Frédéric Chopin - Complete Nocturnes (Claire Huangci)

Information

Composer: Frédéric Chopin

CD1:

• Nocturnes Nos. 1-12

CD2:

• Nocturnes Nos. 13-21
• Nocturne Oubliée in C-Sharp Minor
• Étude in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 25 No. 7

Claire Huangci, piano
Tristan Cornut, cello (Etude)

Date: 2017
Label: Berlin Classics
https://berlin-classics-music.com/en/releases/a-chopin-diary-2/

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Review

The Chinese-American pianist Claire Huangci has been warmly praised by my colleague Jed Distler (7/15) and it’s easy to understand why. To record the complete Chopin Nocturnes at just 26 is a bold act but her love for this music is palpable. The set is called ‘A Chopin Diary’ (everything needs a USP these days) and in the booklet she writes, sincerely and urgently, of the spell cast on her by Chopin, as well as sharing quotes from Chopin’s French literary contemporaries that illuminate her perception of each piece.

For me, a real test of a great Chopin interpreter is whether a sequence devoted to a particular genre actually works as a listening experience. In this instance, that’s not only the standard 21 Nocturnes but also the extended Nocturne oublié in C sharp minor plus a reimagining of the Op 25 No 7 Étude for cello (Tristan Cornut) and piano, which, though beautifully played, forms a slightly odd endpiece.

Huangci has made this recording on a Yamaha which has a slightly harsh top register – unfortunate given that this is where Chopin is frequently at his most ethereal. That said, the ears adapt and Huangci is a masterly guide. She’s aware of the importance of Chopin’s Classical side and there are many instances where she favours restraint over cheap emoting, which is much to the good. There’s also a real range of interpretation, which makes the set consistently appealing. She conveys the strange aura of Op 27 No 1 with a refreshing sense of inevitability, unleashing playing of real power in its climaxes, while Op 32 No 2 is given with a charming simplicity – if you are going to shade every phrase in this piece, you need to be on the level of Pires for it to convince. If I find Huangci’s basic tempo for Op 37 No 1 a little slow, its inner chordal section is alluringly coloured.

One of the most impressive readings here is of the C minor Nocturne, Op 48 No 1, in which an innate solemnity grows to extraordinary depths in Huangci’s hands. Occasionally I find her a little too dreamy – Op 55 No 2 works more potently in the hands of Pires or Rubinstein, while Op 62 No 1 also meanders a little too much; Pires here is a touch faster here and much surer of line. The posthumous Nocturnes are another highlight – Huangci offering lustrous right-hand scales at the close of the C sharp minor, while the drooping melody of the C minor is moving indeed.

An impressive addition to the Chopin catalogue from a pianist from whom I’m sure we’ll be hearing much more.

-- Harriet Smith, Gramophone

More reviews:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2017/Jun/Chopin_nocturnes_0300905BC.htm
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jun/25/a-chopin-diary-the-complete-nocturnes-review-claire-huangci
https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-chopin-diary-mw0003061065
https://www.amazon.com/Chopin-Diary-Complete-Nocturnes/dp/B01LXE41EY/

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Frédéric Chopin (22 February or 1 March 1810 – 17 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic era who wrote primarily for the solo piano. He gained and has maintained renown worldwide as one of the leading musicians of his era. Chopin's music, his status as one of music's earliest superstars, his association with political insurrection, his love life and his early death have made him a leading symbol of the Romantic era in the public consciousness. His works remain popular, and he has been the subject of numerous films and biographies of varying degrees of historical accuracy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Chopin

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Claire Huangci (born March 22, 1990 in Rochester, New York) is an American classical pianist. Having completed her study at The Curtis Institute of Music from 2003 to 2007, she continued her musical education at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover from 2007 to 2016. Huangci won the Second Prize at the 2011 ARD International Music Competition as its youngest participant, as well as the Concours Geza Anda in Zurich in 2018. She has appeared as a soloist performing with well-known orchestras in Europe, North America and China. Her solo debut recording was published in 2013.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claire_Huangci
https://clairehuangci.com/en/

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