Daniel Pollack - Barber: Solo Piano Music (1998)

Daniel Pollack studied with (among others) Rosina Lhévinne and Wilhelm Kempf. His playing exudes confidence, especially in the more rhythmic and forthright passages. In his hands the Sonata is powerfully driven and crisply articulated, creating a palpable sense of raw energy and excitement. His full sonorities and sense of shape in the Interlude and the Ballade are also impressive, and while his tempo in the latter may seem a shade fast, it adds to the essential restlessness of the piece. In the more lyrical works, notably the Nocturne, however, Pollack's handling is too brusque, trampling roughshod over the contrast between passion and delicacy. The dance pieces of the Excursions and Souvenirs are generally more sensitive, and he effectively captures the diversity of distinctive flavours, from the slow blues (Excursions) to the Schottische (Souvenirs).
Horowitz inevitably remains the benchmark in the Sonata, and his virtuoso fire is in a class of its own. Nevertheless, despite the poor recorded sound from Naxos's problematic Santa Rosa studio, this is an enjoyable disc and quite a bargain.