Karol Szymanowski: Piano Sonata No. 3; Métopes; Masques (Audio CD)

Szymanowski is best known for his large-scale, colorful orchestral works. Some find his fascinating piano scores too elusive---compounds of Debussyian Impressionism and Scriabinesque mysticism. Without slighting those features, Piotr Anderszewski makes these important works spring to life, infusing them with depth, color, and excitement. Alongside this, other recordings seem dutiful essays that miss the heart of the music. How Anderszewski works his magic is a solvable mystery. His tempos seem slow but are just right, letting the music breath thus increasing intensity and allowing its colors to make their effect. His tone is full and round; details are caught on the fly, the dynamics controlled yet seeming spontaneous. The Sonata is a formal work capped by an exciting fugal last movement. Masques is a triptych whose first piece drips with sensuality. The second swings wildly from the bittersweet to the poignant; the final one is a Ravelian take on the Don Juan story. Métopes is another triptych based on episodes from the Odyssey. Its virtuoso demands include Debussyian water music and wild dissonant dances, all performed to perfection. A must-hear for fans of great piano music. --Dan Davis

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