Scandale – Ott

   in Piano International (Jan, 2015)
What a shame this comes along at the same time as the Argerich/Barenboim two-piano Rite of Spring (reviewed on p69, and bizarrely on the same label). Ott and Tristano, heard on their own terms, are more than fine, and their reading is shot through with the verve and enthusiasm of youth (which is surely what the publicists aimed for). But undermining this enthusiasm is a certain carefulness. Credit where credit is due – the delineation of strata is well done throughout, aided by the phenomenal recording. This is clearly a considered reading, but it misses the elemental side of the work so vital to a successful performance. The Rimsky-Korsakov is performed …