Evgeny Kissin - Schumann: Carnaval, Op. 9 & Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor, Op. 11 (2002)

Evgeny Kissin has made brave choices in selecting this program. Schumann's Sonata No. 1 is a huge, sprawling piece, difficult to play and to hold together and therefore not very popular. Carnaval is one of Schumann's acknowledged masterpieces and has been recorded by a wide variety of pianists, providing plenty of competition. In the Sonata, Kissin's performance is a complete success. He has the largeness of spirit, powers of organization, and huge technique to make the music convincing and hold the listener's interest for more than half an hour. Carnaval is not quite so successful, as the pianist's fingers occasionally run away with him in rapid sections, and they become technical rather than musical events. Repeated listenings, though, reveal how well Kissin characterizes most of the music and how well his attention to detail ensures that we hear Schumann's ideas and countermelodies clearly. If the whole disc doesn't quite score A+, it's still very much worth hearing, especially for those Schumann lovers who don't know the Sonata well. --Leslie Gerber