Mussorgsky • Rachmaninov • Scriabin
Piano Works
Jan Schulmeister (piano)
Supraphon SU43652 76:11 mins
Not yet 20, the Czech pianist Jan Schulmeister makes an outstanding Supraphon debut with this recital of Russian music. Nationality apart, there’s little that Mussorgsky has in common with Rachmaninov (unless you count their preoccupations with bell sonorities) or Scriabin, but all three composers are united here through Schulmeister’s intense musicality.
It’s always good to hear Pictures at an Exhibition in its original version for piano rather than an overblown orchestration, yet Schulmeister makes Mussorgsky’s suite sound even more subtle than usual. The opening ‘Promenade’ is full of promise and nuance, and the pianist never overplays the big sonorities, tempting though that can be in ‘Bydlo’. He also takes the virtuosity of ‘The Great Gate of Kiev’ in his stride.
Scriabin’s set of Five Preludes, Op. 16 opens with a Chopin-esque Andante, followed by a piece that could only be by Scriabin, full of delicate surprises. The central G flat major piece has songful simplicity, with the freedom of Schulmeister’s rubatos sounding very natural.
There’s more musical intelligence on show in Rachmaninov’s Six Moments Musicaux (also Op. 16 and written just a year after the Scriabin set), moving from an understated first piece to easy virtuosity in the second. Schulmeister never overdoes the funereal tones of the B minor piece that comes third in the set, but he’s not shy to make something big and imposing of the final C major piece.
Many pianists would end there, but Schulmeister offers a reflective encore (Scriabin’s Etude, Op. 2 No. 1) to make this feel like a real recital.