of dramatic through-line. At the time Berman recorded the Rachmaninoff works in this collection, the composer’s reputation was at low-ebb – particularly in the Soviet Union, where he was equated with Gershwin. Berman refuses to sentimentalize Rachmaninoff’s Moments Musicale, with the central march section of the B minor played in a very deliberate fashion. Instead, Berman focuses on balancing of primary and secondary lines and structural cohesion.Disc 8- Rachmaninoff: In my opinion, Rachmaninoff’s Corelli Variations is one of the composer’s crowning achievements for solo piano. Berman’s approach is to allow the variations to unfold at a natural pace, highlighting the work’s architectural strength (an area where critics and musicologists have taken the composer to task) without indulging in virtuosity for its own sake. But I am missing the rhythmic snap of Watts and the almost lurid tone painting of Pletnev, and don’t plan to turn to this recording often. The same is true of a selection of Preludes: clear presentations of the text; but lacking in spontaneity, color, and a sense of line.Disc 9: There is little sense of the picturesque in Berman’s rendition of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, nor is there much contrast between the contemplative and extroverted sections. Truth be told, I’ve heard few performances of the original piano version that hold my interest, and Berman’s is no exception. If you want to hear the original version, it’s still best to go with Richter’s “go for broke” live recording from Sofia – despite the dim sonics and tubercular audience. There are also several recordings of Horowitz’s skillful arrangement which make for excellent listening and are my preference. Berman’s performance of a selection of Shostakovich’s Preludes is blessedly non-bombastic, yet characterizes the mood of each piece, from humor to tumult, most effectively.Disc 10: The Tchaikovsky Concerto with Herbert von Karajan plods along limply - a far cry from what one would expect from Berman, who recorded a sizzling Rachmaninoff Third with Abbado.The recordings were all made between 1975-1980. No documentation is provided regarding remastering, but the sound is fine. If there’s a complaint about this set, it’s the presentation. The original cover art has been discarded in favor of the same plain graphics on the box. Given that the CDs duplicate the contents (and short playing times) of the LPs, I cannot fathom why this was done. Thus, the liner notes are gone, replaced with an essay that has less to do with the recordings or Berman’s playing in general than with his emigration to Italy after the Soviet Union collapsed. I hope Sony will also issue a box of their CBS and RCA Berman recordings (including the Melodyas they distributed).