International Reviews
Fanfare Magazine, USA
- Volume 47, No. 3—January /
February 2024
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From the grand, rolled chords of the "Sinfonia" of Bach's Second Partita, several things become clear: this is an interpretation of conviction and clarity, caught in ideal sound and performed on a phenomenally well-prepared piano. The piano in question is a Fazioli F278, and heard on home turf; it is unsurprisingly in peak condition.
It is in Schliessmann's use of gesture set against underlying harmonic/structural process that the genius of this reading of the Second Partita lies. The later section of the
"Sinfonia" scurries along; there is real insight in the
"Allemande", too, lines unfolding limply yet with each note perfectly weighted. Again, there is a close-knit relationship between the local (the touch itself) and the higher structural level (here, the phrase). The
"Courante" breathes nobility, the relationship of anacrusis and downbeat clearly micro-analysed prior to performance, ornaments always stylistically applied. Similarly, Schliessmann's left-hand bass articulation in the
"Sarabande", a mezzo-staccato as if the notes came from a bowed cello, is both carefully judged and perfectly executed. How teasingly Schliessmann articulates the
"Rondeau". The final
"Capriccio" is taken at a steady pace, granting it a patina of tranquility underneath the surface activity. This is a fascinating reading, and the live provenance only adds to its heartfelt veracity.
The well-known Italian Concerto also begins with an imperiously rolled chord. Ornaments once more adorn the musical surface with grace, and Bach's harmonic sleights are well realised, in particular interrupted cadences. The central movement is taken daringly slowly, each left-hand note placed carefully, over which the right hand sings. Clarity is once more the watchword for the finale, with a repeated marked emphasis on the opening downward leap. There is an impulsive side to Schliessmann's interpretation that is most appealing. The finest of the Bach performances, though, is that of the
Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue, where gesture is all in the Fantasia. Fantasy is in the title and suffuses Schliessmann's performance, contrasting this with the stricter fugue. There are moments of real grandeur, as if this were a transcription of an organ fugue, yet linear definition is never once compromised. The final high treble statement of the fugue seems to stretch out to the Heavens. Remarkable.
The Bach performances form a valuable appendix to Schliessmann's
Goldberg Variations. In an interview around that release in
Fanfare 31:3, Schliessmann articulates his thoughts around Bach performance, with especial reference to playing that piece on a modern piano. It is worthwhile remembering (and in a sense, the performances' integrity) remind us that Schliessmann was at one time a pupil of the great organist Helmut Walcha, whose emphasis on the independence of voices in Bach was clearly a lesson well learned..
The account of Mendelssohn's Variations sérieuses that follows reveals parallels with his Bach, most notably in the independence of lines (the very first variation is a clear example of this). One of Mendelssohn's most loved works, the
Variations sérieuses emerges here as a pillar of the piano repertoire. The imagination of Mendelssohn's writing is emphasized (the fifth variation), while the sixth reminds us that Mendelssohn was perfectly capable of writing angst-laden music (think of the F-Minor String Quartet, too). The facility of the seventh variation is an object lesson in piano playing. The suddenly strict part-writing of the tenth variation is given with real sobriety of outlook, and that same analytical slant shines through variation 13. The whole coheres beautifully, leading to a finale shot through not just with dexterous energy, but with real beauty, so those final chords carry huge weight.
Over on the second disc, the Schumann Fantasie blazes forth. My review of Schliessmann's previous recording of this (from the disc
At the Heart of the Piano) appeared in Fanfare 45:3. That was a performance of huge integrity; this, too, but this one is perhaps more human at heart. One feels the impetuous surges of emotion a touch more in the first movement. I have previously written on Schliessmann's chameleon way with the piano, that he adapts his sound appropriately to each composer. And so it is here, with Schumann as sonorous and as burnished as they come. The Fazioli supports this approach fully. The chords that close the first movement are just superbly judged, and how the recording reproduces the piano's tone perfectly. It is in the
"song" of the finale that Schliessmann really shines though. Many pianists over-project when the line goes to the middle or lower voices, but Schliessmann gets it just right. There is a momentum to Schliessmann's finale that also feels entirely natural. Schliessmann's interpretations just keep growing in maturity.
It is a rather nice touch that the final piece on the program was Chopin's Waltz, op. 64/2, and the first encore is Schumann's
"Chopin" movement from
Carnaval. The waltz rhythm of op. 64/2 is maintained as in few other performances, and yet the poignant undercurrent remains intense. Nothing is rushed, and yet scales still sparkle, melodies sing, and the rubato is entirely convincing. Schumann's take on Chopin really does sound like a Schumannesque Chopin
Impromptu; This is a dream of a performance: one revels both in the loveliness of the piano and in Schliessmann's playing. Finally, back to Schumann for
"Warum?", at once a heart-led outpouring and a study in perfect part-writing: Schliessmann voices the individual lines so that it sounds like a conversation between several participants. A great way to end a fabulous recital.
An almost equal participant in this project is the sound engineer Matteo Costa, who works miracles in capturing the sound of an instrument Schliessmann is clearly besotted with (and rightly so). Detailed and expansive booklet notes by Schliessmann himself are the icing on the Fazioli cake. Schliessmann's questing mind and solid technique present us with interpretations that convince at every level. Recommended.
***** Schliessmann’s questing mind and solid technique present us with interpretations that convince at every level.
(Colin Clarke)
International Piano, UK - September
2022
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Originally recorded in 2007, Burkard Schliessmann’s superb performance of Bach’s Goldberg Variations has now been reissued in Dolby Atmos format. Lossless and with an Apple Digital Master, the sound feels perfectly ‘placed’ so one hears every nuance of Schliessmann’s playing. And there is no doubt his reading has developed over many years: listening to it feels almost intimate.
Right from the outset the Aria and Variation 1 reveal Schliessmann’s textural clarity. His finger-strength is remarkable, each line perfectly articulated. Playing on his own Hamburg Steinway, he allows himself some leeway with ornamentation, exuding spontaneity without ever losing the underlying pulse. As the performance unfolds, we meet the entire human condition, from humour (Variation 23) to the dark introspection of the so-called ‘Black Pearl’ (Variation 25). Schliessmann’s performance is carefully calibrated on both macro- and micro-levels. This, coupled with an understanding of Bach’s gesture and rhetoric, makes this reading absolutely compelling – as is Schliessmann’s highly-informed booklet note.
So it is that the return of the Aria (heard after a noble quodlibet) holds great emotional power. Superb.
(Colin Clarke)
Atlanta Audio Club, USA
- Phils's Classical Reviews, September 2022
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If we didn’t know better, we might have imagined that Johann Sebastian Bach wrote his great Goldberg Variations with the foreknowledge that it would be performed several centuries later on by an artist with the temperament and patience of Burkard Schliessmann. Certainly, our German contemporary comes well equipped for the task, being a dedicated musical scholar as well as possessing the mature keyboard technique needed for the Goldbergs. As I remarked of this artist some time ago, he is the last sort of pianist you would expect to just play the notes as written, and without comment. That is important because Bach’s approach to the Variations, while exhaustive, was not perfectly intuitive.
Nor was it intended to be. As he did in his Well-Tempered Klavier, Bach was working from a theory of harmony that was well in advance of the music of his day, with clear guideposts as to what the future held in store. The Goldbergs consist of thirty variations on an Aria da capo that is essentially a slow Sarabande. It is an emotionally moving, highly ornamented melody in three-quarter time with a descending arpeggio midway through that always gives me goose bumps, as often as I’ve heard it. These variations are also unusual in that they are built on the bass line of the aria, rather than its melody, a procedure that yields high dividends harmonically.
The variations themselves occur in groups of three, with the third being an imposing canon in which the melody in one hand is imitated by the other in a succession of ever-increasing intervals, from a canon at the unison (Var. 3) to a canon at the ninth (Var. 27). Of particular interest is the way the variations in the second position in each group of three (Nos. 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, and 29) may be taken to constitute what Baroque scholar Ralph Kirkpatrick described as “arabesques.” Performing them requires feats of prestidigitation, involving much hand-crossing and considerable freedom and flexibility of arms, hands, and fingers.
Starting off with a stately French Ouverture in dotted rhythms, there is a lot of musical treasure to be absorbed in the Goldberg Variations in terms of harmonic theory, technical challenges for the performer and sheer auditory pleasure for the listener. The latter may rightly sense there is a compelling drama unfolding here, without knowing exactly how or why. We leave that to a skilled interpretive artist of the calibre of Burkard Schliessmann. Suffice it to say these variations never fail to intrigue, in many ways. For many, the emotional deep point of the Goldbergs will be Variation 25, which famed harpsichordist Wanda Landowska described as the “black pearl” of the set. Its message of solace and consolation for a weary world is as much in need as ever in our time. Another is the repeat of the Aria da capo at the very end, a moment that always bring a lump to my throat. As Schliessmann rightly surmises, the notes are the same as we heard at the beginning, but there’s a difference. They are sadder, softer, wiser. We feel we have been on a long journey.
(Dr. Phil Muse)
Fanfare Magazine, USA
- Volume 46, No. 2—November /
December 2022
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This performance was recorded in 2007 (there was an interview and review around it in Fanfare 31:3); this is the 2022 remastering, available also on Dolby Atmos. I have followed Atmos since launch, and feel it is a force for good; and if anyone needs convincing, this release will do the trick. The sound here is anything but “floaty” (a frequent criticism of Atmos); it just feels perfectly positioned. We hear everything as Schliessmann intends; this review auditioned both via Atmos and the physical Super Audio Compact Discs, and it is Atmos that feels the most involving. The sound feels purer, more crystalline; if there is a visual analogy, it is like one’s first upgrade to Bluray from DVD. The aim of all of this – recording ,transmission medium, player, piano – is to make us forget they are there and to bring us to Bach via Schliessmann, Divine Art and Dolby Atmos conspire to come closer to this ideal than anyone else. On a purely musico-emotional level, I derived more pleasure from the Apple Music Atmos medium.
Schliessmann’s decision to play Bach on the piano might lose some purist listeners, but it would be their loss. The intellect that has gone into this realization is huge; similarly, the emotional range. As one listens, it feels as if the wisdom of centuries is somehow filtered down via some sort of alchemical distillation into the theme. Schliessmann gives the theme pace (one can hear the shadow of a slow dance in the background). The Aria also demonstrates the superior quality of his own Hamburg Steinway (the recording was made in Teldex Studio, Berlin). That “his own Hamburg Steinway” is significant, as Schliessmann knows this instrument inside and out; it is an extension of himself. Listen to the glistening clarity of “Variatio I," and his way with the ornaments, free and improvisatory, and yet the pulse remains ever intact.
It is the freshness of the play of voices that impresses so much; dialogues proliferate (listen to the ever-so-civilized one in Variatio 3). This approach also enables a real sense of humor (Variation 23). Schliessmann’s touch is impeccable; so much reminiscent of that used by Argerich in her classic DG recordings. Yet his rapport with Bach is if anything closer. By bringing a sense of play to this performance (and with it, light), Schliessmann almost invites us to reframe Bach’s intricacies as expressions of joy. This is the pair opposite of the lumbering high seriousness of Lang Lang’s disaster of a traversal (DG). Tempos, even when he reinvents a variation (as in the Tempo di Giga, Variatio 7), feel perfectly judged. There is no hunt of awkwardness that even the best can bring (I think particularly of Variatio 8) where even Angela Hewitt (either Hyperion version, or even in a live performance I attended in Manchester, UK) can sound just a touch off-track; the same could be said of Schliessmann’s cat-and-mouse way with Variation14.
The sheer variety of touch on display is remarkable. Variatio 13 seems to demonstrate this aspect of Schliessmann’s performance in microcosm. At the heart of all of this seems to be an awareness of Affektenlehre; listen to how the sighs of the Variatio 15, of the grand gestures of the Ouverture that opens the second part (Variatio 16). The remarkable Variatio 25 (sometimes called the “Black Pearl” variation) becomes the emotive heart of Schliessmann’s account; just shy of ten minutes’ duration, he makes sure we hear the sheer modernity of Bach’s writing. Interestingly, the decorations of Variatio 26 feel modern after that, ahead of their time (as Bach was, of course), as does Variatio 28 (with its neighbor-note oscillations that explode into joyful lines). Yet the nobility of Variatio 30 is absolutely of its time.
The return to the beginning, the Aria, at the end has the effect of closing this cycle of a Universe co-created by Bach and Schliessmann. This is important, as it means that what we experience in this traversal is exactly what variation form brings: the examination of an object (the “Aria”) from a multiplicity of viewpoints.
The booklet note is extensive, a university-grade lecture, and cherishable in its own right.
***** Schliessmann’s recorded Bach is human, alive. It rejoices in its own endless ability to create from a germinal cell (the “Aria”); its exuberance is never-ending.
(Colin Clarke)
Fanfare Magazine, USA
- Volume 46, No. 2—November /
December 2022
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In 2009, the original release from Bayer (100326) made my best of the year list. I found the SACD recorded sound to be about as perfect as technology allows and Schliessmann’s playing comparable to the intellect and control of Gould without his eccentricities or vocal embellishments. Here, with Divine Arts new release, the sound quality moves up a notch and the recording becomes readily available again. Newly remastered in 5.0 Dolby Atmos audio, it is available in both two channel HD stereo (my review copy) and offered as a hybrid 5-channel SACD/CD. I enjoyed having a reason to revisit this and my opinion has not changed in 14 years. It is still one of the top
Goldberg Variations. I also refer readers back to an intriguing interview and superb review of Schliessmann’s original Bayer release by James Reel in
FANFARE 31:3 (Jan/Feb 2008).
The title page of the first edition of the Goldberg Variations (1741) begins with
Clavier Übung (Keyboard Practice). This was the fourth publication of Bach’s to carry this title and all were published during his lifetime. The first was the
six Partitas, second was the Italian Concerto and French Overture, the third was an odd collection of organ pieces including a Prelude and Fugue, 21 Choral Preludes and 4 Duets. A host of great pianists have played and continue to play these harpsichord pieces on a single 88-note keyboard. Bach’s music defies whatever medium it is played on. Yes, there are significant difficulties in doing so and great pianists like Schliessmann overcome these without drawing attention to those difficulties.
I am consistently impressed with the phrasing and delineation of the voices under Schliessmann’s fingers. He draws the listener into Bach’s world of counterpoint. These variations can get quite complicated and are often in at least three voices. Keeping these distinct, especially on one keyboard requires detailed and difficult attention to the phrasing of the inner voices. His tempos are a little more relaxed than Gould’s and of course there is no low level singing in the background. I have enjoyed this recording for quite some time now and will continue to with this new Divine Art release.
***** The Goldberg Variations on piano in a poetic performance
(James Harrington)
Fanfare Magazine, USA
- Volume 46, No. 2—November /
December 2022
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In the Jan/Feb 2022 Fanfare (45:3), I reviewed At the Heart of the Piano, a three-disc release from Divine Art (DA), showcasing Burkard Schliessmann in music by Bach (arr. Busoni), Schumann, Liszt, Scriabin, and Berg. For the greater part, these are reissues of recordings previously released on the Bayer label. I summarized my appreciation for Burkard Schliessmann’s artistry:
Schliessmann plays all of this challenging repertoire with an impressively assured technique that is always at the service of the music. Schliessmann is a pianist who avoids such exaggerations as italicizing passages to showcase his virtuosity, extremes in tempo, or an excessive application of rubato. That said, Schliessmann’s interpretations exhibit a convincing ebb and flow, and the ability to draw upon a wide range of colors and dynamics to create the appropriate sound world for the work at hand. Schliessmann is also an artist with a keen sense of pacing. Both the Bach/Busoni and Schumann Symphonic Etudes are notable both for the accomplished and expressive way Schliessmann executes the variations, and the manner in which he connects one variation to the next.
A new release from DA (again, a reissue of a Bayer recording) presents Schliessmann in the Everest of solo keyboard variations. In the Jan/Feb 2008 Fanfare (31:3), James Reel interviewed Schliessmann, and offered a most positive review of the initial Bayer release of the pianist’s recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations:
For the most part, Schliessmann presents this as music of optimism and joy, the exact opposite of much of Simone Dinnerstein’s recording, reviewed in the previous issue. Oh, Schliessmann does know when and how to get serious, as in the extended (though not distended) traversal of the 25th variation (discussed in the accompanying interview). Yet even here, the playing is not self-consciously weighty; he doesn’t try to make Bach sound like Beethoven… if you want something more in the tradition of Glenn Gould’s first recording, minus some of the peculiarities but plus the repeats, Schliessmann’s account is highly satisfactory.
I share James Reel’s enthusiasm for this recording. The admirable qualities I noted in my review of At the Heart of the Piano are evident here as well. And Schliessmann does a superb job of realizing Bach’s all-embracing musical and emotional journey. In such episodes as the opening and closing Aria, and the aforementioned Variation No. 25, Schliessmann adopts a strikingly expansive, introspective, and poetic approach. But when the occasion merits, there is also a welcome lightness of touch, and even playfulness. In his extensive and thought-provoking interview with Reel, Schliessmann notes how essential the jeu perlé technique is not only to Mozart and Chopin, but Bach’s Goldberg Variations. And Schliessmann’s combination of precision and elegance in fleet passagework is most gratifying throughout this recording. The Super Audio CD sounds quite impressive on my conventional two-channel stereo system; Schliessmann’s Steinway D-274 concert grand emerges with richness and clarity. The pianist’s superb liner notes further enhance this admirable release. Recommended.
***** A poetic and superbly played Goldberg Variations
(Ken Meltzer)
Audiophile Audition, USA
- "Bach's
vision in that fusion of ratio and eros, intellect and intuition
...",
July 12, 2022
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Divine Art reissues Burkard Schliessmann's
July 17-19, 2007 recording of Bach's epic
Goldberg Variations, remastered in
2022 at the Teldex Studios, Berlin in a process dubbed Dolby Atmos.
The broad approach to Bach's construct, an
Aria and 30
Variations, including repeats, stretches the performance time to
some 83 minutes, more competitive with the 1995 St. Petersburg
traversal by Rosalyn Tureck than that of Schliessmann's
professed affinity for the strictures of Glenn Gould, whom
Schliessmann quotes extensively in his florid, booklet commentary.
Unlike Gould, Schliessmann does not attempt to compromise his
Steinway Grand Piano D-274 with touches approximating harpsichord
sonority. Rather, the close resonance of the keyboard recommends
this high flown, intellectual performance, in modern sound, as a
distinct musical entity in the Bach performance canon. Kudos to
Recording Producer Friedemann Engelbrecht and Sound Engineer Julian
Schwenkner for the vivid imagery their collaboration has fixed for
this survey.
The sonic immediacy of the remastering follows Schliessmann in his
essentially harmonic approach to this monumental conception, essentially an
ouroboros whose beginning and end, the Aria, encloses itself. The
bass line provides the impetus to the entire structure, the various melodies and
dances a mere accompaniment and elaboration of the bass. At every third variant
Bach introduces a contrapuntal gambit, inserting a series of canons that
graduates in spatial intervals as the music proceeds, from the unison to the
ninth degree. Bach then resorts to his Homeric sense of humor, applying his
polyphonic mastery to what he calls a quodlibet, a combination of
profane, popular tunes that, by Bach's musical alchemy,
achieves timeless nobility.
The cleanliness of articulation, perhaps tending to the dry and pungent,
manages to add a decisive, rhythmic spice to such events as the Variation 7 in
Gigue tempo. The overt virtuosity of Variations 14 and 15 rings with dexterous
authority, while the tragic Variation 25 in its minor mode elevates us to
another world whose veil has been lifted. The sense of an evolving structure
appears foremost in Schliessmann's concept, as we move
through elaborations and ornaments, determined, geometric forms to a higher
sensibility that Bach always regarded less as an aesthetic exercise, but as a
moral imperative.
The intricacies of Bach's stunning achievement here,
in the "Keyboard Practice" of
1742, have been well documented by commentators and scholars. That the music
transcends explanatory pedantry poses the challenge for any
performer technically equipped and intellectually intrepid in the face of
consummate, creative mastery. Schliessmann joins those blessed with the mission
to deliver Bach's vision in that fusion of ratio and
eros, intellect and intuition, that endows the realization with poetic mystery.
An hour-and-one-half spent on hallowed musical ground might suffice for a Sunday
service.
The original
here:
(Dr. Gary Lemco)
The New Listener, Germany
- "Auf Tuchfühlung mit dem Klavier", February 1, 2022
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After his 3-CD box set “Chronological Chopin”, which was released in 2016 and was highly acclaimed by the media, Burkard Schliessmann is now presenting a new collection of three CDs on Divine Art, entitled “At the Heart of the Piano”. It is an attempt to approach the piano as an instrument and to wring one’s deepest emotions from it. The title addresses the philosophical question of whether the piano, a first glance the most non-physical of all instruments, consisting largely of wood and metal, which produces a perfect tone by simply pressing a button without physical effort, can convey and express feelings at all, has a heart. Burkard Schliessmann wants to prove this with a very intimate repertoire that means a great deal to him and that brings together various aspects of the piano literature on three CDs). These are exclusively older recordings from the years 1990 (Scriabin), 1994 (Bach/Busoni and Berg), 1999 (Schumann Fantasy and Liszt) and 2000 (Schumann Etudes), which have either never been made or only in a small edition and regionally restricted have appeared, and they shine with new mastering in fresh splendor, so that they are now given the soundworld they deserve. Schliessmann used his own grand piano for all recordings; as a Steinway Artist this is a Steinway Piano D Concert Grand.
Burkard Schliessmann describes himself in his detailed accompanying text for the triple CD, which reveals both facts and personal views on the pieces, as a representative of the “great romantic tradition”. “Technical mastery is of course important, but my interpretations remain essentially intuitive. I don’t think about it and I don’t worry about the implementation of my interpretation.” Although this may certainly be true for the moment of the performance, he is thereby concealing the immense work that he had previously – must have had – with the works. Because it is unmistakable that Schliessmann has thought carefully about what he wants to say with the works and how his personal voice should flow into the notes. In the recordings he shows himself to be a pianist with a strong character who knows how to shape the works according to his ideas and thus tailor them to him. Schliessmann interprets the famous Chaconne in D minor by Johann Sebastian Bach in the virtuoso transcription of Ferruccio Busoni as an attempt to synthesize a baroque and an early modern style of playing. He saves the tempo rubato for special moments in order to maximize expression there.
Schumann is played by Burkard Schliessmann truly appassionato, taking the fantasy in a comparatively more classical way in order to be able to make the symphonic etudes all the more romantic and lively – but this impression may also be partly due to the different reverberation, because here the ambience is more apparent in the etudes (while on the other hand the acoustics flatter the piano sound very clearly and clearly in the other recordings). In both pieces, the pianist uses clear tempo contrasts and rubato for a strong effect, separates individual passages from each other and thus gives the music a vivid, spontaneous, almost improvisational aspect. He plays with the reverberation of the pedal to develop orchestral sonority, although I would argue that he does not see the “symphonic” nature of the etudes in the imitation of certain orchestral instruments, but purely in relation to the differentiated tonal colors of the piano. Schliessmann also experiments with the relationship between the voices, which is clearly evident in variations four and sixteen: the melody remains clear, but always has to assert itself against the seething secondary voices, which makes for extremely exciting listening.
Franz Liszt’s daring Sonata in B minor, which was only recognized late by the public, presents Burkard Schliessmann in a quite aggressive manner; he lets the sound soar to unimagined heights and even takes the liberty to present some highlights violently – probably just like the great virtuoso and showman Liszt might have played it at the time to more deeply polarize the effect. But the fact that this is not Schliessmann’s top priority is shown by the deeply musical development of the themes and their modifications in the course of the piece, whereby he lends the main theme in particular an eerie, oppressive presence. In this way, he succeeds in creating an overall impression of a sophisticated psychological nature that appears to be unified and consistent in itself.
In the works by Alexander Scriabin, Burkard Schliessmann presents a program across all the composer’s creative periods, from the Etudes opp. 2 and 8 and the Préludes op. 11 to the Sonata in F sharp minor op. 23, which shows more individual writing, to the late Dances op. 73 and Préludes op. 74, which appear absolutely independent in the history of music in their spiritual appearance and the complex extended harmony. The flowing, freely presumptuous forms are in the instinctive playing of the pianist, who brings the individual moments to bloom while knowing how to hold the overall form together. The rhythmic polyphony between the hands or their individual voices spurs him on to maintain a high degree of delicacy, even in grandly triumphant passages. Schliessmann pushes the contrasts to extremes and thus shows even the early Scriabin as a modern, progressive composer.
The program closes with Alban Berg’s Sonata op. 1, a showpiece of early modernism and especially of free tonality, which however always reveals tonal relationships. Schliessmann creates a bridge between the second Viennese school and the ecstatic Scriabin, brings out a certain volume in Berg too and allows himself tempo-related liberties in order to underline the density of the polyphony. In this way, this stylistically uniform and yet versatile presentation of Schliessmann’s pianistic work succeeds, which, through the pianist’s highly personal views, brings us closer to masterpieces from different eras in a very human way and invites us to explore them.
The original
here:
(Oliver Fraenzke)
Atlanta Audio Club, USA
- Phils's Classical Reviews, January 2022
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“At the Heart of the Piano” is a 3-CD collection of dynamite recordings by Burkard Schliessman that really define him in terms of his distinctive profile as a pianist. The native of Aschafffenburg Germany has often been noted for his passion for using all the resouces of the instrument to get to the heart of the music and bring it out in all its expressive power and beauty. In that respect, he reminds me of the fondly remembered American pianist Earl Wild (1915-2010), especially in his accounts of the Romantics.
Speaking of which, his Schumann recordings call for special recognition. As I said of Schliessmann in a review some years ago, “he is the last sort of pianist you would expect to just play the notes as written, without comment.” The composer would certainly have approved. In his account of the Symphonic Etudes, which Schumann described as “etudes in the form of variations,” Schliessmann incorporates the five “posthumous etudes” that Brahms published after the composer’s death, carefully distributing them for best effect to fill out the harmony. That is no easy task, but carefully placed, these etudes add much in the way of searching, introspection, and exaltation to a work that is already distinguished for its wealth of color and for Schumann’s notable mastery in blending, contrasting, and superimposing timbres. Schliessmann takes all these issues in stride, making this an eminently satisfying account of one of the most difficult works in the repertoire.
He also does a fantastic job in Schumann’s Fantasia in C Major, Op. 17, a work marked by rhapsodic lyricism occasioned by trill structures, which are typically in downward motion, in the opening movement. It is succeeded by a march in the middle movement that culminates in sensational back-rhythms and syncopations that still have the power to astonish us today, and a finale whose harmonic structure conjures up the image of a star-filled night of which Schumann was doubtless thinking when he subtitled this movement “Crown of Stars.” The reader will note how the composer reversed the usual order of this slow movement, marked “thoroughly fantastic and sorrowfully laden” (Durchaus fantastisch und leidenschaftlich vorzutragen) and what then became the middle movement with its thumping fortes in the afore-mentioned march.
There follows Franz Liszt’s wonderful Sonata in B Minor, in which the dramatic tensions, and releases of the same, are in part a direct function of an unusual structure in which all the elements of sonata-allegro form (exposition, development, lead back, and recapitulation) are encompassed by a single movement, played continuously. Any pianist less knowledgeable than Burkard Schliessmann might easily end in disaster in a work that has also been unified by a considerable application of cyclical form, making it imperative to think ahead to where you are going. Carefully considered pauses, allowing the music room to breathe, powerful climaxes, hard-won struggle, and then a devotional atmosphere based on high, bright harp-like chords, and then a radiant conclusion sinking softly into near-inaudibility: all these and more contribute to the effectiveness of the B Minor Sonata in an informed interpretation. Schliessmann’s is one of the best, an inspiring triumph of faith and art.
The program actually begins with J S Bach’s famous Chaconne from Violin Partita No. 2 in the piano transcription by Ferruccio Busoni which is the first track on CD1. In retrospect, it seems as much of a work of Busoni as it is of Bach. Certainly, the changes of tonal color, dynamics, and increasingly dense harmonic effects are more easily accomplished and more effective than they would have been on the harpsichords available to Bach, as is Busoni’s extensive use of the pedal. On the other hand, Schliessmann has to work harder to achieve its demon pacing and high-energy rhythms on his modern Steinway D. The moments of calm and reflection that accompany heart-stopping key changes at about 7:10 and 10:55 in this performance have all the effect anyone might desire.
CD3 is dedicated solely to two composers whose work was absorbed in speculations about the future of music, Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915) and Alban Berg (1885-1935). They could not have been more different. Scriabin, the Russian, showed only the most casual reverence for received musical tradition. He was a visionary, in his quest for ever more brilliant tonal expression as well as in his own spiritual orientation, based on the Theosophy of Madame Blavatsky but going beyond that in his embrace of enraptured musical tones. His Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor, Op. 23, represents an early breakthrough, particularly in his choice of an extraordinarily rich and difficult key with no fewer than six sharps in its signature. The work has the requisite four movements of a classical sonata, to which it pays homage, but clearly Scriabin is interested in something other than thematic development. The final movement, Presto con fuoco, ends suddenly without a decisive finish, as if Scriabin had finished digging all the brilliantly colored musical ore in this particular mineshaft.
It would be easy to dismiss so many of this composer’s musical explorations as mere incontinent rhapsodizing (as some observers have continued to do to this day), but that would be to miss the point of what this composer was all about. In a 66-minute selection including Preludes, Etudes and Dances, Schliessmann presents Scriabin as a man on a quest for transcendently beautiful tonal expression in large forms as well as small. Using chains of thirds and transposable fourths, he created musical structures of great beauty. In the process, he also showed other composers what could be done with rich and rare keys they had generally avoided, such as G-flat major (six flats) and E-flat minor, also six flats. (Its enharmonic parallel is a more accessible F-sharp major). All this he did in the interest of music expression that might be darkly glowing, melancholy or ecstatic.
Someone like Scriabin is obviously a hard act to follow. So, what are we to say of the Austrian composer Alban Berg, whose 11-minute Piano Sonata, Op. 1, concludes the program? At the opening, flickering shy lights take the place of the dramatically compelling or quietly understated introduction we might have expected. As in the Liszt sonata, all the structural elements are subsumed in a single movement, but the thrust is quite different. We have here music that is still basically tonal, leading to musical structures in which melody and harmony are subjected to constant variation and interweaving. In Schliessmann’s sensitive performance, I found a down-to-earth warmth of human emotion that I had not expected to discover in a composer who was to be associated with the 12-tone music of the New Viennese School. For yours truly, that was a nice revelation.
(Dr. Phil Muse)
Fanfare Magazine, USA
- Volume 45, No. 3—January /
February 2022
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Having not been familiar with the keyboard art of Burkard Schliessmann, I approached his chosen program of “transcendence, vision, and personified aesthetics of effect” with some skepticism, if not a predisposition for cynicism. The recordings, previously unknown to me, derive from sessions made 1990–2000, here remastered by Paul Baily. To my sustained delight, Schliessmann reveals himself as a Romantic temperament deeply motivated by both intimacy and intuition, sustained by a wholesome and astonishing technical resource. His capacities in contrapuntal music assert themselves fully and without pedantry in Busoni’s transcription of Bach’s Chaconne from the Partita No. 2, the Schumann Symphonic Études and Fantasie, and in the heroic, stratified figures in the Liszt Sonata, even before he wrestles with the intricacies of Scriabin, whose miniatures often prove more mechanically daunting than his larger forms. The placement and order of the assembled works no less contributes to the cumulative effect of the evolution of a Romantic ethos, an increasingly subjective outlook that subsumes reality into an affirmation of selfhood.
What proves consistent in this traversal of essentially Romantic repertory emanates from the pianist’s sense of space and of individual coloring. Much in the tradition of Cherkassky and Michelangeli, Schliessmann allots each of the evolving musical lines its own breadth, which becomes instantly apparent in the various permutations in the Bach piece and in virtually every line in the Schumann Fantasie. The art of applying silence between notes and distinct musical lines never fails to make or to undo a dramatic performance. In this regard, I find Schliessmann eminently theatrical in style, compelling in the grand line he assumes for each of his endeavors. The Schumann Symphonic Études enjoy their proclaimed “symphonic” ambitions, certainly. But in incorporating the full set of Schumann’s posthumous and various appendices Schliessmann burdens himself with the problem of musical and dramatic continuity, having to sustain a canvas that now spreads out well beyond established time parameters, at almost 40 minutes.
If my remarks seem to suggest a highly “contrived” sensibility, let me assure possible auditors of the miraculous power of spontaneity that permeates these realizations. The Liszt Sonata regains much its shocking originality, its tempestuous and outrageous shifts of mood and musical means, especially in the manipulation of its Grund-Gestalt, its through-composed opening motifs and the subsequent harmonic audacities that follow. The Schumann Fantasie and the Liszt Sonata, works coincidentally dedicated reciprocally by each composer, occupy the same disc, providing an hour’s unrelenting display of controlled, intelligent passion in the same paradoxical moment. The immanence of the urge to poetry suffuses every musical impulse. We sense as we move to the music of Alexander Scriabin and the “new” school of Alban Berg that the keyboard instrument has gained an increased sense of liberation in its power to express subjective reality, even as traditional harmony breaks down. True, we have skipped over the contributions of Beethoven and Chopin, a substantial break in the history of keyboard transcendentalism. But in compensation, Schliessmann turns in disc 3 to a concentrated survey of the Russian mystic Scriabin, all too easily dismissed as an eccentric, musical solipsist who always spells Reality with a capital I.
Schliessmann opens his Scriabin sequence with the 1898 Third Sonata, meant to express the composer’s flights of the soul toward liberation. The oceanic imagery Scriabin invokes for the last two movements, no less based on cyclical motifs and transposable fourth chords, intensifies the paradoxical sense of unity in the midst of free-fall. Schliessmann provides a pungent, searching sonority to the music’s nervous rhythms and ardent declamations. His third movement Andante finds a moment for childlike simplicity. Schliessmann’s left hand helps catapult the last movement, Presto con fuoco, to a Tristan-inspired paroxysm of energy, the “uproar of life,” fraught with fervent rebellion. The taut, forward motion may remind auditors of the classic Horowitz approach. As in his Schumann, Schliessmann applies a canny soft pedal, when required. Schliessmann concedes to popular taste for the moment, performing the two most famous études, those in C♯ Minor and D♯ Minor, with the op. 2/1 providing an immediate contrast to the emotional throes of Sonata No. 3. The famed D♯-Minor returns to the primal passions, insistent and voluptuous. Schliessmann then turns to the variegated world of Scriabin’s 90 preludes, of which the op. 11 set (1888–96) follows Chopin in his arrangement in the circle of fifths, and varying the form of these pieces as nocturnes, études, and mazurkas. A fine example occurs in the E Major, No. 9, in which Scriabin avoids the tonic triad until the end, and Schliessmann’s attentions to designations rubato, ritardando, and accelerando create a poised nocturne tinged by mazurka rhythm. The use of parallel motion in sixths in No. 13 reminds us of Bach as well as Chopin. The pattern of sixths informs the Andante cantabile, op. 16/3, to create its restrained angst. The preludes of 1900, op. 27, reveal a new and rich assertiveness. The Prelude in B Major, op. 27/2, from Schliessmann has a luxuriant abandon, a fertile reverie. Schliessmann plays the Prelude in A Minor, op. 51/2, Lugubre, which the composer avoided in his public performances. The music imparts an eerie atmosphere, somewhat in the manner of late Liszt. Scriabin called it “a ghastly piece!” Fluttering motives define the Dance languide in G Major, op. 51/4, which hesitates and then ends as one of Schliessmann’s riddles.
***** A grand and intimately impassioned odyssey of the Romantic piano
(Dr. Gary Lemco)
Fanfare Magazine, USA
- Volume 45, No. 3—January /
February 2022
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This commanding, almost regal selection of recordings from Burkard Schliessmann was recorded 1990–2000. It is a shining example of integrity and intelligence in music, welded to a technique of gargantuan proportions. There is logic guiding in the programming also: The Liszt Sonata and Schumann Fantasie bear mutual dedications, while the worlds of Scriabin and Berg are hardly a million miles from one another. This is the first digital issue of all tracks on this set.
The three-disc set therefore posits one route from Bach (in Busoni’s granitic hands) to Scriabin and Berg. The Bach/Busoni Chaconne is a fine performance, big-boned and captured in superb sound that really allows one to enjoy the strength of the bass of Schliessmann’s Steinway piano. In this context, the sober, chordal opening of the Schumann could almost be by Busoni; as the variations unravel, the piece could only be by Schumann. Schliessmann includes the posthumous variations in what becomes a panoramic journey through myriad vistas: Schliessmann’s ability to utilize tone color within stylistic bounds is something any pianist could learn from profitably. Textures are always carefully considered (the tremolos of Variation 16 being a case in point), while the finale is as brilliant as its indication requires, and, most importantly, properly cumulative in context, ending in what amounts to a pianistic pealing of bells. As Schliessmann pointed out to me in an interview once, no less a figure than Brahms included the posthumous variations, so it makes sense to do so.
It is fascinating how, while being part of a larger whole, each individual disc operates as a cycle within itself. So, one has the Bach/Busoni and the Schumann above, perfectly contained and with a real sense of inevitability of continuity; the second disc has those pieces of mutual admiration, the Schumann Fantasie and the Liszt B-Minor Sonata, both major masterpieces of the Romantic era. The sense of grandeur we heard particularly in the Bach/Busoni recurs in the first movement of the Schumann Fantaise, while the tricky second movement holds no perils for Schliessmann (and he maintains the indication Durchaus energisch: energetic throughout). One of Schliessmann’s core properties is that he can bend his sound and way with tempo to each individual composer perfectly, and we certainly feel that here. He creates two separate sound worlds: Schumann’s is full of fantasy, as if trying to escape the world’s strictures and limitations to ascend Heavenwards (one certainly feels that is how the songful finale operates, with those themes ascending ever upwards, garnished with delicious celestial decorations in the high treble), while Liszt’s sublimity is more sensual, more demonic. One hears the prefiguring of the dark nights of Liszt’s very late works in the sonata’s opening, and this colors the octave explosion: yes, we hear virtuosity, but it is part of an over-riding diablerie. While Schumann ascends radiantly, Liszt struggles with his inner demons to do so, and Schliessmann leaves us in no doubt of the power of that struggle. The fine piano he plays on is part of this; it is clearly a majestic instrument, sublimely prepared. Schliessmann’s slower sections have a distinct simmer underneath them, ready to explode into headier regions. It is this mix of visceral excitement combined with a tour guide who always has the end in sight that is so impressive, so that when the end comes, we feel we have come full circle and the journey can begin again. Both the Schumann Fantasie and the Liszt B-Minor sit up there with the greats: Pollini’s DG accounts of both are classics, another pianist with a fierce musical intellect, but Schliessmann offers an alternative that is just as engrossing.
***** This is
a most thought-provoking set, overflowing with performances of
insight, and beautifully recorded.
(Colin Clarke)
Fanfare Magazine, USA
- Volume 45, No. 3—January /
February 2022
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At the Heart of the Piano, a three-disc release from Divine Art, presents German pianist Burkard Schliessmann in a recital of works by Bach (arr. Busoni), Schumann, Liszt, Scriabin, and Berg. The Bach/Busoni Chaconne and Berg Sonata receive their first release on this set. All the other recordings were previously issued by Bayer. The included Scriabin works were recorded in July, 1990, the Bach/Busoni Chaconne and Berg Sonata in 1994, the Schumann Fantasie and Liszt B-Minor Sonata in September 1999, and the Schumann Symphonic Études in March 2000. The new Divine Art set features 2021 remasterings by Paul Baily of all the included material. In the CD booklet’s extensive and informative liner notes, the uncredited author (Schliessmann, perhaps?) states: “Although at (a) glance the works offered here do not share any direct common ground, if considered more closely there are certain common factors with regard to their genesis over time and their conception….” Indeed, there are many elements that connect the works, and in an intriguing fashion. The composers appear in order of their birth years (if we use the “Bach” in “Bach/Busoni” as our start). Within that time progression, each of the three discs explores particular aspects of musical expression. Disc 1, comprising the Bach/Busoni Chaconne and the Schumann Symphonic Études, focuses on theme and variation structures. The second disc pairs the Schumann Fantasie in C Major with the Liszt B-Minor Sonata. Each of the composers dedicated his work to the other. Here Schumann and Liszt, in addition to writing music demanding a virtuoso of the highest order, explore the structural boundaries of the traditional piano sonata (and for that matter, sonata form). The final disc charts the trajectory of Scriabin’s increasingly daring harmonic world, a gateway to Berg’s atonality.
***** Accomplished performances spanning Bach/Busoni to Berg, by pianist Burkard Schliessmann
(Ken Meltzer)
Music Voice, Italy - "Burkard Schliessmann e l'ombelico del Romanticismo"; December 28, 2021
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Burkard Schliessmann is one of the currently most appreciated and interesting German pianists at an international level and already boasts a large discography, mainly focused on composers who belong to the European Romantic school. Even his latest recording, a box set comprising three CDs published by Divine Art, does not differ from this principle, as the title itself, “At the Heart of the Piano”, demonstrates, The set presents Bach’s Chaconne in D minor in the transcription by Busoni, the Symphonic Studies Op. 12 and the Fantasia in C major Op. 17 by Schumann, the inevitable Sonata in B minor by Liszt; we have from Scriabin the Sonata in F sharp minor Op. 23, two Studies from Op. 8 and Op. 12, Preludes from Op. 11, Op. 16 and Op. 37 and the Two Dances of Op. 73 and the Five Preludes of Op. 74, ending with the Sonata Op. 1 of Berg.
Considering this program more carefully, on the basis of Schliessmann’s aesthetic vision, one can easily realize how the works and composers can be seen as an explanatory map of musical Romanticism, based not so much on a philosophy to be proposed through the overall sound, but more by rigorous formal study in which the key content of Romantic thought can be expresed without entering into contrast with what is exposed by the form itself. In this sense, Bach’s famous Chaconne, revised and enunciated by Ferruccio Busoni, is already symptomatic; the choice that Schliessmann makes is not in exalting the transcendental dimension with which this piece is usually presented, but by involving more the immanent aspect, that is the sensitive perception of the artist who performs it. The Chaconne, therefore, seen not in the Bachian vision mediated by Busoni’s technicality, but through the (late) Romanticism of the composer and pianist from Empoli, detaching himself from the pure spiritual dimension that inevitably invests Bach’s music, shapes the primeval matter according to the modalities and the urgencies of one’s time. From here, the technique itself becomes a form of transcendentality with which to draw the prerogatives of a vision, the Romantic one or at least of what remains of it, which observes, reflects and offers itself to the ear, heart and brain of those who listens.
But pay attention to an aspect that distinguishes the path of the program chosen by the German pianist, namely that there is a red thread that links each work in the recording to the next, not taking into account the chronological discrepancies of the program itself. Therefore, the Busoni who mediates and “actualizes” Bach is very close to that technical transcendentality evoked by both Schumann and Liszt, that is, by two custodians of the “sacred” Romantic vision. That is why, in the name of this “transcendentality”, Schliessmann continues his exploration of the Romantic genre, first with Schumann’s Symphonic Studies and Fantasia and then with the Liszt Sonata. And how does he deal with these pages? The Symphonic Studies undergo dilations and restrictions in the metronome, but this must not cause scandal, as the German artist bridges the possible time lags by frescoing the theme and the variations of this composition with a due passion, such as to give life to a sort of “story” (the “imaginative” Schumann that makes the art of sounds cross over into narrative and literary structures) that unfolds with a coloristic sagacity given to each of the twelve Studies, a color that Schliessmann exalts above all by emphasising the play of tonality given by the chromatic keys and the technique to be used on the basis of the same indications provided by Schumann, which leads to giving life to a timbral fresco that for some may even be exaggerated in its final result (there is effectism, pathos, emotional impetus; but, by God, are we or are we not in the heart of piano Romanticism?) This all however fully falls within the vision that Schliessmann wanted to impose here, which shows how this pianist does not at all suffer from a lack of personality, on the contrary. Hence, abundant monumentalism (Track X – Variation IX), but also soft, rounded brushstrokes, made crystalline (Track XI – Variation X and Track XII – Variation XI), that is, in the very heart of Op. 13, to better highlight the bipolar antagonism of the Schumannian personality, with Florestano and Eusebio going into the ring to give them a blessing.
Such monumentality and delicacy are consistently maintained also in the Fantasia Op. 17, which, as we know, is above all (see the first movement) a passionate and heartfelt act of love towards Clara Wieck and which Schliessmann explores with powerful, full, open, solemn sounds, giving an “architectural” identity to his pianism, in order to solidify the image of the “phantastisch”, as per Schumann’s indications. But also in this case the projection is valid, the “throwing-forward” with which the German artist permeates the entire program in question, that is, preparing the listener for the irruption of the Lisztian Sonata (chronologically, the Fantasia dates back to 1836, while the Sonata in B minor is from 1852 and is dedicated to Schumann). Schliessmann, therefore, ideally builds a bridge, a connection between the passion that seeks to be form, given by the Fantasia op. 13, with a form, precisely, that throws his cloak to the winds to rise to the most free, free from the impositions given by the classicism of the genre; he does it to remember once again how in just sixteen years, those that separate the two works, two worlds that while reconciled in their creative intentionality, are at the same time like two galaxies destined to expand and move away in space.
Here, too, the German pianist does not deny the characteristics of his program, since the reading of the Lisztian Sonata is devoted to yet another “look-ahead”, prefiguring, anticipating, acting as a precursor to what will come after and what Schliessmann justifiably identifies in Scriabin. But let’s go in order. The vision that the German pianist brings to the surface of Liszt’s Sonata is not only devoted to monumentality of form (an element inherited from the past, especially Schumann), but is based on a sound that is increasingly circumscribed in it, that is, enhancing the single sound as a self-referential datum, as a completely autonomous cell that compares itself with the other cells that precede it and with those that follow it. A sound, therefore, decidedly devoted to a modernity that if on the one hand will be deepened by Brahmsian pianism (the one that will fascinate Schönberg), on the other hand it will be faced by Scriabin’s visionary nature. Scriabin, whose pianism, together with that of Debussy, explores up to essence of the cellular element given by the harmonic conception which is transformed acoustically into a dimension in its own right and which at the same time manages to interpenetrate the other timbral dimensions that surround it and of which it is necessarily part.
And here we come to the third and last disc of this set and which I personally consider the most intriguing and stimulating. Schliessmann has included Sonata no. 3 Op. 23, the Etudes no. 1 Op. 2 and no. 12 Op. 8, the Preludes nos. 1, 3, 9, 10, 13, 14 Op. 11, nos. 3 & 4 Op. 16, nos. 1 & 2 Op. 27, nos. 2 & 3 Op. 37 and nos. 2 & 4 Op. 51; the Two dances Op. 73 and, finally, the Five Preludes Op. 74. If, in the words of Francis Bacon, the Schumannian Fantasia is given by the pars construens provided by Clara Wieck, the Sonata by Scriabin is modeled on the pars destruens of Vera Isakovic, the unfortunate consort of the Russian composer, who realized ever since his nuptial trip to Paris in 1897 of having made a tragic mistake in marrying her. Thus, if the Fantasia is musically a unifying part, the Sonata on the contrary is devoted to a disintegrating dimension. This disintegration is already an attempt to flesh out the sound, to make it closed in itself through a process of timbral legitimisation in which the phrasing already tends to fragment, to “sectorize”, as well as being, although in its emotional arrogance, more and more diaphanous, rarefied, almost suspended over the abyss of nothingness.
In his interpretation, Schliessmann instead tends to recover a formal legitimacy that allows one to still manifest a sort of “hope”, so that the phrasing is more fluid, less “bumpy”. This does not mean that a rethinking of the vision of “looking forward” is taking place in his interpretation, but it represents a reconsidering in perspective what will come in Scriabin’s musical poetics. Thus, the German pianist takes the Sonata no. 3 so that he draws a line of demarcation between what is still Romanticism and its passing phase, which in the Russian composer cannot be accurately defined as Late Romanticism per se. The disintegration, in this sense, materializes in the exposition and in its development and at last, in the “Presto con fuoco” which is the tenuous explosion of a continuity that is linked to what was stated at the beginning of the Sonata. And it is here that Schliessmann’s “reconsideration” transforms the “Presto con fuoco” into a launch pad through which to launch a missile whose expressive consistency is represented by the other works by the Russian composer included in this set.
And this has happened since the two included Etudes, in which the sound matter already manifests a change in progress in anticipation of what is destined to take place if it does not come true, that is, that Scriabin would have reached the archipelago of atonality by following a path different from that of Schönberg and the others belonging to the Second Vienna School. This happens from the Étude in C sharp minor which belongs to the Three Pieces of Op. 2 (dating back to 1886-89) and the last of the twelve Études op. 8 which are from 1894-95. These are two Studies that for Schliessmann evidently belong to that process of planning that lays the foundations for starting that specific alternative path to modernity, a modernity, mind you, which does not, however, deny what happened previously.
And here the Preludes taken into consideration, those belonging to Op. 11, Op. 16, Op. 27, Op. 37 and Pp. 51, appear to be nothing short of idiomatic in the choice of the German artist and represent a miracle of “oscillation”, a pendulum that passes alternately between what is still past (Op. 11 no. 9 – Op. 16 no. 3 – Op . 27 no. 2 – Op. 37 no. 3) and what is already future (Op. 11 no. 3 – Op. 27 no. 1 – Op. 51 nos. 2 & 4). Faced with such a choice that intends to show the Scriabinian two-faced Janus, it can and must appear completely obvious that the great final step is represented for the German pianist by the two last piano compositions of the Russian composer, namely the Deux Danses Op. 73 and the Cinq Préludes Op. 74, both dating to 1914, that is to say a year before his death. These two works are, as we know, intimately connected and represent, as Schliessmann points out with his reading of him, the ultimate offshoots of that romantic tension conceived within his aesthetic tradition.
Of course, especially the Op. 74 necessarily refers to the contemporary Six Pieces Op. 19 by Schönberg, an emblem of that process of harmonic dissolution that will inevitably lead to the concretization of seriality, but neither Op. 73 or Op. 74 boast the same purposes, as Scriabin, beyond the mystical intentions to which these last two piano works were designed, are extensions of a past that certainly looks ahead, but is not yet the future, as is perhaps the Schönberg Op. 19. This is why the interpretation made by the German pianist follows this “prudential” line, never pushed into formal excesses, and this is especially true for the Cinq Préludes, since their enunciation aims at least to be “nostalgic”, that is to say, of a past, in his tradition, which senses the moment of change, of passing away, of an end that can no longer be postponed (in this sense, the timbre dimension that Schliessmann provides in the second Prelude Op. 74 is exquisitely evocative).
Nostalgia has been stated. So, to conclude his program dedicated to Romantic transmutation in the piano, a transmutation with an alchemical flavor at times, Schliessmann puts his hand to Berg’s Sonata, which, just to underline the aesthetic purposes of the recording in question, is not addressed in its “radicality ”, but as a sign of something that has by now been lost, a footprint of an ancient stone that wants to be a milestone, that is, to act as a watershed between the (late) Romantic vision and the post-Romantic one. Following this path, I find that Schliessmann, at a piano level, does not differ from what Karl Böhm did at the directorial level by addressing Berg’s ‘Wozzeck’, therefore not considering it as an expressionist creature, a suspended bridge towards ‘Lulu’, but as the ultimate expression of a late Romanticism that was struggling to exhale the last breath.
From here, those who are familiar with the readings made, among others, by Glenn Gould of this Sonata, get ready for a performance by the German pianist in which the few motivic cells that animate it are never exaggerated, or brought to a point of tension close to rupture, but his reading is conceived as a repudiation of fragmentation, a look forward with a look backwards, also because Op. 1 itself is basically an act of gratitude towards that tradition (the Sonata dates back to the two-year period 1907-08, only to be revised by the author in 1920) which at that time is beginning to fall apart (and in this we follow the coeval path taken in parallel by Scriabin himself in that first decade on a sonatic level). Schliessmann thus uses the palette of a passion which, however, now smacks of consummation, a supreme act, a corollary that ideally closes the circle of his journey towards the funeral of Romanticism, returning an unsuspected evocative sweetness, a very fine shroud with which to wrap the corpse, so as to be able to preserve it from the corrosion of time and memory. So be it.
The recordings were made at three different times by as many engineers (ranging from 1990 to 2021), but we do not notice timbral and dynamic imbalances in the use of the piano, rigorously always a Steinway Piano D. Therefore, the dynamics always turns out to be strong, but at the same time sensitive and careful in restoring the necessary nuances of microdynamics; the sound stage adequately reconstructs the instrument at a discrete spatial depth, restoring a pleasant height in the sound, as well as filling the space between the speakers. Even the tonal balance and detail do not fail, with the first always precise in making the low and medium-high register always distinct and never blurred, and with the second showing a remarkable materiality in the physical rendering of the piano.
The Original
here:
(Dr. Andrea Bedetti)
International Piano, UK - October
2021
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All of the pieces on this impressive triple album aim at some
sort of transcendence. The Bach/Busoni Chaconne is at once
a tribute to Bach and a pinnacle of the Romantic piano virtuoso
repertoire. Schliessmann's account is noble
yet kaleidoscopic. As Busoni pulls Bach into his orbit, so the piano
seems to expand into a protoorgan. Schliessmann's
intuitive grasp of the work's structure
allows him to mould it naturally while retaining the underlying
form. Its outsized ending leaves the listener feeling replete.
The limpid, descending phrase that opens Schumann's
Symphonic Studies comes as balm to the soul after such high
drama. Schliessmann's commanding performance
is beautifully variegated. He is right to follow Brahms'
approach by including Schumann's posthumously
published variations. Grandeur meets tenderness in a performance
that suggests Schliessmann's complete
resonance with the spirit of Schumann. The coupling of mutually
dedicated works on the second disc works well. Schumann's
Op 17 Fantasie and Liszt's Sonata in
B minor are like two sides of the same Romantic coin. Schumann's
writing is utterly individual and Schliessmann's
performance is gloriously unbuttoned. The Liszt also receives a fine
performance, unrushed in the slower sections, playful and diabolic
when the tempo picks up. Schliessmann's
technique is rock solid, his command reminding me of Daniil Trifonov
in the music's stormier sections. He
masterfully navigates the expansive lyricism that lies at the heart
of Liszt's masterwork.
The crowning glory of the set, though, is Schliessmann's
Scriabin. His performance of the composer's
Third Sonata (F-sharp minor Op 23) is magnificently powerful, while
the six excerpts from the Op 11 set of Preludes are exquisitely
moulded. The two Danses Op 73 and five Op 74 Preludes
resonate in perfect harmony with Scriabin's
elusive late style. Schliessmann conjures a glittering yet liminal
space, supported not only by his fine Steinway but also by the
Divine Art recording and piano technician Georges Ammann, who
Schliessmann describes as 'the best in the
world, and the most prominent piano technician from Steinway'
(Ammann only collaborates with five pianists, of whom Schliessmann
is one).
The Berg Sonata arises from the fire of Scriabin's
Op 74/5 like a phoenix soaring in a post-Tristan world.
Schliessmann's considered, polished reading,
impeccable in its realisation of complex textures, is a model of its
kind. This, coupled with a prevailing crepuscular tendresse
gives Schliessmann's reading warmth and
academic integrity, bringing his thought-provoking album to a
perfect close.
(Colin Clarke)
Audiophile Sound, Italy - September 2018
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This double LP contains famous Chopinian works (from the Ballades
nos. 1, 3 and 4 to the Scherzi nos. 2 and 4; from the
Polonaise-Fantaisie to the Barcarolle), performed by one of the
greatest German interpreters, Burkard Schliessmann. The recordings
first appeared on an SACD from the same label that now presents them
on its first audiophile vinyl album. Schliessmann is a remarkable
interpreter of Bach, and this background enables him to face Chopin
with an approach which, if it betrays an analytical element, at the
same time has no lack of passion, heat and poignancy, and shows the
brilliant Polish composer as an inheritor of the harmonic conquests
of the Kantor.
Artistic Interpretation: Exceptional
Technical quality: Optimal
(Andrea Bedetti)
Fanfare Magaine, USA -
Not To Be Missed! - Volume 42, No. 1—September / October 2018
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What we have here is a two lp collection of Chopin pieces recorded
between 2009 and 2013 by a pianist whose Chopin, including these
performances, has been amply praised in these pages by a series of
my colleagues. Based on his annotations, I assume, Schliessmann has
been repeatedly called an intellectual: interestingly, we are
typically told that this trait doesn’t tarnish his playing. That
playing is bold, certainly on these lps rich in tone, and virtuosic.
I was surprised by the opening of the first Ballade, which
seemed to present the theme almost in pieces, as in a conversation
rather than a flow. It’s an approach that works beautifully in the
Scherzo in B flat minor, for instance. Perhaps an intellectual
Chopin player is one who points out the structural devices more
clearly than another. Mostly I am, like my colleagues, convinced, if
not swept away, by Schliessmann’s rich sounding, carefully
articulated playing, by his occasional tenderness as well as his
almost majestic playing elsewhere. As for the recording, I note that
Stephen Sutton has been given credit for digital remastering of this
music for the lps. This is not a direct-to-disc collection, but the
piano sound is impressive by any standards.
(Michael Ullmann)
New Classics, UK -
March / April 2018
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Burkard Schliessmann has been distinguished by the award of three
Silver Medals at the Global Music Awards 2017 – as instrumentalist
and ‘classical artist’ and for his spectacular Divine Art album
‘Chronological Chopin’. Divine Art’s first vinyl release is a
selection of tracks from this triple SACD, which received glowing
reviews from music critics the world over. An audiophile two-disc
set recorded and mastered at 24-bit quality, this is a rare
opportunity to obtain new recordings of Chopin’s masterpieces in the
best sound and by a compelling interpreter. German pianist Burkard
Schliessmann is a performer with a passion and vision – to seek out
and interpret the forms, colours and textures, indeed the soul and
expression: the poetic impact, of works we believe have already been
fully explored.
His previous recordings have received worldwide
acclaim – ‘Schliessmann is too good a pianist for anyone to pass on
this.’ – American Record Guide. Chopin is above all his composer of
choice to whom he has devoted endless hours of study and
appreciation.
Pressed in 180-gram blue vinyl by Pallas of Berlin
in a luxury gatefold sleeve, this is a true collector’s edition.
Sound quality is warm yet precise, matching Schliessmann’s sensuous
and brilliant performances of this sublime music. The nine tracks
include Ballades Nos. 1, 3 & 4, the impressionistic
Barcarolle in F sharp minor, the dramatic Scherzo No. 2 in B
flat minor, and the breathtaking Polonaise-Fantaisie in A
flat major. Highly recommended.
(John Pitt)
Audio Video Club of Atlanta -
Phil's Classical Reviews, July 2016
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Alexander Brailowsky always said that the technique used to play
Chopin's music should be "fluent, fluid, delicate, airy, and capable of
great variety of color." That is easier said than done. One also has to
observe the formal structure of Chopin’s music in order to bring out the
poetry, or else all you will have is incontinent rhapsodizing, which is
definitely not the impression one gets in Chopin’s music or
Schliessmann’s performances of it. In his discussion of Chopin’s
Polonaise-Fantaisie, Op. 61, the artist stresses that the
maestoso
character of this work calls for something that will, in the words of
Franz Liszt, “bear the load, maintain equilibrium, and yet remain
weightless.” In the last analysis, that is something that is to be
perceived intuitively (a quality for which Schliessmann is well-known,
by the way) rather than described and notated objectively. As we
Americans say, “You either have it, or you don’t.” Burkard Schliessmann
certainly has it.
...
From the point of view of the performer, the
key to success, as Burkard shows us, is to be constantly vigilant for
changes in metre, tempi, texture, and phrasing, as the music changes
from gentle and deceptively naïve to powerfully intense and back again
without warning, occasioning various degrees of tension and relaxation.
In addition to this, Burkard Schliessmann brings his unique feeling for
luminous color to the music to help bring out its inner life. Among
pianists, there are so-called “colorists” and others who are basically
attuned to form and structure. It is difficult to recall another artist
in my recent experience who combines both traits as effectively as this
one does. All of which, of course, makes “Chronological Chopin” such a
memorable experience.
Original pdf-download
(Dr. Phil Muse)
International Piano -
May / June 2016
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This programme shows intelligent planning. Burkard
Schliessmann's exhaustive booklet note explains his approach. Perhaps
following up his earlier Bach release on the Divine Art label, he
favours 'crystalline clarity' over 'falsely applied emotionalism'... the
absence of featherweight or overwhelming extremes.
Much thought must
have gone into this set, recorded over six years, and the sound-quality
is magnificent.
(Michael Round)
Gapplegate Classical Modern Music -
Burkard Schliessmann, Chronological Chopin, Solo Piano - Highly
recommended - April 12, 2016
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Burkard Schliessmann gives us impassioned readings,
beautifully, poetically realized performances with maximum affective
impact yet full command of the notes ... in short he gives us near ideal
readings, on the warm side of the possibilities, the interpretive side
rather than the supercharged virtuoso-centered side.
It is a
beautiful set, really rather remarkable. Schliessmann brings to the
music a special understanding. Highly recommended!
(Grego Edwards)
Music and Vision -
CD SPOTLIGHT - Deeply Probing; Chopin piano music - recommended by
GERALD FENECH;
March 19, 2016
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'... a lovely and singing tone ...'
Ever since music started being recorded way back at the end of the
nineteenth century, Chopin's piano works have always been blessed with
an unending torrent of interpretations by some of history's greatest
performers. To our great joy and delight, these legendary renditions
have been captured on disc or some other musical medium to be left for
posterity; so, one may ask, what is so new about this 3 CD set under
review? From a musical point of view, Burkard Schliessmann interprets
the various pieces with a lovely and singingtone, and his phrasing,
which in Chopin is wholly pivotal, is imaginative and deeply probing.
What makes this project so interesting is the sequence of how these
works were planned for taping, hence the name of the album.
Chronological Chopin offers the listener fourteen masterpieces from
Chopin's
oeuvre in the historical order of composition, thus
giving one the opportunity to delve into the spirit of one of history's
most fragile and sensitive composers, and discover bit by bit the
evolving process of his art and innermost emotional turmoil as they
unfolded throughout his short life.
Schliessmann's music making
has much to admire, and his pianistic finesse and keyboard gentleness
suit Chopin's poetic inventions to perfection. Indeed, his flawless
pianistic sheen has an unfailing poise and lucidity that puts him at the
forefront of today's leading pianists.
The soloist must also be
lauded for his exhilarating essay that encapsulates both the technical
and historical aspects of the music with unbridled mastery.
An
innovative Chopin adventure in luscious sound and presentation which I
recommend unreservedly, even to the composer's most ardent admirers.
Original pdf-download
(Gerald Fenech)
Frankfurter Neue Presse, FNP -
March 11, 2016, «Der CD-Tipp», "Chopin zeigt Wirkung"
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Chopin is one of the favorite composer of piano virtuoso Burkard
Schliessmann. In his new recording " Chronological Chopin " ( Divine
Art), the internationally renowned pianist takes on three CDs a very
enlightening journey through the works of Chopin, from the early Scherzo
op. 20 and the Ballade op. 23 on the 24 Preludes, Op. 28 to towards the
late Polonaise - Fantaisie op . 61.
Here Schliessmann emphasises
the intimate essence of the music but without sentimentality. His
playing is spirited and brilliant, but shuns the external effect – this
is music of noblesse instead of glittering mirage! Every sound is at the
right depth, is illuminated in its context, never losing sight of the
overall piece . But what most impressed is the almost Bachian clarity
with which Schliessmann reveals the structures and lines of Chopin's
composition.
Chopin zeigt Wirkung
Chopin gehört zu den Lieblingskomponisten des Klaviervirtuosen Burkard
Schliessmann. In seiner neuen Einspielung "Chronological Chopin" (Divine
Art) unternimmt der international renommierte Pianist auf drei CDs einen
sehr erhellenden Streifzug durch das Schaffen Chopin, angefangen vom
frühen Scherzo op. 20 und der Ballade op. 23 über die 24 Préludes op. 28
bis hin zur späten Polonaise-Fantaisie op. 61. Dabei gelingt
Schliessmann eine intime Seelenschau ohne Gefühlsduselei. Sein Spiel ist
temperamentvoll und brillant, scheut aber den äußeren Effekt - Noblesse
statt glitzerndem Blendwerk! Jeder Ton bekommt seine Tiefenwirkung, wird
in seinem Energiefeld ausgeleuchtet, ohne dass der Blick fürs Ganze
verloren geht. Was aber am meisten beeindruckt, ist die fast Bachsche
Klarheit, mit der Schliessmann Struktur und Linienführung Chopins
offenbart.
(Michael Dellith)
American Record Guide, USA -
Volume 79, No. 2—March / April 2016
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I rank this Chopin among the best available. With both the technique and
intellect to do just about anything he wants, Schliessmann's strength
is in the lyrical, legato melodies that make Chopin's music such a
cornerstone of the piano repertoire. I would go out of my way to hear
Schliessmann play any group of these in concert. His approach to all of
the music is worthy of study and repays careful listening. The piano
sound is spectacular and the booklet notes informative and comprehensive.
(James Harrington)
Fanfare-Magazin, USA -
Not To Be Missed! - Volume 39, No. 4—March / April 2016
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Schliessman's performance of the Scherzo blazes with a fire so bright
one can't help but wonder that if this is what he opens with, what does
he do for an encore? Burkard Schliessmann has much artistry and poetry
to communicate ... and he makes listening to Chopin in large doses an
unusually enjoyable experience for me. The rest of pieces on these three
discs are all performed by Burkard with equally impressive technical
address, attention to expressive detail, and gorgeous tone drawn from
his magnificent Steinway grand. Complementing this are the stunning SACD
recordings, which capture the subtlest gradations in dynamics with
amazing clarity and that take the thunderous climaxes in easeful stride.
If Burkard Schliessmann can instill in me, admittedly not a great
admirer of Chopin, a higher appreciation of his music than I have
heretofore experienced, imagine the effect Burkard will have on those
whose love of Chopin is already vouchsafed.
(Jerry Dubins)
Fanfare-Magazin, USA -
Not To Be Missed! - Volume 39, No. 4—March / April 2016
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It is, frankly, good to report on a young pianist who concentrates on
pianistic color and still respects the music's structure. As an
alternative method of Chopin interpretation alone, Schliessmann is worth
hearing for every pianist and every student of Chopin's music.
Schliessmann regularly finds beauties in these scores others are lucky
if they hint at. [In] the C sharp minor Preludehe indeed offers a
performance of such exquisite cantabile and such enshrouded pain coupled
with luminous textures that one forgets all others while listening. I
doubt there is a more beautiful Fourth Ballade on record, nor a more
beautifully recorded one. A remarkable set, in many ways.
(Colin Clarke)
Fanfare-Magazin, USA -
Not To Be Missed! - Volume 39, No. 4—March / April 2016
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A pianist with a big, luxuriant tone, exceptional technique, and
considerable sensitivity and intelligence. All of these virtues are
deployed on Chronological Chopin . This is an album with the highest
aspirations for expressing the composer's muse, and in general those
aspirations are met. The sound engineering on the CD layer is warm and
full. Schliessmann's liner notes are extensive and enlightening.
Schliessmann will persuade you of the greatness of Chopin to a degree
matched by few other pianists.
(Dave Saemann)
Fanfare-Magazin, USA -
Not To Be Missed! - Volume 39, No. 4—March / April 2016
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A Golden Age Pianist
This compendium of major
piano works by Chopin is a fascinating merger of biography and
autobiography. Under the album title of Chronological Chopin, we follow
the composer’s development—or lack of it—from Scherzo No. 1, op. 20
(composed 1831–35), to the Polonaise-Fantaisie, op. 61 (from 1846).
Schliessmann has been dedicated to Chopin for decades, and he provides
extensive, very personal notes on his approach to the music and how it
has matured to the present moment.
This exploration centers
directly on whether Chopin did, in fact, develop or was possessed of
such full-blown mastery that, as Scriabin declared, he showed no further
development over the course of his creative career. In practice
Schliessmann approaches this criticism—if it is a criticism—in terms of
Chopin’s allegiance to tradition versus his urge to revolutionize the
piano. We’re reminded that when he arrived in Mallorca in the winter of
1838–39, Chopin brought with him Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, which he
immersed himself in as he was composing the 24 Preludes. This and other
observations cause Schliessmann to argue that clarity and structure are
among the most important aspects of Chopin interpretation.
One
interesting section in the program booklet contains a series of quotes
about the composer from other famous figures. Schliessmann seems to
identify with Nietzsche’s comment that Chopin respected the prevailing
“harmonic and melodic conventions” while at the same time “like the
freest and most graceful spirit [is] playing and dancing in these
fetters….” When I think of the usual adjectives applied to Chopin’s
music, such as poetic, Romantic, rhapsodic, and noble, the one that
rises above the rest is liberating.
Intelligent and accomplished
as he is, Schliessmann is well placed to speak about how liberated
Chopin performance should be. These are highly distinctive readings, and
despite his frequent return in the program notes to structure and
balance, the pianist is an exciting performer; his distinctive ideas are
carried through at the keyboard with almost Golden Age boldness. The
comparison isn’t accidental. In his studies Schliessmann counts master
classes with Shura Cherkassky, and he tells us that he’s most comfortable
playing pianos with rich bass from the 1920s and 1930s. For these
recordings, made in a Berlin studio over a span from 2009 to 2015,
Schliessmann brought in his personal Steinway Model D-274; it has been
recorded in rich, lifelike sound that has no flaws as heard in regular
two-channel stereo. In his enthusiastic review of a 2015 Bach album by
Schliessmann (Fanfare 38:4) Jerry Dubins praised the “SACD recording
that projects the piano right into your listening space with a
three-dimensional effect.” I imagine that much the same is true here.
Born in northwest Bavaria and trained in Frankfurt, Schliessmann is
also an organist of such abilities that he had memorized Bach’s complete
organ works by age 21. One senses in his strongly voiced Chopin playing,
which at times reminded me of Claudio Arrau, that the sonority of the
organ isn’t far away; in addition, there’s an organist’s technique in
the way equal weight is given to the tone of each note. He is also
gifted with an instinctive sense of Romantic phrasing, which allows him
to be spontaneously expressive without veering into idiosyncrasy.
Personally, I find the Golden Age side of Schliessmann’s playing very
appealing. He has little interest in gossamer filigree or a salon style
of making Chopin elegant and miniaturized. Therefore, his choice of bold
works like the Scherzos and Ballades takes advantage of his strengths.
I’d advise turning to these pieces first to appreciate the combination
of power and naturalness that characterizes these three discs. This
isn’t to imply a lack of lyrical warmth—Schliessmann adapts beautifully
to the flowing gentleness of the Berceuse and the beginning of the
Barcarolle while remaining true to his view that Chopin performance is
always about concentration and a tensile line. In the Preludes he is so
sharply focused that you never feel a single chord falters, much less
the forward-moving line.
Overall, if you favor strong-minded
Chopin, as I definitely do, this set will bring considerable
satisfaction, both musical and emotional, along with an intriguing read
of the pianist’s sharp ideas about many aspects of Chopin’s introverted
yet passionate personality. It’s beguiling to ponder Nietzsche’s
hyperbole when he said, “I myself am still Polish enough to give up the
rest of music for Chopin.”
(Huntley Dent)
The Chronicle, UK -
February 6, 2016
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Schliessman's performance is so good that we've been easily able to
listen to one or two of the CDs without tiring, thanks to Schliessmann's
delicate changes in mood and tempo. Excellent, played and recorded to
the highest standard.
(Jeremy Condliffe)
The Epoch Times, UK -
February 4, 2016
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It's pleasing to see the oft omitted, but fascinating Op. 45 included.
The conscious choice Schliessman takes, to tone down the romanticism of
the performance and highlight the Classical genre Chopin was so
influenced by, makes for an interesting listen. For many Chopin is a
Romantic composer, yet suddenly the influence of Schubert and Beethoven
shine clearly through. Most of all you can hear the legacy of Bach both
in the forms and in the constant fugue-style movement of much of the
music. No one can deny both the beauty and the well-placed
interpretation of the performance, and as a clever “biography in music”
of a great composer there's little to fault.
(Mary Keene)
CD Classico - recensioni e interviste dal mondo del disco, Italy -
February 3, 2016
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Schliessmann is keen to favour a “Classical” line, aided by his majestic
Steinway, to demonstrate not only the revolutionary nature of Chopin's
music, but also the way in which his compositional technique evolved
over time. Generally speaking, he has achieved both this and the other,
undoubtedly more ambitious, goal that he set himself – that of
considering the Chopin sound in isolation from the cliché long
associated with it, namely that his pianism, his status as a composer
and his artistry must be inextricably linked to his permanent ill health
and instinctive reclusiveness.
(Andrea Bedetti)
Classical CD Choice, UK -
January 22, 2016
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Displays much of the sensitivity of earlier Chopin specialists such as
Ashkenazy, captured here in a surround sound recording that registers
every nuance of the piano. German pianist Burkard Schliessmann's triple
SACD set with state of the art sound and luxury packaging chronicles the
works of Chopin in order, showing the composer's development and is thus
informative for scholars as well as being an impressive recital.
(Barry Forshaw)
Der Neue Merker, Austria -
December 5, 2015
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Burkard Schliessmann's fascinating approach sees the homage and
proximity to Bach as constructive in, for example, the Preludes.
Schliessmann prefers a clear structure and line, representing controlled
emotions. The result is not only convincing, but overwhelming in many
aspects. This is Chopin to re-discover and re-listen to. One cannot
describe how Schliessmann plays all this, one needs to listen to it. The
5-channel recording will be appreciated by the audiophile.
(Dr. Ingobert Waltenberger)
SWR2, Treffpunkt Klassik -
June 25, 2015
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Schliessmann is extremely well informed as a musician.
He knows not only the aesthetic maxims of the Baroque but also the
performing traditions of the 19th century, a century which for its part
had to rediscover Bach for itself. The music does not simply purr along
but flows over unusual cascades... A different breath blows through the
music from section to section, resulting in unusual changes of
perspective.
(Dr. Reinhard Ermen)
Fanfare-Magazin, USA -
Volume 38, No. 4—March / April 2015
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It should be obvious from our interview above that for all his bredth and
depth of knowledge in the disciplines of music, art, literature, and
philosophy in general, and his breadth and depth of learning and scholarly
insight into the music of Bach in particular, Burkard Schliessmann is, at
heart, an unapologetic Romantic, a state of being that finds expression in
his playing of these works. This is not to say that you will hear
exaggerated cadential ritards, idiosyncratic tempo adjustments, rhythmic
unsteadiness, or phrasing irregularities. Schliessmann is too knowledgeable
and respectful of Bach to allow any corrupting influences to taint his
readings of the scores.
Where his “Romantic” approach comes in, if
you wish to call it that, is in his stated belief that once you’ve made the
jump to play Bach on the piano, you have to do so with full committment, to
play not in the style you would on harpsichord, but to take advantage of all
the possibilities offered by the concert grand. Interestingly, Schliessmann
reflects my own attitude in this matter, for on more than one occasion I’ve
said in reviews that the most successful performers of Bach on piano—such as
Angela Hewitt, András Schiff, Murray Perahia, and Craig Sheppard—do not
attempt to simulate or imitate a harpsichord sound; they embrace the
instrument at their disposal for what it is and what it can do.
Listen,
for example to Schliessmann’s playful offsetting of the voices in the
Rondeaux movement from the C-Minor Partita, taking advantage of the piano’s
ability to produce chiaroscuro effects of lighting certain notes and shading
others. This movement and the following Capriccio with which the Partita
ends are both some of Bach’s most wiggly, giggly music, and Schliessman’s
performance of them will make you chortle.
The same may be said of his
first movement of the Italian Concerto. Just listen to the twist he gives
Bach’s rhythmic variant in bars 37–38 of the straight 16ths that precede it
in bars 35–36. It just tickles me every time I hear it. We tend to have this
image of a serious and severe Bach scowling under that white wig, but anyone
who could write music like this had to have a keen sense of humor and an
appreciation for the ribald joke. This is something Schliessmann
understands, and it comes through in his wonderfully perceptive playing.
But not all is fun or funny in these works. There’s the beautifully
lamenting second movement of the Italian Concerto, an aria in all but name,
and the plaintive A-Minor fugue, to both of which Schliessman brings real
depth of feeling. And then, of course, there’s the great Chromatic Fantasia
and Fugue, a work which stands alone in Bach’s output, but which clearly has
precedent in the so-called stylus phantasticus in the works of Frescobaldi
and other earlier 17th-century keyboardists.
This is the one piece I
personally prefer to hear on harpsichord. This not to diminish
Schliessmann’s performance of it in any way—it’s as illuminating as
everything else he does—but there’s something about the harpsichord’s
jangling sounds and clomping effect of its jacks falling back from the
strings—effects totally eliminated by the piano’s silent mechanism—that adds
to the atmospherics and eccentricities of the thing.
Be that as it may,
Schliessmann’s Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue is as audacious and bodacious as
any on piano I know. A fantastic Bach recital all around, and in an SACD
recording that projects the piano right into your listening space with a
three-dimensional effect that spreads the keyboard in front of you from left
to right and the full length of Schliessman’s Steinway concert grand from
front to back. This earns the strongest of recommendations.
American Record Guide -
Volume 78, No. 2—March / April 2015
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Schliessmann's
new release collects a number of works often recorded by pianists (the
program includes the Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue) along with the Fantasia
and Fugue in A minor (S 904) and an interesting three-movement complex made
from the C-minor Fantasy and Fugue (S 906) and the Adagio in G (S 968). His
tone is lovely and singing; his phrasing imaginative and probing (even in
such an absolutely familiar work as the opening section of the Partita's
first movement). (...) In the fast movements of the
Italian Concerto and the Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue
he has no rivals.
(Rob Haskins)
Classics Today -
April 2, 2015
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Burkard Schliessmann opens this Bach release with a performance of the C
minor Partita that far surpasses his earlier recording; he brings
attractive lightness and clarity to the Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue .
Every disc I've encountered by Schliessmann is impeccably engineered and
well packaged, and this one is no exception.
(Jed Distler)
Audio Video Club of Atlanta -
Phil's Classical Reviews, May 2015
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German pianist Burkard Schliessmann is a many-sided individual. The
native of Aschaffenburg, Bavaria is highly
intuitive in his approach to the music he plays. A graduate
of the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts, he is
also a keen student of philosophy and photography.
Further, he is a professional scuba diver and is an
ambassador for the Protecting of Our Ocean Planet
program of Project AWARE. He is said to experience the
phenomenon of Synesthesia, allowing him to incorporate the colors
of the underwater world into his musical
interpretations.
„Synesthesia“? It could be. Certainly,
occasional exposure to „rapture of the
deep,“ which produces a feeling of tranquility and mastery of the
environment, can’t hurt where the music of J.S. Bach is concerned.
(Scuba divers, please, I’m just kidding!) Bach united the formal,
expressive and spiritual elements of keyboard music as no one had done
before his time (or maybe since, though we mustn’t forget Chopin!) A
spontaneous artist, Schliessmann always invites a few friends to his
recording sessions to provide an audience with whom he can communicate.
„Giving back“ to his audience is something he finds very stimulating. „I
don’t want to be conceited,“ he has repeatedly said, „but it’s a fact
that piano and player have to blend into one.“
All of these
things inform Schliessmann’s Bach interpretations, as heard on the
present program.
His Partita No. 2 in C minor is as florid and
poetic as it is colorful. (...) This particular
partita is the most popular of the set of six with performers and
audiences alike, thanks to its attractive mix of light and learned
elements. It begins with a Sinfonia marked by a depth of expression,
which is tempered by a soothing theme in the second section. Deftly
applied counterpoint and rhythmic subtlety help create a lighter mood in
the third. A rather more serious than customary Allemande and a graceful
Courante are followed by a slow Sarabande, solemn but with a balm of
soothing consolation. In place of the expected Menuetto and Gigue, Bach
substitutes a spirited Rondeau and a playful Capriccio. Both have tricky
rhythms that are challenging for the performer. Schliessmann surmounts
all difficulties with zestful virtuosity.
The Italian Concerto
was Bach’s nod to Italy and the ritornello style
of Vivaldi. It is in three movements, the lively outer ones framing the
Andante, a meltingly florid arioso-like movement whose concurrent mood
of pathos and florid embellishments make a definite impression on the
listener. Schliessmann handles the textures of this work, in which Bach
imitates the roles of different groups of instruments, to perfection.
(This effect, it should be noted, is easier to execute on the two-manual
harpsichord that Bach had in mind than on a modern piano such as
Schliessmann’s Steinway D, a fact that has not deterred pianists from
being utterly fascinated with the Italian Concerto.)
Two
Fantasias and Fugues, in A minor, BWV 904 and C minor, BWV 906, follow
next in the program. Both are given performances here that manifest
their improvisatory nature. The latter features an Adagio originally
written for violin and harpsichord and skillfully interpolated by Bach
to add to the expressive beauty of the piece and whet the listener’s
interest by delaying the expected fugal resolution.
In the
Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, Schliessmann relishes the abundant
chromaticism resulting from Bach’s demand for wildly flowing
arpeggiations and recitative-like passagework in the first part,
followed by the relatively lean counterpoint of the fugue for a
contrast. The fugue in particular requires this performer’s strong,
supple fingers to articulate it as cleanly as he does here. Schliessmann
injects a healthy amount of exuberance into the music, which makes this
ever-popular work ideal for closing the program.
(Dr. Phil Muse)
Frankfurter Neue Presse -
February 10, 2015, «Der CD-Tipp» , "Himmlische Bach-Höhen"
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Als Hobbytaucher erforscht er Unterwasserparadiese, als Organist
erklimmt er himmlische Klanghöhen, der Konzertflügel aber ist seine
eigentliche Domäne. Hier eröffnet Burkard Schliessmann künstlerische
Ausdruckswelten, so auch auf seiner neuen Bach-CD "Keyboard Works".
Seine Interpretationen sind klar strukturiert, intellektuell
durchdrungen, aber keineswegs akademisch trocken. Mit Verve und großem
Atem nimmt Schliessmann kontrapunktische Meisterwerke wie Fantasie,
Adagio und Fuge in c-Moll und die Chromatische Fantasie mit Fuge in
d-Moll. Wie hingetupft, melodisch und graziös entfaltet er die Partita
in c-Moll, und das Italienische Konzert sprüht vor Spielcharme.
(Michael Dellith - md)
Classical CD Review
(www.classicalcdreview.com) -
January 2015
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Young German pianist Burkard Schliessmann obviously is a major figure on
the pianistic scene. His recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations
issued in 2008 won a prestigious critics' award, and several other
prizes as well. His limited list of recordings includes videos of
Chopin and Godowsky. On this fine new
Schliessmann recording he offers a selection of Bach favorites playing
with conviction and tonal beauty. His own personal Seinway Piano has
been captured with a rich acoustic. A quality issue; surely many more
will follow from this sterling young artist.
(Robert Benson)
Main-Netz -
November 20, 2014
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Der Perlentaucher
Klavierkonzert: Burkard Schliessmann spannt im Ridinger-Saal den Bogen von
Bach über Weber bis zu Chopin
»Chopin ist ein ganzes Leben«, hat
Burkard Schliessmann einmal in einem Interview gesagt. Dieses »Leben« mit
all seinen Höhen und Tiefen, mit all seinen Emotionen lotete der Pianist am
Dienstagabend bei seinem Konzert im Ridinger-Saal von Schloss Johannisburg
aus.
Nicht zufällig stellte der gebürtige Aschaffenburger, der
sowohl in Kahl als auch in den USA lebt, die Werke seines
Lieblingskomponisten an den Schluss des Klavierabends.
Sind doch
insbesondere Chopin-Interpretationen immer wieder ein Höhepunkt seiner
Konzerte. Einem Perlentaucher gleich dringt Schliessmann in die Tiefe der
Kompositionen ein, bricht deren Schale auf und präsentiert das kostbare
Innere.
Wie eine Perle erstrahlt das Werk in seiner ganzen Schönheit, als
gäbe es keinen Zweifel an der Richtigkeit eben dieser Interpretation. Dabei
ist das, was den Pianisten und Künstler Burkard Schliessmann ausmacht, nicht
zuvorderst seine Virtuosität oder seine spielerische Raffinesse. Die stellt
er am Dienstagabend bei Carl Maria von Weber quasi mal so nebenbei unter
Beweis. Es ist vielmehr die Art, wie er die Werke liest, wie er den ihnen
inne wohnenden Duktus erfasst. Klar arbeitet der akkreditierte Künstler von
Steinway & Sons die Charakterzüge eines jedes Komponisten, eines jeden Werks
heraus und hat auch keine Schwierigkeiten den Bogen von Bach über Weber bis
zu Franck und schließlich Chopin zu spannen.
Geradlinig, fast
schlicht
Geradlinig, fast schlicht spielt er Bach, ohne seine
Klangfülle und Lyrik zu vernachlässigen, und lässt mit Carl Maria von Weber,
dem entscheidenden Bindeglied zwischen Klassik und Romantik, das
Tänzerisch-beschwingte im Kontrast dazu in den Vordergrund treten.
Spätestens bei dem Spätromantiker César Franck, dessen kontrapunktische
Erinnerungen an Bach Schliessmann einfühlsam betont, möchte man unweigerlich
die Augen schließen, um nur noch die Musik zu spüren. Schliessmanns
Interpretationen sind schlank und geradlinig, fast schlicht und in ihrer
Schlichtheit so faszinierend, dass man sich ihnen nicht entziehen kann. Wie
betäubt ist das Publikum von diesem Tauchgang in die Tiefen der Musik,
nachdem der letzte Ton des letzten Prélude verklungen ist, so dass das
Applaudieren fast schwer fällt.
(Nina Beckmann-Höhenberger)
Main-Netz-
February 25, 2013
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Der
wahre Romantiker
Das Italienische Konzert ist eines
von Johann Sebastian Bachs bekanntesten und beliebtesten Werken. Unzählige
Male ist es interpretiert und gespielt worden. Und doch hatte man am
Samstagabend im Ridinger-Saal das Gefühl, dieses Konzert zum ersten Mal zu
hören. So neu und anders spielte es der Pianist Burkard Schliessmann.
Es braucht ein bisschen Zeit, bis man sich in Schliessmanns
Interpretation dieses Werks eingehört hat, da er sehr stark die
kontrapunktische Handschrift Bachs herausarbeitet. Hier ist man sonst eine
stärkere Betonung der italienischen Stilelemente gewohnt. Doch die
anfängliche Irritation weicht schnell und macht Platz für ein fasziniertes
Gefesseltsein. Denn obwohl Schliessmann diesen Bach schlank, ja fast
reduziert spielt, nimmt er ihm nichts von seiner Festlichkeit und
Klangfülle. Selbst die lyrischen Einsätze kostet er aus.
Ansonsten
geht Schliessmann fast streng vor, doch gerade dem Andante tut die strenge
Rhythmik gut, die die verschiedenen Klangfarben optimal zur Geltung bringt.
Den temporeichen und technisch anspruchsvollen dritten Satz spielt
Schliessmann trotz rasanter Läufe fein artikuliert und klar.
Auch bei
Robert Schumanns Kreisleriana op. 16 beschert Schliessmann seinem Publikum
im ausverkauften Ridinger-Saal ein neues Hörerlebnis, indem er die scharfen
Gegensätze der einzelnen Stücke entschärft und deren melodische
Verwandtschaft in den Vordergrund stellt. Damit schafft er etwas, was vielen
anderen Pianisten nicht gelingt: Die sonst oft in ihre Einzelteile
zerfallende Komposition, die als ein Schlüsselwerk der romantischen
Klavierliteratur gilt, erscheint aus einem Guss, in sich stimmig.
Emotionale Tiefe
Ein besonderer Genuss erwartete das
Publikum nach der Pause mit mehreren Werken Frédéric Chopins, der der
erklärte Lieblingskomponist Schliessmanns ist. Kein Wunder, gelingt es ihm
doch immer wieder, Chopins Komplexität und emotionale Tiefe wunderbar
herauszuarbeiten. So verzichtet Schliessmann auch am Samstag auf
überzeichnete Gesten oder bedeutungsschwangere Akkordkaskaden. Sein Chopin
ist rhythmisch klar, ausbalanciert und trotzdem nuancenreich und
vielschichtig.
Ob das Allegretto aus der Barcarolle op. 60, in dem er
Kraft und Zartheit schnörkellos zur Geltung bringt, das Allegro Maestro aus
der Polonaise-Fantaisie op. 61, deren geheimnisvolles und vielschichtiges
Gusto in den Vordergrund tritt, oder das Andante con moto aus der Ballade
Nr. 4 in f-Moll, mit deren düsteren und spannungsgeladenen Harmonien er
einen fulminanten Schlusspunkt setzt - alles erscheint so, wie Schliessmann
es spielt, klar und authentisch, als gäbe es keinen Zweifel an dieser
Lesart, als sei sie die einzig mögliche Wahrheit.
Generell erscheinen
andere Interpretationen im Vergleich zu Schliessmanns Lesarten schwammig und
überladen. Bei ihm herrscht absolute Klarheit. Er gibt den Kompositionen
eine Struktur, weil er sich im Innersten mit ihnen auseinander setzt. Das
Ergebnis ist ein unprätentiöses, akkurates Spiel, das insbesondere
romantischen Kompositionen zu Gute kommt. So gesehen ist er ein wahrer
Romantiker.
(Nina Beckmann-Höhenberger)
Frankfurter Neue Presse -
February 9, 2013
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Mit Schmelz und Inbrunst
...
In Schumanns Kreisleriana brachte Schliessmann besonders die
langsamen Abschnitte mit Schmelz und Inbrunst zur Wirkung.
Auch im
zweiten Teil des Konzerts zeigte Schliessmann Format und Stilsicherheit. Mit
Stücken wie Chopins Polonaise-Fantaisie oder dem nuancenreichen Scherzo
E-Dur demonstrierte der Interpret Konzentration und virtuosen Glanz. Die
umfangreiche und vielseitige f-moll Ballade beschloss einen angenehmen
Konzertabend.
(Matthias Gerhart)
Main-Netz -
June 19, 2012
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Wie
aus einem Traum erwacht
... Egal, ob Bach oder
Schumann - Schliessmanns Spiel kann man sich nicht entziehen, es fesselt vom
ersten bis zum letzten Ton. Vielleicht liegt es daran, dass seine
Interpretationen so klar erscheinen, als seien sie die einzig mögliche
Lesart, als seien sie die der Komposition inne wohnende Wahrheit
schlechthin. Kein Wunder, dass die Spannung im Saal fast mit Händen zu
greifen schien. Erst recht, als Schliessmann sich seinem
Lieblingskomponisten Chopin zuwandte. Schliessmann spielte Chopin nicht, er
ließ ihn erzählen. Gemeinsam mit ihm tauchten die Zuhörer in die Tiefen des
Werks ab und erfassten es in seiner Gänze, als hörten sie es zum ersten Mal.
Burkard Schliessmann hat einmal in einem Interview gesagt, dass er sich
immer dann sicher sei, die Wahrheit einer Komposition erfasst zu haben, wenn
sich ein »Gänsehaut-Gefühl« einstelle. Dies ist ihm gelungen.
(Nina Beckmann-Höhenberger)
American Record Guide -
July / August 2011
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Burkard Schliessmann’s 2-disc Chopin recital (of late works, with Schumann’s
Kreisleriana) on MSR-Classics (MS 1361) is done with strong conviction,
sheds new light on the music, and leaves the listener stunned.
(Donald Vroon)
FANFARE Magazin -
Volume 34, No. 3—January / February 2011
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As is evident if you’ve heard his earlier recordings—or if you’ve read his
interviews with James Reel (31:3) or with me (27:4 and 33:5, the latter
reprinted in the booklet to this new release)—Burkard Schliessmann is a
fiercely intellectual pianist. He’s intellectual in two senses. First, he
approaches this music with a tremendous store of background
knowledge—knowledge about the composers and their works, about their early
receptions, about their critical writings, about their literary
inspirations, and about the cultural milieu in which they found themselves.
Second, he performs the music with a rigorous sense of the ways its details
contribute to its form, both in terms of its overall architecture and in
terms of its vertical structure. Not that he sounds anything like Pollini,
much less Rosen (to mention just two other pianists often tagged as
intellectuals): his playing is far lusher and less severe than Pollini’s
(listen to the gorgeous shifts in color in the Barcarolle), far more
flexible than Rosen’s. Still, if you’re looking for playing with splashy
virtuosity, heightened emotionality, and an extroverted interpretive style,
you won’t find it here.
Thus, for instance, his fairly dark
Kreisleriana is exploratory rather than explosive. The performance is
notable for its keen appreciation of Schumann’s off-kilter rhythms, its
sensitivity to his more adventurous pre-expressionistic harmonies, and, most
of all, its poignance (try the opening of the second movement). But while
it’s not quite a somber reading, it’s surely a sober one—tempos are on the
deliberate side; the music’s wit is tempered (even more, I think, than in
his earlier recording on Bayer, 27:4); colors tend to be rich; the music’s
agitation is muted; and despite the thrust of the Seventh movement, its
drama is often held in check. Much the same can be said about his lustrous
Chopin which, despite the sheer weight of the climaxes (the
Polonaise-Fantaisie is especially crushing), is most memorable for its
introspection: the conversational intimacy of much of the Fantasy, the
careful exploration of the Third Ballade’s inner lines, the hypnotic pull of
the Berceuse. In sum, these performances—issued to celebrate the Chopin and
Schumann anniversaries—do not set out to wow you or to inflame your
emotions. As a consequence, they will probably not serve as a good
introduction for people who are just starting to know this music. But anyone
who loves this music well will find Schliessmann’s subtle readings a welcome
addition to their collections.
The Bach is included as an homage to a
composer whom Chopin and Schumann both admired. Reel praised the “almost
bouncy non-legato touch” of Schliessmann’s Goldberg Variations (31:3), and
the same quality can be found here, in a performance with a much sharper
profile than we get in his readings of its 19th-century discmates. The
rhythmic spring of the secondary lines (if any lines in Bach can be called
secondary) is especially fetching. As Reel says, Schliessmann is not an
especially “pianistic” Bachian—but, without exaggerating, he does take
advantage of the instrument’s range of articulation and its ability to
provide finely graded dynamics. And while he’s not an especially romantic
Bachian, either, he’s certainly willing to interject a fair amount of
rhythmic teasing.
The recordings were made with two different
Steinways in two different halls, chosen according to the repertoire; in all
cases, the engineering is superlative, especially in 5.1 surround, capturing
the full sonority of the instrument and offering a compelling sense of
space. (...) An imposing release.
(Peter J. Rabinowitz)
Turok's Choice -
January 2011
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Schliessmann is wonderful at voicings (including
melodies at the top)... He also phrases well... he emphasizes the fantasy
elements in the Polonaise-Fantasie effectively... Excellent sound.
(Paul Turok)
American Record Guide -
November / December 2011
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" Critics' Choice 2010 "Called 2010
Chopin-Schumann Anniversary Edition this beautifully recorded SACD set is
the second release by Schliessmann I have had the fortune to review. His
Goldberg Variations (Bayer 100326, Mar/Apr 2008) was one of my Critics
Choices for the year. Given my often reinforced memory of his superb Bach
pianism, this immediately caught my attention, and I listened to this first
among this issue’s review items. It is his first release on an American
label, and it is beautifully packaged, with exemplary notes by Schliessmann
(in German). There is an essay-interview with Schliessmann on this music in
English by Peter Rabinowitz. I would have preferred a good English
translation of Schliessmann’s actual complete essay, since it elaborates on
the pianist’s feelings for each of the selections.
Rarely does any
pianist communicate the essence of Chopin with such an individual conviction
as I hear in these stunning performances. These late works are probably some
of the greatest ever composed for the piano. To perform them well requires
both exceptional pianistic skills and a remarkable intellect. Schliessmann
arrives at his own unique interpretations, with reverence for the past
(Cortot, Michelangeli, Rubinstein, and Horszowski especially). While each
phrase is impeccably shaped, there is an overall thrust to each work that
holds everything together. He uses rubato sparingly, and while he embraces
the virtuosity in the music, it never overrides other musical content. After
a half century of listening to a number of these works, I must say that
Schliessmann shed new light on most of them. His is rarefied Chopin and
needs to be heard by all music lovers.
The second disc combines a
Bach Partita 2 that is on the same level as his Goldberg Variations with a
thrilling performance of Schumann’s Kreisleriana. Only Horowitz seems as
able to capture the impulsive, rather chaotic character of this work. Where
Schliessmann gave Chopin a firm classical grounding, he shifts gears easily
to convey the quirky, confused nature of late Schumann, which is truly
another world of romantic piano music.
The Bach, after a dramatic
French Overture opening, proceeds through the stylized dances with flair,
personality and sentiment. The clarity of articulation, phrasing choices,
and subtle dynamic shadings make a compelling argument that Bach can be
played on the piano. The baroque master himself would undoubtedly fully
embrace Schliessmann’s performance. I feel that way about the whole release.
(James Harrington)
Audiophile Audition -
October 2010
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Kudos to MSR for issuing their very first multichannel
SACD; if the quality of future releases is as good as this one, then we are
in good hands indeed, as they have captured Schliessmann’s personal Steinway
to great effect, with an enveloping warm ambiance that presents the piano to
great effect. There is nothing not enjoyable about hearing this instrument
on this recording, and audiophiles will take note. This recording is devoted
to the Chopin-Schumann bicentennial of their births...
This is
invigorating and nicely shaped Bach (Partita II), full of energy and
commitment played at the highest technical level in great sound; what more
could you want? ... a very out of the ordinary recital, stunningly recorded
by a pianist that I think will be very interesting to follow in future as
his ideas continue to develop.
(Stefen Ritter)
Audio Video Club of Atlanta -
Phil's Classical Reviews, October 2010
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In this sumptuously recorded and sumptuously packaged 2-SACD digipak
German-American pianist Burkard Schliessmann pays eloquent tribute to the
memory of Frederic Chopin and Robert Schumann, both of whom we celebrate
this year in the 200th anniversary of their birth. Several conclusions about
this artist of the keyboard immediately jump out at this reviewer. First, he
likes a big, full rich sound utilizing all the resources of his instrument
(without having to be told, we might easily have guessed that Schliessmann
has been recognized as a Steinway Artist).
The other thing is that he
is one who restlessly probes to get to the heart of the music and bring it
out in all its expressive power and beauty – and damned be those notes that
fall bleeding by the side. In that respect, he is like one of his teachers,
the ever-astonishing Shura Cherkassky. We see this trait most clearly in his
account of J S Bach’s Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826 on SACD 2. He takes
generally brisk tempi throughout the six-movement suite, and is particularly
adept at voicing and sustaining the polyphonic strands in Bach’s writing.
His Sarabande is remarkably moody.
Schliessmann is essentially a
romantic, and as such he is the last sort of pianist you would expect to
just play the notes as written, without comment. There is a strong
personality behind his performances, one that always has a decided opinion
about the music. His Chopin pieces on SACD 1 are boldly characterized and
vividly expressed, not simply colorized. They include poetically rich and
compelling accounts of such Chopin masterworks as Ballades No. 3 in A-flat
Major and 4 in F Minor, the widely ranging Fantasy in F minor, op. 49, the
almost spectrally haunting Waltz in C-sharp Minor, the Polonaise-Fantaisie
in A-flat Major, with its bewildering variety of texture and mood and its
persuasive power of suggesting more than it actually says, and a really
stunning Barcarolle in F-sharp Major that captures the enchantment of the
night.
But Schliessman is at his very best in Schumann’s
Kreisleriana, a work whose greatness of imagination I had never properly
appreciated until I heard this recording. There are no fewer than 24 marked
sections in the 8 movements, requiring the executant to constantly adjust in
terms of changes in phrasing, tempo, expression and emphasis, from a probing
quest for beauty and inner calm in Movements 2,4, 6 to the boldest, most
urgent expression of passion in 1, 3, 5, and 7, to say nothing of violent
contrasts within the same movement. Indeed, a principle of instability is at
work here, and Schliessmann recognizes that fact very clearly. And he knows
well that when Schumann marks Noch Schneller (still faster) in a movement
marked Sehr Rasch (very fast), what he really means is "galloping". In many
of these moments we get the impression of shadows flitting around a dimly
lit room; so much so that Schumann might have done well to have named this
1838 work Nachtstücke (Night Pieces) instead of reserving the title for what
to my mind was a less successful work of the following year.
By the
way, you haven’t heard the last of this pianist. 2011 marks the 200th
anniversary of Franz List, another decided favorite of Burkard Schliessmann,
and he isn’t likely to let the occasion pass without comment!
(Dr. Phil Muse)
SWR 2, <<Treffpunkt Klassik>> -
September 14, 2010
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In SWR2 Treffpunkt Klassik gibt es jetzt ein
instrumentales Zwischenspiel. Der deutsch-amerikanische Pianist Burkard
Schliessmann hat eine große Affinität zum alten Virtuosentum, er versucht
die große Gelassenheit, die uns inzwischen abhanden gekommen ist, wieder
einzuholen und mit dem Textverständnis von heute zu vereinen. Sein
Chopin-Spiel klingt so betrachtet nachdenklich, bedächtig und gelegentlich
auch ein wenig eckig. Er baut große Crescendo-Bögen, manche Passagen sind
von einer atemberaubenden Immaterialität. Hören Sie die Ballade Nr. 3 in
As-Dur und die Polonaise-Fantasie op. 61 in der gleichen Tonart.
(Dr. Reinhard Ermen)
Frankfurter Neue Presse -
July 20, 2010
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Chopins SeelenschluchtenStruktur und Poesie,
Intellektualität und Emotionalität, diese vermeintlichen Gegensätze vereint
der Pianist Burkard Schliessmann in seinen Interpretationen immer wieder auf
faszinierende Weise. So auch auf seiner neuen Doppel-CD «Anniversary Edition
2010» mit den Jubilaren Chopin und Schumann. Auf zwei verschiedenen
Steinway-Flügeln mit entsprechender Klangcharakteristik taucht Schliessmann
in die Seelenschluchten der Chopinschen Balladen hinab, bändigt aber auch
die taumelnde Fantastik in Schumanns «Kreisleriana».
Wie ein
Ruhe-Anker wirkt dagegen Bachs Partita Nr. 2, klanggesättigt gespielt, mit
Drive und doch intim.
(Michael Dellith)
Frankfurter Neue Presse -
April 19, 2010
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Dezent und virtuos
Schumann und Chopin – die beiden Jubiläen von je 200 Jahren boten
Schliessmann Anlass, Schumanns großformatige «Kreisleriana» sowie vier
Stücke Chopins gegenüber zu stellen. Das Konzert im Mozartsaal (...)
eröffnete er allerdings mit einem Werk von Johann Sebastian Bach, der beiden
Romantikern ja große Leitfigur war. In der Partita c-Moll (BWV 826) ließ er
schöne Anschlagstechnik erkennen. Dezente Virtuosität zeichnete die
lebhaften Abschnitte aus. Schliessmann stellte die verschiedenen klanglichen
Nuancen der «Kreisleriana» wirkungsvoll heraus, wobei ihm die langsamen
Abschnitte am besten gelangen. Die vier Stücke von Chopin – darunter seine
Polonaise-Fantasie und die Ballade f-Moll (op.52) - bildeten eine
wirkungsvolle Ergänzung und sicherten dem Interpreten reichlichen Beifall.
(Matthias Gerhart)
WDR-Cologne, 'TonArt' -
September 2, 2008
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Was ist diese Musik? Ist sie Gottesdienst? Eine
Beschwörung, eine Meditation über eine Ordnung von Gott, Mensch und Welt?
Ist sie eine permutatorische Rechenaufgabe? Ein arithmetisches Exerzitium
der Seele?
Ernst und feierlich schaut der Pianist Burkard
Schliessmann in die Kamera, der Arm ruht mit ausgestrecktem kleinem Finger
auf der Tastatur seines Steinway-Flügels – so ist Schliessmann auf dem Cover
seiner neuen CD, der Einspielung der Goldbergvariationen von Bach, zu sehen.
Und so konzentriert, wie er sich dem Betrachter visuell präsentiert,
erklingt auch eins der bedeutendsten Klavierwerke der Musikgeschichte in
feiner, ziselierter, grundsolider Interpretation.
...
... Er hat
sich schon früh mit Bach auseinandergesetzt. Bereits mit 21 Jahren spielte
Schliessmann das gesamte Orgelwerk. Seine CD- und DVD-Produktionen sind
besonders in den USA bekannt und bewundert. Er hat einige der Achttausender
der Klavierliteratur eingespielt, Bach, Chopin, Liszt, Skrabin, Godowsky,
auch in Fernsehproduktionen des WDR.
...
Der Anekdote nach sollen
Bachs Goldbergvariationen als „Gute-Nacht-Musik“ gedacht worden sein. Bach
hat sie ursprünglich lapidar mit „Clavier-Übung“ betitelt. Sie zählen –
hinsichtlich ihrer Struktur und ihrer bestechenden Klarheit - zu den
anspruchsvollsten Werken für Klavier. Burkard Schliessmann gestaltet sie
rein und durchsichtig, virtuos und souverän ohne virtuose Kapriolen, in
einem durchdringend filigranem Ton.
...
Schliessmann spielt auf
seinem eigenen Flügel, den er als Instrument für die Musik Bachs empfindet
und darstellt. Sein Ziel ist die Erreichung einer „humanen Wirklichkeit“ der
Musik. Ein großes Vorhaben angesichts der Abstraktheit der Struktur der
Variationen. Jedoch gewinnt man tatsächlich beim Hören dieser CD den
Eindruck, man sei Teil und Inhalt dieser Harmonien und verzwickten
Kontrapunkte: Die Musik sei eine kommunizierende, menschliche Reinkarnation.
Schliessmanns „Instinkt“ wird untermauert durch seinen zuweilen recht
grundtönig klingenden Steinway, verbunden mit dem großen musikalischen
Verständnis des Werkes und seiner Entstehungszeit, welches Schliessmann sich
unüberhörbar angeeignet hat.
...
Was ist diese Musik: Ist sie
Gottesdienst? Eine Meditation über eine Ordnung von Gott, Mensch, Welt? Eine
permutatorische Rechenaufgabe? Ein arithmetisches Exerzitium der Seele? Oder
all dies zusammen?
...
(Dr. Lothar Mattner)
STEINWAY Pianos Magazine 2008 -
2008
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People like to pigeon-hole
pianists. There are, we are routinely told, the barnstormers – romantic
pianists who throw the entire force of the heart and soul into their playing
– and then there is the more analytical school – those who play by
intellect, everything meticulously thought out and delicately weighted. By
and large it’s piffle, of course; few pianists would admit to excluding head
or heart in their playing and great interpretations are forged through a
combination of the two, and more besides. But German-born Burkard
Schliessmann rejects such divisions more than most. (...)
(James Inverne)
Fono Forum -
August 2008
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Fein
Ein "Bach der Mitte" im positiven Sinn - nachdenklich schlicht, stets
fein ausgearbeitet.
(Frank Siebert)
MusicWeb-International -
July 08, 2008
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... Burkard Schliessmann’s
1999 recording of Schumann's Fantaisie in C-major (Bayer BR 100 293 CD)
combines a judicious amount of flair with real passion, without ever losing
the through line of the movement, possibly Schumann’s greatest extended
structure. Schliessmann balances that structure with great skill, drawing
attention in his own program notes to Schumann’s prominent use of “the
Tristan chord” in the first movement, quite a few years before Wagner
supposedly discovered it.
... de Larrocha and Schliessmann are (...)
keeping their piano sound from turning hectic as the music exults, with
Schliessmann pointing up the eccentric element more than de Larrocha ...
... Schliessmann unfolds at a similar tempo to de Larrocha, with
sufficient singing, though he perhaps spends more effort tending to the
interplay of counterpoint between the interwoven melody and accompaniment.
...
(Mark Sebastian Jordan)
MusicWeb-International -
May 27, 2008
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" Recording of the Year 2008 "
" Recording of the Month "German pianist Burkard Schliessmann charts
new territory in the Goldbergs, characterizing musical phrases like
conversations amongst warm, human characters. Far from the flair of young
Gould, the serenity of old Gould, the severity of Tureck, or the drama of
Perahia, this is the most humane Goldberg I’ve ever heard.Someone
once said that if Dublin were ever destroyed, it could be reconstructed from
James Joyce’s Ulysses. I think that if the entire body of Western
Civilization were suddenly snatched away from us, save one work of art, we
could rebuild a good chunk of it, if that one remaining work were Bach’s
Goldberg Variations. It transcends mere musical expression - though it is
saturated with that - by incorporating philosophical, mathematical,
architectural, rhetorical and even religious ideas in a density that is
unmatched by any other work. The variable factor in rebuilding the western
world from the Goldbergs would be: Which performance to use? The unperformed
score itself is only a blueprint for a world awaiting creation.
The
world according to Rosalyn Tureck’s Goldbergs would be monumental, built out
of marble columns and wide-open spaces. Vladimir Feltsman’s would be a
topsy-turvy house painted audacious colors, with the occasional door opening
on the top floor into mid-air and some of the windows underground. Young
Glenn Gould’s world would be nothing more than a piano in a warm, late-night
room. Older Gould’s reconstructed world would be nothing but clouds, light
and midnight sun. Murray Perahia’s world would be one of poise, grace and
piety, an entire city of interconnected, elegant buildings.
As much
as I love all those performances, I had never found myself forced to
consider this: Where is the human element in all these worlds? But the
recent Bayer recording by Burkard Schliessmann dares to put the question
front and center, and in the process creates a distinctive profile, one that
not everyone will like.
Great artists can polarize, and the intensely
thoughtful Schliessmann has never shied away from pursuing deep and subtle
shades of expression where others play to the gallery. The pianist ups the
ante here by daring to bring his connotation-rich, philosophical style to a
piece that is considered by some a sacred tome not open to experimentation.
(...)
What strikes me throughout this recording is the sense that
Schliessmann is always searching for what is conversational in this music.
Where Gould and Tureck awe the listener, Schliessmann makes these thirty
variations sound human and approachable. This is the recording for all those
who have previously found the Goldberg Variations too abstract and
unfriendly. Yet there are layers of things going on, too, which can satisfy
the connoisseur hoping to find new discoveries.
While this is worlds
away from being a period-style performance, Schliessmann nonetheless adapts
some historically-informed practices, such as playing runs of continuous
short-value notes unevenly, giving those parts a gentle swing. It’s
something that isn’t done very often, certainly not by mid-twentieth century
pianists like Gould and Tureck, who were trained to play notes as written,
as opposed to the natural swing that used to be commonplace in classical
music until theorists squeezed the life out of it. Listen, for instance, to
Variation 1, where Schliessmann jettisons the usual stiff-collar approach
and instead gives the passing figurations a gentle swing. At first hearing,
it may even sound unintentionally uneven, but then one can always go listen
for comparison to the deadly even scales and runs Schliessmann deploys in
his Godowsky arrangements of Strauss waltzes or his Liszt transcriptions of
Schubert songs on his DVD (Arthaus Musik 100 455).
Another example of
how human Schliessmann makes this music sound is Variation 23, where
Schliessmann finds wit and shape that others only hint at. Those who expect
their baroque keyboard music to have the regularity of a sewing machine
might not like the way Schliessmann shades the rhythms, but I love it. He
makes every polyphonic voice independent, as if it weren’t one person
playing all these notes, but rather a small orchestra of pianists, each one
an individual. Schliessmann’s Goldbergs are populated with dozens, perhaps
hundreds of such characters. Friends, enemies, teachers, laborers, family,
lovers, they are all here, living life. No other Goldberg, for better or
worse, is more full of personal, human touches than this one. Some would
call it a romantic approach, but I’m not convinced that is true. I think
that the true romantic approach is Perahia’s. For all Perahia’s lucid,
Mozartian poise, he shapes the entire work with a dramatic, programmatic
sense. Schliessmann instead lives inside each variation, more interested in
each section’s inner life than in pushing the whole piece toward a climactic
point. This thoughtful characterization naturally gives Variation 29 and
Variation 30, the quodlibet, layers of richness that make them grand
summations, even as they amble comfortably along.
Though Schliessmann
is often identified with romantic piano music, he’s no romantic. He’s onto
something new, an artistic “ism” that hasn’t been named yet. If score
literalism can be taken at this point as a very twentieth-century
phenomenon, it seems that a new artistic philosophy is emerging in the
twenty-first. If the old school, whether it be Gustav Leonhardt’s Bach or
Pierre Boulez’s Mahler, is based on the denotations of the score and
historical documentation, the emerging new school is one of connotations,
finding the connections no one ever noticed before, both within a piece of
music, and outside it as well. Schliessmann’s Goldbergs teem with life
because he plays not like someone who spends 12 hours a day practicing
(which, for all I know, he may), but rather like someone who reads books,
talks with friends, views art, travels to historic sites and, simply, lives.
Schliessmann may be a musician, but more importantly, he’s a human being.
Like Schliessmann’s other Bayer recordings, this disc is given gorgeous,
high-resolution sound. I had a little trouble getting my Sony SACD player to
recognize the hybrid layers, but once it did, I found lively,
three-dimensional sound in the multichannel layer. The regular CD layer is
quite good in its own right, richer and warmer than any standard CD from
more than ten years ago. Incidentally, the performance is spread over two
discs, but it’s priced as one. Though it is in fact possible to fit more
than 80 minutes on one disc, the amount of manufacturing defects skyrockets
when that is done. Instead, Bayer wisely opted to split the work at its
natural break, leaving two discs of around 40 minutes, which can be
manufactured with virtually no defects. Since the piece naturally cleaves
between Variation 15 and the “Ouverture,” as Bach designated Variation 16,
it doesn’t bother me in the least. The accompanying booklet also contains
sizeable essays by Schliessmann himself, who offers much food for thought as
he talks about the theoretical and practical aspects of both playing and
understanding the variations.
In summary, this is a Goldberg
Variations for those who want to get inside the piece and live inside it,
instead of admiring it from afar as it sits on a marble pedestal.
Recommended warmly for those adventurous enough to enjoy hearing an old
favourite transformed into something new.
(PDF-download)
(Mark Sebastian Jordan)
American Record Guide -
May / Juni 2008
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" Critics' Choice 2008 ""Listening to Burkard
Schliessmann's Goldberg Variations is a little like eating tuna tartare for
the first time after years of eating fish sticks. It's not that Schliessmann
plays the piece better than anyone else. Glenn Gould's second recording on
Sony (Mar/Apr 2004) and Murray Perahia's reading for the same label (Jan/Feb
2001) are both wonderful, too. But Schliessmann's performance is very, very
different and, in a way, more exalted than either of his esteemed
colleagues. First, he takes every repeat and often chooses more expansive
tempos for the pieces. As a result, the dramatic arc of the Goldbergs has
more definition and significance; I'm now convinced that it's absolutely
essential to play this piece with all the repeats. Second, Schliessmann is a
little freer with tempo than I'm used to. Maybe sometimes he's a little too
free, for example when he rushes the downbeat after a trill in Variation 14;
still, the phrasing and expression become more varied, more human, than in
performances with a stricter beat. And finally the sound of the piano is
gorgeous: it's not percussive at all; it's warm and inviting. (I imagine it
sounds even better in an SACD player.)
Of many outstanding variations
I could mention, I remember in particular the elegant, French-style gigue
tempo he takes for Variation 7, the extremely vocal Variation 9, the
fascinating subtlety of voicing in Variation 8, the uncomplicated joy in
Variation 24, and the understated, con amore Variation 30 (the quodlibet).
... Schliessmann's overall conception and realization of Bach's last great
keyboard work has so much distinction ..."
(Rob Haskins)
all music -
March 2008
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"The much
talked-about German pianist Burkard Schliessmann, after several recordings
of Romantic literature, now weighs in with Bach‘s mighty Goldberg
Variations, BWV 988, taken with all repeats and just deliberately enough
that it requires two compact discs to contain the whole. Schliessmann in his
Germanically abstruse yet pertinent booklet notes, quotes Glenn Gould
several times and has seemingly set out to pick up with the variations where
Gould left off. That's a tall order inasmuch as Gould’s Goldberg recordings,
whether you like them or not, derive their value from their ability to
transport the listener into Gould‘s personal universe — there is no Gould
school, and for good reason. Schliessmann's interpretation certainly
resembles Gould‘s in its externals: in the use of the pedals, in the heavy
connectedness of the sharply articulated passagework, and in the radically
pianistic conception of the work as a whole. He keeps closer to the 1955
Gould recording than to the later one with its tempo extremes, but he has
some of the sense of titanic engagement with the work's architecture that
the aging Gould had; the music seems to inexorably build over units
stretching over several variations and several groups of variations. In any
event, Schliessmann's performance is not in any way imitative of either of
Gould‘s — although it's something of an inversion of the first one. Where
Gould focuses on the melody (and hums along with it, which Schliessmann
thankfully manages to avoid), it is the bass line that occupies
Schliessmann's attention. He puts enough emphasis on the bass that in many
variations it's the first thing that catches your attention — the melody
line takes on the status of ornamentation. This, as both Gould and
Schliessmann point out, accords with the basic conception of the work — Bach
treats the bass line of the opening Aria as a ground, rather than making (to
use an old word) divisions on the tune. Schliessmann conveys the sense of a
tough sinew connecting the whole giant set, and leaves himself enough room
for plenty of small and often delightful surprises in the right hand. (...)
If Gould’s sparkling renditions had a certain remoteness, Schliessmann seems
positively Olympian. And, as much as any pianist since Gould, he is quite
simply adding things to the music that Bach could not have imagined. This is
(...) an ambitious and really spectacular recording of a keyboard masterwork
that demands to be heard and can back up its demands. The multichannel Super
Audio sound from Germany's Bayer label does full justice to the remarkable
level of registral detail in Schliessmann's recording."
(www.allclassical.com)
(James Manheim)
American Record Guide -
March / April 2008
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" Critics' Choice 2008 ""...
you come away from each variation (BACH: Goldberg- Variations) thinking "of
course, that's the way it should be."
"... he displays the intellect
and control of Gould without his eccentricities or vocal embellishments."
"... the sound of the SACD - recording of Schliessmann is as perfect as
it gets these days."
(James Harrington)
Frankfurter Neue Presse -
January 4, 2008
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Der CD-Tipp: Goldberg für
2008„Musik, die weder Ende noch Anfang achtet, Musik ohne wirklichen
Höhepunkt und ohne wirkliche Auflösung“ – so beschrieb der geniale Glenn
Gould Johann Sebastian Bachs „Goldberg-Variationen“. Der in Deutschland und
den USA lebende Pianist Burkard Schliessmann scheint diese Einschätzung
Goulds über einen der gewichtigsten Meilensteine der Klavierliteratur zu
teilen. Seine Einspielung des hochkomplexen Variationswerks auf einer
Doppel-CD im Super-Audio-Verfahren jedenfalls öffnet den ganzen Kosmos des
Bachschen Spätstils. Mit der perlenden Klarheit und der Flexibilität seines
subtil-kultivierten Anschlags gelingt Schliessmann eine Gratwanderung
zwischen fließender Leichtigkeit und Ausdruckstiefe. Wie er dieses Netzwerk
aus melodischen Linien und harmonischen Wendungen über einem festen
Bassfundament emotionell und intellektuell durchdringt, wie er die
Energiequellen dieser Musik immer wieder anzuzapfen versteht, verdient große
Bewunderung."
(Michael Dellith)
FANFARE Magazin -
Volume 31, No. 3—January / February 2008
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"Most of Burkard
Schliessman’s interpretation of the Goldberg Variations calls to mind
Alexander Pope’s line “eternal sunshine of the spotless mind” — a reference
not to ignorance (nor to the memory erasing at the center of the movie by
that title), but to innocence. For the most part, Schliessmann presents this
as music of optimism and joy, the exact opposite of much of Simone
Dinnerstein’s recording, reviewed in the previous issue. Oh, Schliessmann
does know when and how to get serious, as in the extended (though not
distended) traversal of the 25th variation (discussed in the accompanying
interview). Yet even here, the playing is not self-consciously weighty; he
doesn’t try to make Bach sound like Beethoven.
Schliessmann sets a
measured pace in the Aria, feeling his way through little hesitations that
create the impression that he’s improvising the music as he plays. But his
overall approach is much sunnier, thanks mainly to his almost bouncy
non-legato touch. Consider the seventh variation, which is remarkably
playful, even a bit rustic.
(...)
If you want something more
in the tradition of Glenn Gould’s first recording, minus some of the
peculiarities but plus the repeats, Schliessmann’s account is highly
satisfactory."
(James Reel)
American Record Guide -
September / October 2006
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"Brahms-Overview":"...
Burkard Schliessmann with a great feel for the Brahms style and sound ..."
(Donald Vroon & Paul Althaus)
International Record Review IRR -
September / October 2005
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... Those
who opt for Schliessmann's Godowsky will also be treated to some strongly
argued (if sometimes overly insistent) Schubert-Liszt transcriptions
(Aufenthalt and Erlkönig are especially riveting in their stark and
uncompromising rigour). In addition, as a bonus we're given a reissue of
Schliessmann's Chopin anthology from Bayer: a DVD-A disc providing
intellectually provocative performances of seven large-scale works, as well
as a brief DVD-V of the Waltz, Op. 64 No. 2. Although the Chopin was
originally issued before the Godowsky, it was actually recorded later and it
shows many of the same interpretative characteristics at a fuller stage of
development. There's nothing traditional here, nothing middle-of-the road.
Instead, we get meticulous explorations of the music that aim to reveal its
details of colour, texture and motivic shape, rather than to unleash the
affective force of its special amalgam of elegance and fire.
...
thoughtful exposure of the music's inner workings.
(...)
All
in all, an intriguing (...) introduction to an unusual artist.
(Peter J. Rabinowitz)
FANFARE Magazin -
Volume 28, No. 4—Marchil / April 2005
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"...his tonal palette is impressively varied, and his sound
carries seductively at all dynamic levels, fully present even at the quiet
end of the spectrum (try the opening of Künstlerleben) and gloriously rich
at even the most grandiose climaxes, which ring out authoritatively. Nor is
his playing rigid — there’s plenty of rhythmic flexibility. (...) he brings
out textural details in a way that underlines Godowsky’s ingenuity rather
than his whimsy. (...) Lovers of these scores will find that Schliessmann’s
attempts to bring these pieces outside the supervirtuoso tradition is
illuminating."
(Peter J. Rabinowitz)
Fono Forum -
January 2005
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"... Der Pianist Burkard Schliessmann
leistet Erstaunliches und erobert das Virtuosenrepertoire mit dem festen
Willen, ausgetretenen Pfaden eben nicht zu folgen. Schliessmann, der über
staunenswerte manuelle Fähigkeiten verfügt und vielen Details agogisch
geschickt Aufmerksamkeit gönnt, hat sich für den WDR mit Godowsky und Liszt
vor die Kamera begeben, und zwar in der schmucken Stadthalle am Johannisberg
in Wuppertal - von Claus Viller nicht vor Publikum gefilmt, sondern im
leeren Raum, was einen eigenen Stimmungswert besitzt.
Man
konzentriert sich voll und ganz auf den Pianisten. (...) Schliessmann spielt
wirklich superb Leopold Godowskys Metamorphosen über Themen und Walzer von
Johann Strauß: "Die Fledermaus", "Alt -Wien", "Wienerisch" und "Ein
Künstlerleben" geraten zur packenden Demonstration seiner Kunst. Er
gestaltet sehr differenziert Schubert-Lieder in den Bearbeitungen Franz
Liszts. Sein Spiel ist von Klarheit gezeichnet (...). Man muß die
Steigerungen im "Erlkönig" hören, um die pianistische Potenz des Künstlers
zu begreifen.
Dass er international höchsten Anforderungen mehr als
genügt, belegt Schliessmann in der Bonus-Audio-DVD. Da nimmt er Chopins
Balladen als erzählende Musik ernst, da zaubert er in der "Barcarolle"
Stimmungen und durchleuchtet die "Polonaise-Fantaisie" sehr transparent.
Nicht viele können das so."
(Michael Stenger)
American Record Guide -
November / December 2004
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"The DVD
video (Arthaus 100 455 ; Godowsky-Liszt) immortalizes pianist Schliessmann.
...
... Schliessmann throws himself into all of this with gusto and
impressive technique. ...
... Schliessmann is too good a pianist for
anyone to pass on this. Besides, the Fantasy in F minor and Barcarolle are
among the finest to be had..."
(Alan Becker)
Frankfurter Neue Presse -
October 11, 2004
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Feiner Erlkönig
"Zwei Meistern der Transkription und des Arrangierens hat der Pianist
Burkard Schliessmann mit seiner neuen DVD ein Denkmal gesetzt: Franz Liszt
und dem New Yorker Klaviervirtuosen und Komponisten Leopold Godowsky
(1870–1938). Godowskys Konzertparaphrasen über Walzer und Themen von Johann
Strauss («Fledermaus», «Ein Künstlerleben») sind Zeugnisse eines
geistreichen Umgangs mit dem sinfonischen Notenmaterial. Durch Schliessmanns
gestalterische Finesse und Anschlagskultur erhält diese Musik den Esprit,
der ihr zusteht. Das trifft auch auf die elegant ausgeformten
Liszt-Transkriptionen populärer Schubert-Lieder («Forelle», «Erlkönig») zu.
Dem DVD-Paket liegt eine Audio-DVD bei, auf der sich Schliessmann mit vier
Balladen, der Fantaisie in f-Moll, der Barcarolle op. 60 und der
Polonaise-Fantaisie op. 61 als geschmeidiger Chopin-Interpret ausweist."
(md)
Classics Today France -
septembre 2004
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"Schliessmann est d'une rectitude rare, tant dans
sa position que dans son jeu. C'est mieux que quelqu'un qui en fait des
tonnes et la manière de faire sonner le piano est fort belle, avec un son
très nourri..."
(Christophe Husse)
MusicWeb-International -
August 16, 2004
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" Recording of the Year 2004 "
" Recording of the Month "An expert and highly interesting set of
Chopin performances from one of the greatest pianists of current time.
Schliessmann displays a fabulous technique, superb musical instincts, and an
inquisitive nature. His blend of intuition and intellect is riveting, and
listeners will experience a truly unique look at these Chopin masterpieces.
In the standard CD format, the soundstage is exceptional with a rich and
well-detailed environment. In the multi-channel format, the sound is more
expansive, revealing nuances not available in the standard format.
"This is an outstanding recording, and I would expect nothing less from
Burkard Schliessmann who is one of the most compelling pianists of our time.
With a fabulous technique, superb musical instincts, and a truly inquisitive
nature leading to distinctive interpretations based on extensive cultural
and biographical research, Schliessmann blends the most rewarding aspects of
an intellectual and intuitive approach to all the music he performs. When a
new recording from an artist such as Murray Perahia is released, we have a
fairly good idea how he will play the music based on past recordings and
concert appearances. With a few recordings for Bayer under his belt, the
primary insight we have concerning Schliessmann is that he will take a
highly individualized path like the trail-blazing pianists of the early 20th
century combined with the superior technical wizardry of the 21st century
pianist.
That Schliessmann is his own man is not unexpected given
that his teacher was Shura Cherkassky. In all of Schliessmann's recordings
he explores colors and textures, often defying expectations with a patience
and maturity well beyond his young-adult status. The eminent music critic
Harold Schonberg has called Schliessmann's playing "representative of the
best of the modern school". My view is that Schliessmann's artistry bears a
striking resemblance to some of the pianistic titans including Alfred Cortot
and Walter Gieseking.
Schliessmann's new disc programs seven of
Chopin's most popular and large-scale piano works. Each is wide in
architectural design and displays great depth and diversity of emotional
content. Worthy performances must reveal the most tender and poignant
moments as well as the passages of tremendous energy, strength and urgency.
Most important, the logic and cohesion of the myriad themes cannot be
forgotten as they merge into a magnificent tapestry that needs every musical
strand to play its role.
Burkard Schliessmann is more than up to
the task of giving the full measure of the above qualities. He has a vision
for each work that insures a sense of inevitability and overall scope. His
pin-point articulation is so well projected that even the most caressing
notes and phrases have a strength rarely encountered in other recorded
versions of these works. Schliessmann's sonority and supple phrasing are
reminiscent of the legendary Claudio Arrau, and his inflections emit great
meaning. Perhaps most impressive are the lower voices that are consistently
given a granite-like edifice with wonderful clarity and contribution toward
the overall coherence of each work on the program. Here are just a few
highlights of the disc that I have kept to a minimum in the interest of not
being overly redundant:
Ballade in G minor - Schliessmann immediately
sets his own course in the first subject where he uses rather demonstrative
pauses between motifs instead of legato transitioning. I had never heard the
work played in this manner, and the initial effect can be startling.
However, it soon becomes clear that Schliessmann is adding another emotional
and structural layer to the music that enriches it through heightened
contrast with the traditionally melancholy and smooth flowing lines.
Ballade in F major - I do not believe there is any music more serene and
comforting than the F major's first subject. Schliessmann offers wonderfully
lilting phrasing that seems to make time stand still while also conveying a
sense of spiritual closure. The subsequent angst and power of the succeeding
themes has a spell-binding effect from Schliessmann with a magnificently
stern quality and tremendous bass strokes that growl in exquisite detail
from their foundation.
Ballade in F minor - Never before have I been
so strongly aware of the pent-up human urges that are seething below the
music's surface but taking so long to erupt. With incisive inflections and
powerful bass lines, Schliessmann offers a potent balance of voices that
allows Chopin's tension and full breadth of emotional content their full
measure. Every time I listen to the performance, I am on the edge of my seat
waiting anxiously for fulfillment.
Fantaisie in F minor - I am always
a little disappointed when a Chopin recital does not include the Fantaisie
in F minor, because I consider it the composer's greatest large-scale piano
work with its constant and transcendent invention. Whatever you might want
from a romantic-era piano composition, the Fantaisie has it all including a
strong capacity for narrative examination. Perhaps most important is the
intense heroism that permeates the work; even the prayer-like intermezzo is
delivered by a proud and confident personality.
I find the Fantaisie
the best Schliessmann performance on the program. His total command of the
idiom never lets us forget that heroism is at the center of the work, and
his narration is clear and rich. Also, I detect some strong anger and
brutality in the interpretation, more than in other versions I have heard.
Once acclimated, these additional layers of meaning enhance the sweep and
narrative properties of the work.
The disc's sound quality is
exceptional in the standard CD format with a rich, well detailed and
resonant environment. In the multi-channel format, the sound is fantastic;
the breadth of the recording opens up and reveals nuances and meanings not
available in the standard format. However, I do want to emphasize that
readers who have not yet taken advantage of the SACD format should not be
wary of acquiring the disc. Put simply, the superb Schliessmann performances
shine through regardless of the equipment at hand.
I listened to many
comparative Chopin recordings in reviewing the Schliessmann disc, giving
particular note to the recent discs of the Ballades from Stephen Hough on
Hyperion and Stefen Vladar on Harmonia Mundi. At no time did Schliessmann's
interpretations take a back seat to any of the comparison discs, and the
narrative scope and vision he gives the Four Ballades far surpasses the
episodic qualities of the Hough and Vladar performances.
In
conclusion, I consider the Schliessmann disc an essential acquisition for
piano enthusiasts. He challenges our perceptions of the great classical
piano works and gives us illuminating performances of exceptional pianism. I
also strongly recommend that readers investigate his other Bayer recordings,
each one as superb as the Chopin offering. Personally, I would love to hear
Schliessmann's way in Bach and Shostakovich keyboard works with their
intense contrapuntal leanings. In the meantime, any disc from Schliessmann
is a treasure to experience."
(original text - "Recording of the
month" - you'll find here)(PDF-download)
(original text - "Recording of
the Year 2004" - you'll find here)
(Donald Satz)
Classical Archives, USA -
August 1, 2004
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"Performer: Mr.
Schliessmann is one of the very few young-adult pianists who I consider
likely to attain legendary status by the end of his career. The technique is
assured and expert, musical instinct is fabulous, and intellect is abundant
and based on extensive research into biographical and cultural
considerations. Above all else, Schliessmann conveys the cohesive properties
of a piece of music with an architectural sweep second to none. Schliessmann
has been recording for the Bayer label, and every one of his few recordings
possesses the above qualities. An artist who challenges us to re-think our
preconceptions of music and composers, Schliessmann combines the
individualized interpretive stance of the great early 20th century pianists
with the technical wizardry demanded of the 21st century pianist. Chopin
Performances: Each one is a gem and loaded with new insights. Schliessmann
gives us demonstrative pauses at the end of motifs in the Ballade in G minor
instead of legato transitioning; this approach significantly alters and
expands on the emotional content of the first subject. In the Ballade in F
major's gorgeous first subject, Schliessmann's lilting phrases seem to make
time stand still while also offering spiritual closure. Later, the
tremendous bass strokes growl with exquisite detail from their foundation.
Schliessmann's Ballade in F minor has me on the edge of my seat anxiously
waiting for fulfillment. Never before have I head a version that makes me so
strongly aware of the pent-up human urges seething below the music's surface
but taking so long to erupt. Schliessmann is a master of the long line, and
it is on glorious display in the F minor. The performance of the Fantaisie
in F minor is perhaps Schliessmann's crowning glory of his Chopin program. I
consider the work Chopin's best large-scale piano composition with its
transcendent and constant invention. Heroism is at the heart of the F minor,
and nobody delivers it as completely as Schliessmann. Even in the
prayer-like intermezzo, he conveys a confident and proud demeanor. Further,
the narrative properties of the interpretation are spell-binding, and I
detect some very angry and brutal elements I've not heard before in other
versions. Sound Quality: Not owning an SACD player, I first listened to the
disc on my standard equipment. The sound is excellent with ample resonance
and superb depth and richness, allowing Burkard's detail to ring through
convincingly. I did locate a fellow classical music enthusiast in
Albuquerque who has the SACD and related equipment; we both found the sound
significantly upgraded in terms of clarity and depth. Also, there are
nuances that don't come through as clearly on a standard CD player. However,
I assure readers that performances as good as Schliessmann's are compelling
no matter what equipment is being employed. Don's Conclusion: Distinctive
and riveting performances essential for all piano enthusiasts. Burkard
Schliessmann has it all: detail, sweep, narration, inflections from upper
voices that pierce the heart, and strongly projected bass voices that
contrast magnificently with primary melody lines. From this reviewer's
perspective, Schliessmann stands tall on the pedestal of greatness occupied
by the legends of the keyboard including Alfred Cortot, Walter Gieseking,
and Claudio Arrau."
(Donald Satz)
MusicWeb-International -
June 16, 2004
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" ... Of today’s pianists
recording Schumann, Schliessmann is the most distinctive as well as being
reminiscent of the great pianists of the early 20th century. His blend of
musical instinct and intellectualism is a joy to experience."
(Donald Satz)
High Fidelity Review -
March 9, 2004
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SACD - Review by Mark Jordan"Fellow composer Robert Schumann once
described Frédéric Chopin’s piano works as “cannons camouflaged with
flowers”. With their debut multichannel Super Audio Compact Disc, Bayer
Records of Germany gives us a performance by Burkard Schliessmann of
Chopin’s ‘Ballades’ which presents those extremes as facets of the unified
artistic force of a composer who, despite his extensive fame, is still
clearly underrated. Instead of histrionics or exaggeration, Schliessmann
gives us Chopin the musical thinker. Whether or not this new recording
dislodges any of your favorites (and it may!), it certainly sheds new light
on an ultimately elusive genius.
But before turning to this new
release, let us examine some of the major recordings of the ‘Ballades’ from
over the years. Back in the classic era of 78 r.p.m. discs, the legendary
French pianist Alfred Cortot recorded the complete ‘Ballades’ in 1926 and
1933, with the latter set prevailing. In the ‘G minor Ballade’, Cortot
features a flowing and free manner, savoring every new flavor in the
ever-changing mood of the piece. As is usual with Cortot, there are some
finger slips and approximated passages along the way, but his lack of
grandstanding combined with a fleet and vertiginous ending make his
rendition quite refreshing, despite the archaic recorded sound. Cortot’s
take on the second ‘Ballade’ is masterful in its portrayal of growing unease
and passion, and his version of the fourth is fleet and dashing, worlds
apart from the visionary epic style of many recent performances. The place
where Cortot comes to grief is in the third ‘Ballade’, in A-flat major.
There Cortot seems unable to take the piece at face value and goes in search
of ways to shade it and make it seem more dramatic, leading to some odd
distortions. And that’s not even considering the finger twists he gets into
in his overwrought climax.
Moving forwards a generation, the
brilliant but inconsistent Samson François recorded the ‘Ballades’ in 1954
in clean monophonic sound. François is more ‘arch’ in his interpretations
than Cortot, flashing his best debonair charm in places and a devil-may-care
insouciance in others. François’ is the fastest traversal of the ‘Ballades’
that I’ve heard, but in places such as the end of the ‘G minor Ballade’, it
seems he’s more interested in his own virtuoso flair than in the work
itself. Perhaps his finest moments are in the ‘A-flat Major Ballade’, where
François is flirtatious and playful in a way that eluded Cortot.
Moving into the stereo age, we meet the towering performance of the
‘Ballades’ by Polish-born Arthur Rubinstein from 1959, a performance that
has greatly influenced the current conception of these works. Rubinstein
seems to define the modern approach of epic grandiosity as he finds a
spacious poise in many pages, but his alternately icy and demonic flashes
keep the dramatic interest going. I wonder if I am alone in finding the
closing pages of Rubinstein’s ‘G minor Ballade’ not quite up to the level of
the rest of the recording. Once those sweeping scales come in, it almost
seems that Rubinstein drops back a notch in intensity, as if a bit abashed
at seeing a fairly standard virtuoso touch at the climax of what has been
overall a complex drama. Fortunately, the unusual and dizzying
contrary-motion scales at the very end show him regaining his nerve to close
with a great torrent of sound, recorded close-up and rich in the 1950’s RCA
manner.
Few subsequent records rivaled Rubinstein’s until the
distinctive 1987 Deutsche Grammophon recording by another Pole, Krystian
Zimerman, a recording which coincidentally duplicates much of the repertory
on Schliessmann’s new disc. Zimerman moves past Rubinsteinian poise and
stakes out a new territory of hushed and tragic intensity in quiet passages
and icy glitter in the more violent parts. Without lacking aristocratic
poise himself, Zimerman adds a high-strung intensity that flirts with
mannerism, and a visionary otherworldliness apt to emerge in unexpected
places. Though not embraced by all, the recording made fair claim for
Zimerman’s status as a major Chopin interpreter. Characteristically,
Zimerman is a degree slower than Rubinstein, who was himself a degree slower
than Cortot and François, thus moving the mainstream of Chopin performance
into a very broad plain. Not that Zimerman lacks technique and drama – his
headlong run into the closing pages of the ‘G minor Ballade’ is one of the
wonders of the modern age, culminating in a dramatic stagger through
Chopin’s final “chromataclysm” (if I may be pardoned for inventing a word to
summarize that strange and wild moment!).
But in the opposite corner
of modern Chopin performance is the American Murray Perahia, who recorded
the ‘Ballades’ in 1994. Perahia proves something of a throwback to Cortot’s
manner. Perahia has a less self-conscious style than the current norm – he
seems to flow very naturally with the music, feeling no need to demonstrate
his “art” or “insight”. He flows more convincingly from section to section
than is usually seen, keeping the ebb and flow in mind. There’s not as much
banging about in the loud parts as most performances, but if we keep in mind
anecdotes of Chopin’s own playing, we would suppose that his playing sounded
much more like this than the heavy-duty string-breakers like Horowitz. (Of
course, this is an ironic thing, as Perahia was for a time an associate of
Horowitz. He finally had to leave behind Horowitz and Horowitz’s style,
because it simply didn’t work for him.) Perahia finds the intimate soul of
the ‘Ballades’ in his performances quite unlike any other recording.
The next major recording to come along was that by Evgeny Kissin in 1999 for
RCA. Kissin first caught the world’s attention with performances of Chopin’s
‘Piano Concerti’ at the age of twelve, but there’s mounting evidence that he
is not very temperamentally suited to Chopin. Here, Kissin seems quite arch
and rather flashy, as if playing to reach the back row in a football
stadium. His version of the ‘A-flat Ballade’ completely misses the inherent
playfulness of the work. Though largely lacking the inwardness that makes
the finest Chopin performances so endearing, Kissin’s renditions are
brilliant and exciting from a dramatic and virtuosic point of view. In a
way, one imagines that if we could go back in time and hear Franz Liszt play
Chopin, it would have sounded something like Kissin’s performances.
Now, with so much ground covered by past masters, is there anything new that
Burkard Schliessmann could possibly bring to these keyboard warhorses? This
recording says, “yes”. Schliessmann appears to make a conscious effort to
gather the disparate strands of early twenty-first century Chopin playing
and weave them together. In terms of tempo, Schliessmann’s timings are close
to the Zimerman end of the spectrum, even surpassing him in the ‘G minor
Ballade’, yet his manner is closer to the flow and organic growth of
Perahia. Schliessmann concerns himself above all else with finding the long
line, the inner logic to hold these eventful pieces together. By contrast,
for all his flash, Kissin seems to deliver a series of dramatic episodes
that don’t truly hold together. If Zimerman’s enormous emotional range holds
together, it’s only through the sheer willpower of the player. Schliessmann
instead keeps the contrasts in perspective, to let the composer’s logic show
through more clearly, thus supporting the thesis that Schliessmann proposes
in his in-depth liner notes, which is that Chopin is often unfairly
dismissed as a maudlin miniaturist who never developed into a deeply
substantial composer. Though it is easy to miss some of the visceral thrills
of Rubinstein or Zimerman, Schliessmann’s point is valid, and his
performance proves it. If anyone ever doubts the substance beneath the
emotional dramas of Chopin’s music, they must remember that a musical
performance can be distorted by a lack of “deep thinking” by the performer.
The structure and logic are there.
To look at some more specific
moments: Schliessmann’s opening in the ‘G minor Ballade’ is even more tragic
and thoughtful than Zimerman’s. Schliessmann presents the musical strands
one by one, and then begins pulling them together, leading into a very
concentrated version of the first theme. Chopin had a very staunchly
classical streak, and examination of his compositions shows it at work
constantly in his structures. This doesn’t mean, however, that Schliessmann
is inexpressive or cold. It merely means that Schliessmann chooses not to
play up the drama for mere titillation or easy thrills. Likewise, moving
into the second theme, Schliessmann plays with tenderness, but without the
hypersensitivity on display in many other versions. Whereas most treat the
piece as a sequence of events, Schliessmann seeks to unify and show that it
can be played as different facets of a single gem. The cumulative effect of
this approach brings its own strengths, even if the adrenaline factor isn’t
in the range of Kissin or François. But the spacious tempo allows the
listener to focus in and hear notes that are usually just a blur. And, for
those who demand at least a little flash, Schliessmann deploys a few bursts
of sharp-edged brilliance in the final scales just to remind the listener
that he can. Although Schliessmann does not ultimately have the galvanic
edge of a Zimerman (who else does?), he certainly has a deep understanding
of how this music works. There are a few places, such as the closing pages
of the ‘F Major Ballade’ (which ends in a vehement A minor), where
Schliessmann’s detailed delineation of the musical argument is maintained at
the expense of forward movement. Schliessmann’s crowning achievement in this
recording is the ‘A-flat Major Ballade’, where he pulls off the unlikely
feat of matching Perahia’s sense of playful delight, and variety of touch
and color. And Schliessmann’s magically gentle bass runs are worth the price
of admission themselves.
Also included on this disc are similarly
thoughtful, flowing performances of the ‘Barcarolle’ (played with charm
instead of nostalgia), the ‘Polonaise-Fantasie in A-flat’ (with much less
hand-wringing than Horowitz or Argerich), and the great ‘Fantasy in F
minor’, where Schliessmann strikes an effective compromise between Perahia’s
wondrous fantasy and Zimerman’s alienated obsessiveness.
So, to go
back to Schumann’s analogy, if Cortot, François, and Perahia give us
Chopin’s flowers; and Rubinstein, Zimerman, and Kissin give us the
underlying cannon; Schliessmann’s approach concentrates on synthesizing the
two to the point that they can’t be considered separately. This makes for an
interestingly probing, even cerebral take on the ‘Ballades’ that may not
dislodge everyone’s dear favorites, but will certainly give Chopin lovers
good food for thought, as well as ammunition to defend the composer from
those who haven’t looked deeply enough into his works to understand them.
In terms of recorded sound, this is an auspicious debut in multichannel
for Bayer Records. The sound is fairly intimate, suggesting a moderate-sized
hall, and Schliessmann’s performances are well adjusted to this space. By
comparison, Zimerman’s 1987 digital recording on Deutsche Grammophon sounds
like a much larger space, which suits Zimerman’s more epic approach,
although the distancing of Zimerman’s piano in combination with the 16-bit
recording technology of the period lends a brittle, glassy sheen to
Zimerman’s sound. Again, that’s not entirely inappropriate to Zimerman’s
cool approach, and here Schliessmann’s approach goes hand-in-hand with the
intimacy and warmth of the recorded sound. There is a fairly quick decay of
the tones on the high-end, possibly suggesting a lush, well-upholstered
complement of seats in the hall, or perhaps wall hangings absorbing excess
reverberation. Whatever the case, there is a richness of warmth and
overtones in the sound captured here, without the glassy ringing that mars
so many recordings of these stormy dramas. The rear channels define the
space, bringing the sound envelope around you without drawing attention to
the rear channels themselves through excessive bounce-back. Indeed, when
listening, I wasn’t able to detect any specific bounce from the rear
channels at all, but I could certainly tell the difference upon switching to
the stereo program of the SACD layer. Though remaining handsome, the sound
lost a great deal of its depth and “room presence”. Granted, there is a
touch of diffusion in the multichannel sound, but the gain in sense of space
outweighs it considerably.
The sound of the Compact Disc layer of
this hybrid release is noticeably less inviting than the Super Audio layer.
The highs lose a little of the halo of overtones that a piano naturally
creates. The CD layer also brings a slight muddiness to the lower mid-range
and upper bass (at least in comparison to the SACD layers). In comparison to
other CD recordings of these works, the above comments about intimacy and
warmth still apply. Those accustomed to the sheen of Zimerman, or the flash
of Kissin may find this performance and its recorded sound a little subdued,
at first. But give it a close listen, and you just may find yourself won
over by its insight and honesty."
(PDF-download)
(Mark Sebastian Jordan)
Fanfare-Magazin, USA -
Volume 27, No. 4—March / April 2004
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"... Schliessmann is a fascinating artist ..."
"... His performance
of the Liszt Sonata makes clear his extremely personal approach. Avoiding
both the architectural rigor of Pollini and the sheer intensity of Horowitz,
Schliessmann offers an unusually inward account of the music, on the slow
side of normal (certainly he resists the temptation to race through the
opening of the fugue), more likely to apply the brakes for interrogation of
expressive details than to surge ahead for sheer drama. The technique is
absolutely secure, but there’s no razzle-dazzle. As usual, this interpretive
perspective seems to stem from a deeply considered study of the piece in
terms of Liszt’s own life..."
"His new Chopin disc, at least when
heard in surround sound (on either SACD or DVD-A), is arguably the best
piano recording I’ve ever heard."
(Peter J. Rabinowitz)
Piano - News -
VII / 2004
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"Schliessmanns Chopin-Spiel
.... ist jenseits von visueller Hausmannskost. Radikal entparfümiert hat
Schliessmann die Werke (Balladen 1 - 4, Fantaisie op. 49, Barcarolle op. 60,
Polonaise-Fantaisie op. 61), verzichtet er auf den romantisch kurzweiligen
Oberflächenreiz. Stattdessen setzt er die inneren Entwicklungen mit den
inneren Beweggründen der Kompositionen frei und zusammen; ist es diese
Balance aus einer sich nie ausstellenden Intellektualität, aus epischer
Melodik und beredter Wirkung, mit der Schliessmann Chopin neu und nachhaltig
erlebbar macht."
(Guido Fischer)
Frankfurter Neue Presse -
January 7, 2004
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"... Chopins
vier Balladen in einer sehr männlichen Interpretation, fast streng, von
gewichtigem Ernst und fern von jedem fröhlichen Draufgängertum."
"...
Der Wille zur Deutlichkeit bleibt bestimmend..."
"... Von ähnlichem
Gewicht sind dann auch die Barcarolle op. 60 und die Polonaise-Fantaisie.
Ein ausgezeichneter Klang rundet den positiven Eindruck ab."
American Record Guide -
November / December 2003
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"Among many recent Chopin releases, this stands out as a different,
distinctive one, both in terms of Burkard Schliessmann's playing, the
arresting program, and the content of the rather extensive notes, which
offer a plethora of original source material on Chopin, his music, and his
pianistic artistry.
The program is a choice selection of Chopin's
supreme masterpieces. It includes his final two large-scaled works, the
Barcarolle and Polonaise-Fantaisie (both 1846). For the pianist, these
miraculous compositions pose the most extreme difficulties imaginable, both
interpretively and technically. The last is Chopin's most advanced work,
formally and harmonically so rarified that even Liszt seems to have been put
off by it, at least initially.
There is a good deal of beautiful
playing -- careful, expressive, intelligent, fiery -- to be heard in this
recording. Schliessmann's approach to Chopin is generally bold and
big-scaled, yet in the quieter moments he is consistently musical and
pleasing. There is no question that we are encountering here a substantial
talent, who has thought through these works intensively and has formulated a
concept of his own about how they should sound. This is especially
noticeable in the Ballades, which he plays in a free, narrative fashion, as
if telling a story. Once in awhile, a fine line separates his liberally
applied nuance from sentimentalism, but that line is never crossed.
Schliessmann has built a finely forged technique, which allows him to
express himself fully and persuasively and he uses the piano extremely well
(it is a Steinway concert grand and sounds luxurious). (...) Schliessmann
tends to play Chopin quite literally; while this promotes clarity, it can
sometimes brake the natural spinning out of musical ideas.
The
Ballades are the most enjoyable performances, especially the challenging
Fourth, which opens enchantingly, always an auger of good things to come.
(...) Themes II and III of the Barcarolle are clangerous, and in poetry and
shading the performance falls short, for there is an overreaching in a
dynamic sense.
The Polonaise-Fantaisie is given an excellent,
sympathetic performance and the opening page may be the most enthralling of
the entire program. It is quite hypnotic. (...)
It is easy to imagine
that the sonorousness of Schliessmann's Chopin might ideally suit the music
of Schumann, Brahms, and Liszt, for his pianism shows all the ingredients
required for their works. Completely a matter of opinion, of course, since
many of the greatest pianists--Horowitz, Kissin, Gilels, Zimerman, Argerich,
Pollini -- to name only a few, play Chopin too heavily."
American Record Guide -
September / October 2003
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"These releases in the new DVD-Audio format demonstrate the efficacy
of surround sound even when the subject matter is a solo instrument. The
extra channels open the sound field and help replace the four walls of your
listening room with the acoustics of a fine hall."
(...)
"Schliessmann’s Ballades are sculptured with exquisite control; his are not
the most impetuous readings but their subtlety never disappoints. Some
imaginative felicities (particularly in 3) help the soloist personalize
these oft-played works, and the remainder of the concert is no less
impressive."
(...)
"MAWA offers video of one performance: the
Waltz in C-sharp minor. To say the visuals on this selection are
unconventional would be an understatement—they’re about a ten on the bizarre
scale."
«Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians» -
USA, 2002
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" ... remarkable German pianist ...
(whose) pianism is notable for its resplendit technical mastery while
remaining ever true to the high idealism of the storied tradition of German
keyboard artistry. While his repertoire ranges from Bach to Bartók, he has
become particularly known for his descerning interpretatations of
Mendelssohn, Schumann, Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, Scriabin and Rachmaninoff."
Frankfurte Neue Presse -
March 4, 2002
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"... Begegnung mit einem anspruchsvollen Virtuosen-Programm.
Einem Programm, das die Neigung zur Strenge, zur Ordnung, weniger die
schweifende Ungewissheit der Gefühle bestimmte. Da bot die Sonate op. 10 Nr.
3 den rechten Einstieg. Geschickt öffnete Schliessmann, präzise
artikulierend, den Blick auf Zusammenhänge.
Dabei fand er für das "Largo
e mesto" dunkle Würde, das Finale blieb ohne Koketterien. Schumanns
"Kreisleriana" spielte er mit großem Ton, mit hoher Intensität und enormem
Risiko. Und nicht ohne Reibungen, wobei er bei aller energischer Zeichnung
die Momente des Überschwangs stets bändigte. Zum bestechenden Höhepunkt
geriet Liszts H-Moll-Sonate. Schliessmann versteht sie nicht als
Virtuosenstück, sondern er spielt sie, die Form erhellend, mit schönem,
kraftvollem Ernst, schlüssigen Übergängen, aber auch mit hochvirtuosem
Zugriff bishin zu den gemeißelten Prestissimo-Oktaven. Chopins 4. Ballade (f-moll)
stand am Ende, Schliessmann nahm sie agogisch gezügelt, nicht als
Ersatz-Nocturne, sondern schärfte durch dynamische Stufung die Entwicklung
der Melodie. Keine Exaltationen, Klarheit statt Zauberei. Das Agitato des
Finales ließ danach keinen Wunsch offen."
American Record Guide -
September / October 2000
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"Burkard
Schliessmann's previous discs have elicited high praise in recent issues of
ARG. Donald Vroon went so far as to describe him as "the best pianist I know
at entering the world and expressing the awareness of the German romantics"
(July/Aug 1999). That is high praise indeed, but I think it's defensible.
There is something personal and unique about Schliessmann's Schumann. It
does not sound like anyone else's. I loved his earlier recording of the
Fantasy in C, which was coupled with an equally magnificent Liszt Sonata in
B minor (Bayer 100 293, Mar/Apr, under Liszt), but I'm even more impressed
by this release. These are not beautiful performances--at least not in the
usual sense of "beautiful". Schliessmann makes no attempt to prettify this
music or to smooth out its (sometimes) rough pianistic edges. Instead, he
accepts the music on its own terms and in the process manages to enter into
Schumann's tormented sound world as few other pianists have done, allowing
it to become an external expression of Schumann's tormented inner psyche. He
is better than any other pianist I have heard--including Richter--in
conveying the sense that this is deeply troubled music composed by a deeply
troubled soul. Only Yves Nat (EMI 67141) approaches such profound
identification with this music, but his playing lacks Schliessmann's
flawless technique. Schliessmann's playing also bespeaks an uncommon
sensitivity to Schumann's constantly fluctuating mood swings, from the
passionate to the lyrical, from the tormented to the consoled, from the
agitated to the serene. He does not have Wilhelm Kempff's poetic lyricism
(DG 435 045) or Sviatoslav Richter's demonic intensity (Melodiya). But he
does have many other sterling pianistic qualities--among them, a golden tone
and an uncanny ability to invest Schumann's (often) thick chords and chordal
progressions with great tonal clarity, making it utterly transparent.
Whether he is coaxing these glorious chords from his instrument or executing
Schumann's wild, tricky, and (often) uncomfortable passagework, every note
is there: nothing is glossed over, slighted, or swept under the pianistic
rug. Not even Horowitz's staggering performance of the Kreisleriana (CBS
42409) has quite this kind of sustained and cumulative impact. This is
Schumann playing for the ages."
American Record Guide -
March / April 2000
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"In the notes
to this remarkable album, the young German pianist Burkard Schliessman
quotes Eduard Hanslick's infamous attack on Lizst's Sonata as an unplayable
"monster", a "bloodthirsty onslaught against everything music stands for",
something that stops "all criticism, all discussion". If one assumed the
context to be positive rather than hostile, many of these observations,
argues Schliessman, are actually correct. At least Hanslick understood the
Liszt revolution. "Hanslick had fully grasped the work's outrageous nature
and taken up his stand against it". This daring approach to the program
notes is consonant with Schliessman's playing. He indeed treats the piece as
an outrageous "assault" against musical propriety. Liszt was the avant-garde
of the Romantics, who regarded himself as a "modern" composer. Hanslick was
right to fear Liszt, whose audacious harmony and free thematic
transformation influenced everyone from Bartok to Mennin. Schliessman's bold
approach emphasizes both qualities: his amazing clarity against a big,
multi-layered sonority makes us hear all of Liszt's crazy, cascading notes,
with melodies and sub-themes revealed in dazzling relief; his penetrating
tone combined with spare pedaling gives Liszt's dissonance a powerful
crunch; his rhythmic freedom makes every moment unpredictable, creating a
feeling of constant transformation rather than tidy exposition and
development. Above all, the performance has wildness and passion: the
Grandioso melody is spine-tingling in its grandeur -- and continues to be so
every time it appears, always with different emphases; the deep octaves
opening and closing the Sonata cast a dark, seductive shadow.
This
spellbinding performance calls attention to itself, as Romantic playing
should, and thus to Liszt's music. It is an authentically Romantic reading.
The Schumann Fantasie is even more astonishing, if only because one hears
exciting recordings of it so rarely. (Recordings of the Liszt by Argerich,
Horowitz, Cliburn, and Watts storm the heavens.) Modern pianists apparently
struggle so hard for coherence in the Fantasie they miss the wildness, the
whole point of the piece. In tamer hands, it simply dies after the
tempestuous opening movement. Schumann dedicated it, after all, to Liszt, as
Liszt dedicated his Sonata to Schumann, making them "interlinked", in
Schliessman's words, in their mutually "ambitious achievement" -- nothing
less than the creation of a new musical universe, one of "intuition and
inspiration". To this pianist, the Fantasie is "magical music", the "song of
the cosmos"; its unresolved passion and suspended chords make the world of
Tristan "already omnipresent". That is how he plays it. The opening, an
explosion of yearning, has a melancholy exaltation that sets up the entire
piece. Schliessman understands the Romantic temperament in all its
complexity and messiness. It isn't a question of taming Schumann's
explosive, contradictory emotions but of going with them wherever they lead.
On a purely sonic level, it doesn't matter how many hidden details one
brings out if the big picture -- what Schliessman calls the "graphic
panorama" -- is lost. In the second theme of the second movement, he rolls
and breaks up chords to produce, chaotic, brilliant shards of color; we hear
every inner voice, as a "modern" analytical pianist would like, but also the
hugeness of Schumann's sound and conception. Even this short section takes
on cosmic dimensions. As for the heavenly finale, it is hard to remember a
performance that brings out so much interlocking melo dy at every level of
the keyboard with such an unbroken rapture. Schliessman lets his big,
bronzen tone ring out even in the most tender moments, producing a new
intensity, especially in the heavenly modulations of the coda, rather than
the wimpy letdown so many pianists produce. This is not "pretty" playing,
nor is it dry and analytical. It is only for those willing to submit to what
Schliessman calls the "unpremeditated transformations" and "wide-spanned
arcs of sound" of Romantic music. The unusual recording captures this
"compulsive" turbulence ideally: it is so intimate and close-up we are
almost inside the instrument, yet the sense of larger-than-life sound warmly
resonating in a real hall is thrillingly present.
The twentieth century
ended with a new Romanticism in musical composition. This riveting release
makes one hope something similar will surface in performance style as well.
Not to be missed!"
Pizzicato -
V / 2003; Classic Highlights
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"... Die so erzielte Klanglichkeit,
der ganze Reichtum an Obertönen geben Schliessmanns romantisch empfundenen
Chopin-Spiel eine zusätzliche Fülle. Dabei bleibt dieser durchdacht und
besonnen gespielte Chopin frei von dynamischen Kontrasten und sucht die
Wirkung eher in einem Musizieren, in dem der Klang breit ausufern kann und
so streckenweise meditative Kraft gewinnt ."
Piano - News -
V / 2000
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"Mit gleich zwei, in allen
Belangen anspruchsvollen Werken, widmet sich Burkard Schliessmann Schumann -
und gewinnt fast
alles. Weit hält er Schumann von dem Hochromantischen
Aplomp à la Brahms und Liszt fern, was eine großflächige Organisation auch
des Innenlebens garantiert, die nicht von irgenwelchen Salonturbulenzen
gestört wird. Denn Schliessmanns Glaube ist der an die poetische
Wirksamkeit, in der gerade auch sein markanter Duktus im Rhythmus vor hoher
Sinnfälligkeit strotzt. Die intensive, bisweilen eigenwillige Beschäftigung
mit dem Fantastischen, dem Rauschenden der Musik ist bei allem Temperament
so feinsinnig geblieben, was schon in dieser Art der musikantischen Analyse
ein kleines Wunder ist. Zumal Schliessmanns manuelle Fähigkeiten kaum
Wünsche offen lassen."
Stereo -
V / 2000
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"Der Pianist Burkard Schliessmann wendet sich gegen den
"Mittelklasse- Akademismus" im Klavierspiel und erfüllt in seiner Aufnahme
von zwei wesensverwandten Werken hohe Maßstäbe. Wagemutig nähert er sich
Schumanns Fantasie, in der er auf sinnfällige Art und Weise
Stimmkorrespondenzen aufdeckt und eine "Appassionata" mit wirklich
bezwingendem Atem entdeckt. Dynamisch fein gezeichnet und beziehungsreich im
Blick auf die Details gerät ihm die Liszt-Sonate. Der pianistischen Bravour
dieses Stücks begegnet Schliessmann mit souveräner Kraft. Dass er sehr
klare, profilierte Klangbilder entwirft, gehört unzweifelhaft zu seinen
Stärken."
Klassik heute -
IV / 2000
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"Burkard Schliessmann durchdringt die komplizierten Werkstrukturen mit
analytisch gespitzten Fingern. Sein selbsverfaßter Begleittext ergänzt
einleuchtend den intellektuellen Charakter seiner Interpretationen."...
"Schliessmanns Wahrheitsentfaltungen in Sachen Schumann und Liszt
sind beeindruckend und auf höchstem Niveau."...
Online Musikmagazin omm.de -
IV / 2000
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Zwischen
romantischem Drängen und AusgewogenheitOffenbar ist der Pianist
Burkard Schliessmann Romantiker durch und durch: Jedenfalls stehen Brahms,
Liszt und Schumann im Mittelpunkt seiner bisherigen CD-Aufnahmen, deren
jüngste im Juni erschienen ist: Die Kreisleriana und Symphonischen Etüden
Schumanns. Das Online Musik Magazin hat das zum Anlass genommen, sich einmal
alle Aufnahmen des Pianisten genauer anzuhören. (oder besser: fast alle,
denn neben den drei genannten Komponisten gibt es noch einen vierten, um den
sich Schliessmann besonders bemüht,nämlich Alexander Scriabin.
Einer durchaus individuellen und außergewöhnlichen Annäherung an Brahms´
Musik begegnet man in Burkard Schliessmanns Anfang der 90er-Jahre
aufgenommenen Interpretationen einiger der früheren sowie der spätesten
Klavierwerke des Komponisten in der Veröffentlichung der ANTES Edition. Von
äußerster Leidenschaftlichkeit und Empfindsamkeit geprägt geht der junge
Pianist im engsten Sinne "romantisch" mit den Brahms'schen
Soloklavierstücken um. Neben einer beispielhaften technischen Leistung wird
ein sensibles Gespür für die Melodieführung deutlich (etwa im Mittelteil der
h-moll-Rhapsodie op. 79 und in den Klavierstücken e-moll und C-Dur op. 119),
aber auch die Mittelstimmen werden gelungen hervorgehoben. (...)
(...) Besonders die Stücke, die auf traditionelle Kompositionstechniken in
den Variationen über ein Thema von Händel op. 24 zurückgreifen (16., 19.,
25), können - mit origineller Klangfarbe gespielt - überzeugen. Der
(seltene) Brahms'sche Humor (in den Variationen 1 und 3) kommt durch das
Spiel Schliessmanns gut zur Geltung.
Wenn man auf der bereits 1987
entstandenen Debut-CD, die Schliessmann für Bayer Records eingespielt hat,
in der "Vision" aus den "Transzendenten Etüden" die Psychologie der
Liszt'schen Musik noch nicht restlos mitbekommt, so ändert sich der Eindruck
von Schliessmanns Liszt-Interpretationen in der 1999 eingespielten h-moll
Sonate beträchtlich. Die verfeinerte, äußerst brillante Technik, mit der er
nicht nur Klangfarben mehrfach differenziert, sondern musikalische
Zusammenhänge gut nachvollziehbar in einer sinnvollen dramaturgischen
Entwicklung darstellt, wird mit bewegender Dramatik, schöpferischer Lyrik
und explosiver Sensibilität verbunden. Nicht anders bei der Fantasie C-Dur
op. 17 von Robert Schumann (auf der gleichen CD): Stiltreu entspricht eine
inbrünstige Atmosphäre der Anweisung "durchaus phantastisch und
leidenschaftlich vorzutragen" über dem ersten Satz dieser (Franz Liszt
gewidmeten) Komposition.
Wie im Booklet dieser Produktion enthält
auch Burkard Schliessmanns neueste, ebenfalls bei Bayer Records erschienene
CD mit Schumanns "Kreisleriana" op. 16 und den "Symphonischen Etüden" op. 13
beachtenswerte Kommentare des Pianisten zu den aufgenommenen Kompositionen,
wobei die Gedanken über die Werke mit seiner durchdachten und
geschmackvollen Spielweise übereinstimmen. Eine durch den ganzen Zyklus
durchgehaltene Spannung und eine auch in den kontrastierenden Stimmungen
einzelner Teile ausgewogene Interpretation charakterisiert insbesondere die
"Symphonischen Etüden". Unbedingt empfehlenswert!
Fono Forum -
IV / 2000
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Profilierte Klangbilder
"Der Pianist Burkard Schliessmann
wendet sich recht selbstbewusst gegen den "Mittelklasse- Akademismus" im
Klavierspiel und erfüllt in seiner Aufnahme von zwei wesensverwandten
Werken, die ihre Komponisten sich gegenseitig widmeten, bemerkenswert hohe
Maßstäbe. Wagemutig und keineswegs zurückhaltend nähert er sich Schumanns
Fantasie, in der er auf sinnfällige Art und Weise Stimmkorrespondenzen
aufdeckt, in der er eine "Appassionata" mit wirklich bezwingendem Atem
entdeckt. Dynamisch fein gezeichnet und beziehungsreich im Blick auf die
Details gerät ihm die Liszt-Sonate. Der pianistischen Bravour dieses Stücks
begegnet Schliessmann mit souveräner Kraft. Dass er sehr klare, profilierte
Klangbilder entwirft, gehört unzweifelhaft zu seinen großen Stärken."
Pizzicato -
II / 2000; Classic Highlights
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Brillantes Klavierspiel"Schumanns Opus 17 und Franz Liszts
Sonate h-moll erklingen auf dieser CD in packenden, dramatischen und
brillanten Darbietungen des jungen deutschen Pianisten Burkard Schliessmann.
Beeindruckend sind die Sogkraft, die den Hörer durch die Musik zieht und die
Direktheit der Tonsprache, deren Extrovertiertheit sehr ehrlich wirkt, weil
sie mit rauschhafter Leidenschaftlichkeit gepaart ist.
So äußert
sich in der h-moll Sonate auch die Unbefangenheit Franz Liszts gegenüber der
Religion, die der Komponist durchaus lebensnah sah und empfand und
schwärmerisch nicht im meditativen Zwiegespräch zum Ausdruck brachte,
sondern im hymnischen Höhenflug, für den Schliessmann in den Ruhephasen der
Musik die Kraft regeneriert, um die manchmal atemberaubenden Höhepunkte
anzusteuern.
So entpuppt sich die so extrovertiert klingende Sonate
genau wie Schumanns Fantasie letzten Endes als hintergründiger als man das
anfangs annehmen mag."
Piano - News -
I / 2000
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" ... neue Einspielung, die aufhorchen läßt (Schumann & Liszt). Zum
einen, da er bereits vor einigen Jahren die Schumannsche Fantasie C-Dur op.
17 einspielte, zum anderen aufgrund der faszinierenden Ausgeglichenheit und
Tiefe der Deutung, die er nun an den Tag legt.
Die Schumannsche Fant
asie
deutet er als Tristan-Anlehnung des Dramatischen zwischen immenser
Dynamik-Differenzierung und melodischen Anleihen von Todessehnsucht der
Romantik. Damit liegt er auf dem richtigen Weg, findet zu einer
tiefgründigen Sprache, die Schumanns Gedankengut wohl am nächsten kommt ..."
"Die Schumann zugedachte h-moll Sonate von Liszt gelingt ihm dem
musikalischen Material entsprechend unwirsch und dramatisch, verbunden mit
dem enormen Klangpotential, das Schliessmanns frühe Erfolge ausmachte. Dass
er dabei ein enormes Emotions-Potential auszuschütten versteht, macht diese
gesamte Einspielung zu einem Erlebnis ..."
Aachener Nachrichten -
December
9, 1999
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" ...
Schliessmann geht ( ... ) an die Grenze dessen, was Musik ausdrücken kann.
Denn sowohl Schumanns als auch Liszts Werke sind Virtuosenstücke. Sie sind
melodische Schleiertänze ...
Schliessmann kann sich darin voll und ganz
ausleben ... ."
Der Musikmarkt -
MM 45 / 1999
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" ... Der
deutsche Pianist Burkard Schliessmann ist als musikalischer Perfektionist
stets auf der Suche nach dem Nonplusultra an klanglicher Schönheit und
struktureller Konsequenz. In vorliegender Neuaufnahme (Schumann: Fantasie
C-Dur op. 17 & Liszt: Sonate h-moll) nähert er sich der Substanz der beiden
romantischen Kolossalwerke mit einer derartigen Intensität, die sich auf den
Hörer überträgt. Ihm erschließen sich die auskomponierte Raserei der
Schumann'schen Fantasie, der geradezu irrwitzige Bogen der Liszt'schen
"Klaviersymphonie", die in den Noten verborgenen Kräfte zweier unerhörter
Revolutionäre."
American Record Guide -
July / August 1999
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"... Schliessmann is the best pianist I know
at entering the world and expressing the awareness of the German romantics."
"... The Liszt Sonata was played with a strong and beautiful touch, with
smooth, even runs. It was coherent but volatile, full of ardor and longing.
This was one of the most satisfying performances of the Liszt I've ever
heard ...".
American Record Guide -
January / February 1999
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" ... Mr Schliessmann never forgot tone. In fact,
he regaled us with big, solid, rich tone for the whole concert. The Busoni
can sound like a mere unraveling of notes, but this pianist strongly
characterized each episode and yet managed to build everything to a
satisfying conclusion.
Strong characterization also illumined the
Handel Variations: the voices and variations were differentiated not only by
tempo and dynamics, but also by touch and color. The variety was amazing,
and these difficult variations became highly entertaining and enjoyable. The
first and last variations were especially appealing ..."
" ... in the
Schumann
Symphonic Etudes things become passionate, and Mr Schliessmann is
not afraid of passion. In fact, he throws himself into it. So there was
plenty of emotional substance and the playing was involved and emphatic. In
fact it was very Schumannesque, and this fiery performance matched the
emotion in the music as no other I've ever heard. There was no floating
here, no note-spinning. Never did it sound cold or objective. It was so
sincere that you were swept up into the composer's world and mind. People
would have found this performance an eye-opener ...".
Hessischer Rundfunk HR -
October 15, 1995; "Schallplattenkonzert"
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"Schliessmann besitzt nicht nur bewundernswerte technische Fähigkeiten,
einen stupenden Vorrat an rhetorischen Möglichkeiten, sondern auch so etwas
wie künstlerische Integrität und moralische Unbedingtheit."
"Schliessmann beherrscht wie nur wenige Pianisten das permanente Rubato der
Schumannschen Klavierperiode. Alles ist im Fluß, "ein ganz besonderer
specieller Seelenzustand bildet", so sagte doch Schumann selbst, "den
alleinigen Inhalt des Tonstücks; kleinere Compositionen verschiedenen
Charakters werden aneinandergereiht, ein poetischer Gedanke bildet den
Faden, und der technische Zusammenhang tritt zurück". Und hier nun führt
Schliessmann eine Doppeldeutigkeit ins Feld, die, wie ich finde, sowohl
originell ist als auch durchaus dem Schumannschen Gedanken entspricht. Wo
seine Pianistenkollegen beispielsweise alles marschmäßig Ragende versteifen
und aus dem Fluß des poetischen Gedankens herausheben, da wartet dieser
Schliessmann doch mit der Überraschung auf, keinen einzigen Abschnitt, keine
einzige Charakterisierung so zu wiederholen, wie man es gemeinhin erwartet.
Das heißt: Er erzeugt großflächige Spannungen, die sich weniger aufs
Einzelne konzentrieren, sondern vielmehr sich wie ein Netz übers Große und
Ganze legen. Hinter solcher Spielauffassung verbirgt sich Verstand, und
diesen hat Schumann ja immer höher eingeschätzt als die Willkür des
Gefühligen."
American Record Guide -
May / June 1995
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"...Schliessmann’s playing is attractive in
the Schumann-Fantasy, especially in I, where he achieves a nice rhapsodic
feeling. This version is worth a hearing."
"KuLiMu", Zeitschrift für Kunst, Literatur und Musik -
II / 95
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"Der
Pianist Burkard Schliessmann ist ein erstaunliches Talent. Jüngst noch im
Fernsehen zu erleben, hört man ihn auf dieser CD mit Schumanns Fantasie op.
17 sowie der Spätfassung der Symphonischen Etüden op. 13.
In der
Fantasie dominiert Leidenschaft und Übersicht. Den weiteren Taten dieses
Interpreten empfehle ich erhöhte Aufmerksamkeit."
Deutsche Welle -
March 28, 1994
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"...Das Highlight der Kölner «KlassikKomm-Konzerte 1994»
war das Recital mit dem Pianisten Burkard Schliessmann."
Hamburger Abendblatt -
Junie
1,1995
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"...ES-Dur setzt bei seinen Produktionen
auf die Zusammenarbeit mit gestandenen Künstlerpersönlichkeiten wie den
Pianisten Burkard Schliessmann."
Der Musikmarkt -
MM 2 / 1995
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"... die Interpretenliste von ES-Dur läßt
mit bekannten Namen wie ... oder des Pianisten Burkard Schliessmann
aufhorchen."
Neue Zürch'er Zeitung -
March 14, 1994
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"...
Begegnung mit einem Stern am Pianistenhimmel."
"...leidenschaftlich
aufbrausende, dynamisch kontrastreich abgestufte Wiedergabe von Chopin's
Etude c-moll op. 10 Nr. 12."
"Ein eindrucksvoller, von der Gegenwart
in die Vergangenheit führender Klavierabend war damit verklungen. Burkard
Schliessmann vertritt eine neue, junge Pianisten-Generation mit technisch
perfektem Rüstzeug, enormen physischen Kräften und einem durchtrainierten
Gedächtnis. Sein Spiel überrascht durch mutig entschlossenen Zugriff und
schreckt keineswegs vor Härten zurück. Der Ton ist modulationsreich, oft
cantabel, sein Gestalten reichhaltig in der Durchleuchtung polyphon
durchwobener Sätze."
ZDF aspekte -
January 21, 1994
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"Alexander Scriabins Klavierwerke mit ihren schwebend
schwelgenden Passagen haben in Burkard Schliessmann einen originellen
Interpreten gefunden."
High Performance Review HPR -
Summer 1993
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" ... In the Op. 116 Fantasies
Schliessmann's approach concentrates the melodic lines by dilating the sense
of time. Schliessmann shows that he has something in mind. The Intermezzo
Op. 116 No. 2 invites the listener into a dream; there is a sense of
spaciousness, of moving within another realm. The Intermezzi Op. 117 evoke
desolation, and somehow, peace. Schliessmann's "Edward"-Ballade Op. 10 No. 1
rises from self-reflection to a carefully rendered climax that is massive,
yet non-percussive. It's an impressive performance!"
"...the B-minor
rhapsody is the most impetuous one has heard. It's close a "display" of
virtuosity as one has seen from the German pianist ..."
"...Schliessmann captures the melancholy of Brahms' shifting modes, the
flitting from light to shadow - the Op. 118 set is especially forlorn ..."
American Record Guide -
July / August 1993
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"..
playing that is thoughtful, technically excellent with a good control of
tone and colour; there is a great deal of beautiful music on these discs."
Ostthüringer Zeitung -
February 12, 1993
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"... mit
Spätwerken von Johannes Brahms ist sein faszinierendes Spiel, sein
impulsiver Zugriff auf diese Miniaturen zu erleben. Für sie hat Schliessmann
die große Virtuosengebärde ebenso parat wie die Innerlichkeit des
Musizierens. Sein Vortrag ist vital und voller Dynamik, gerät leicht und
gelöst, lotet in die Tiefe und trifft den narrativen Balladenton. Die
Aufnahmen bringen seine vielseitige, nervig-sensible Interpretationskunst
ausgezeichnet zur Geltung."
Frankfurter Rundschau -
December 1, 1992
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"... Sein Ziel, die Geistes- und Gedankenwelt des
russischen Komponisten Alexander Scriabin anhand seiner Sonaten und Préludes
(...) aufzuzeigen, verbunden mit der 'Fortführung' von Scriabins neu
entwickelter Tonalität zur Zwölftontechnik in Alban Bergs Sonate op. 1,
sowie die Rückbesinnung auf Werke, die Alexander Scriabin nachhaltig
beeindruckten, wie Schumann's Symphonische Etüden op. 13 und die Ballade Nr.
4 von Frédéric Chopin, erreichte er in urpersonaler Ausformung.
Schliessmann reaktivierte Scriabins Geisteshaltung in einem konsequent
entmaterialisierten Spiel, gipfelnd in selbstbewußter «Impérieux»-Geste oder
in sensitiver Verflüchtigung einer alles verklärenden Zartheit. Was Arthur
Lourié als «musikalischen Nebel»' bezeichnete, ergriff den Zuhörer in einem
Gemisch aus flirrender Dichte und glitzernd fragiler Schwebung, überschattet
von Melancholie, Düsternis und Schwermut, immer wieder aufgebrochen durch
sich stetig von neuem aufbäumende Rubati, geradezu
prometheisch-willensbetont intensiviert durch sich kraftvoll aufschwingende
Thementypen, einheitlich miteinander verbunden durch geradezu
schwindelerregende Virtuosität unter absoluter Wahrung minutiös ausgeformter
Details.
Dies bestimmt die Meisterschaft des Pianisten Burkard
Schliessmann, auf der Basis brillanter Technik und höchster Musikalität
jeden Ton für sich zu beleben, zu dynamisieren (mit dem Anspruch scheinbarer
Improvisation) und in unmittelbaren Zusammenhang mit der Intention des
Komponisten in bisweilen jedoch äußerst extremer, ungewohnter, neuartiger,
gar herausfordender Weise zu formulieren. So erlebte der Zuhörer anstelle
der Sprödigkeit reibungsreicher Dodekaphonie (Alban Berg), anstelle einer
einer meist nur einzig auf die eminent schwierige virtuose Technik des op.
13 (Schumann) ausgerichtete Interpretation der Symphonischen Etüden und
anstelle einer pedalverschwommenen-verkitschten Chopin-Ballade die reinste
Form eines romantisierten «Sturm und Drang»."
High Permormance Review HPR -
Winter 1992
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"...Schliessmann
plays the Brahms Sonata op. 5 with an eye towards late Brahms, competing
less for your attention than for your interest. The drive of the finale's
coda is thrilling, and the Scherzo gallops allong, and it is his playing of
the slow movements that pulls you in. He makes the poco più lento a
longorous barcarolle. Beautiful."
"...In the more academic Variations
on a theme by Handel Schliessmann extracts humor and colour with his
reading."
"...Schliessmann makes an excellent case for the more
intimate alternative: structure subordinate to epiphany."
Keyboards -
10 / 1992
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"...finden wir bei
Schliessmann die Brahms-Deutung als privates Drama, als den Versuch eines
20jährigen Jungkomponisten, mit dem Leben zurechtzukommen. Um einige Details
zu nennen: Die unterschwelligen erotischen Inhalte des langsamen zweiten
Satzes nehmen bei Schliessmann geradezu verführerische Qualitäten an; im
Scherzo entfaltet er brodelnde Walzer-Dämonie und geisterhaftes Schwirren;
die Bedrohung der Beethovenschen «Tatata-taa»-Figur im vierten Satz ist
beklemmend.
... Schliessmann spielt die thematische Zelle des ersten
Aufschreis mit einer kleinen inneren Beschleunigung - ein Ausbruch
fürchterlicher Leidenschaft..."
Rheinische Post -
September 24, 1992
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"...Schliessmanns pianistischer Rang war schon
zu Beginn bei Alban Bergs Sonate op. 1 zu erkennen: Er hatte den reichen,
vielschichtigen Klaviersatz wirklich im Griff, manuell und mental; das
Gewebe von Themen, Motiven und ihren feingesponnenen Übergängen erstand in
einer reichen Palette von Nuancen, vollklingend und doch durchhörbar, stets
ausgewogen und auch in den emphatischen Aufschwüngen bei aller
Kraftentfaltung nie grob oder hart.
Die 16 ausgewählten Préludes aus
26 Jahren und die beiden Danses op. 73 spielte Schliessmann mit großer
pianistischer Kompetenz. Er vertiefte sich fast bohrend in die
verschlungenen Gänge von Scriabins Ausdruckswelten.
Sein Meisterstück
lieferte Schliessmann dann mit Schumanns Symphonischen Etüden op. 13: Schon
das Thema sehr differenziert; die plastisch konturierte Variation 1
spannungsvoll, durchaus biegsam im rhythmischen Detail; auf der Basis eines
rund klingenden piano immer ein excellentes Verhältnis von Akkordspiel und
singender Melodie und rasche dynamische Wechsel ohne Gewalttätigkeit. Das
Finale kam unverkrampft präzise mit unverminderter Kraft und staunenswertem
Feingefühl zugleich. Reicher Beifall - so gut war Schumann selten zu hören."
Westdeutsche Zeitung -
September 23, 1992
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"Schliessmann zeichnete sich besonders durch seine feinfühlige
Art der Interpretation und eine brillante Technik aus. Trotz schwieriger
Passagen verstand er es, neben einer hervorragenden Akzentuierung die Finger
über die Tasten gleiten zu lassen, so daß die Zuhörer über solch eine
Leichtigkeit nur in Staunen versetzt werden konnten."
Südwest Presse -
September 7, 1992
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"... Seine leidenschaftliche,
konsequente Interpretation verlangt vom Hörer eine Anteilnahme, die mitunter
ins Bekenntnishafte hinaufreicht."
Disc -
9 / 92
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"... furiose Technik der Händel-Variationen...Subtilität des
Anschlags...Mut, die scheinbar so vertrauten Werke gegen den Strich zu
bürsten...Darstellung jener kleinen und mächtigen Energiefelder, aus denen
zum Beispiel der ganze erste Satz der f-moll Sonate sich entfaltet - diese
kurzen, bis zum Zerreißen aufgeladenen Motive, deren Ausführung man gern
subjektiv nennen kann. Das Ergebnis ist ein Brahms, den man nicht alle Tage
hört."
Fono Forum -
IV / 91
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"...Die musikalischen Strukturen erscheinen
plastisch und durchgehört..."
PIANO - forte -
III / 91
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"...ihm scheinen die Geheimnisse eines klingenden
Universums, der tönenden Sphären in den allerkleinsten Motiven, ja im Ton an
sich nicht mehr verborgen. So jedenfalls stellt sich sein Scriabin vom
ersten Takt der dritten Sonate dar: als ein Aufbruch, der seine
Initialzündung sozusagen aus dem ersten Schritt von der Stille zum Klang,
nicht erst aus den Anfangsakkorden bezieht. Dementsprechend hört er immer
wieder tief hinein in die verborgenen Spannungselemente...die Musik scheint
sich aus sich selbst heraus zu erschaffen und vergeht zeitlos...
Wer
Schliessmanns Scriabin-Spiel bewußt in sich aufnimmt (es ist nichts, was man
so nebenher schallern lassen kann) - wer also die Bereitschaft aufbringt,
mit dem Interpreten ganz in diese Mikrokosmen einzutauchen, gewinnt etwas
hinzu, das ich als Verständnis für die Wurzel musikalischer Grundvorgänge
bezeichnen möchte...
...Schliessmann jedenfalls geht davon aus, daß
der Moment Ewigkeit ist und mehr Kraft in sich birgt als so manche «leckere»
Phrase.
Das Wort Alternative hat hier eine Dimension, die niemand
versäumen sollte, wenn er es mit der Musik Scriabins ernst meint..."
Hamburger Abendblatt -
November 8, 1991
(Konzert Hamburger Musikhalle)
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"...überzeugendes Debut..."
"...der junge
Künstler...konnte tatsächlich faszinieren."
"In Regers
Bach-Variationen fühlte er sich sofort zuhause, bewies eine irrwitzige
Technik, verwuchs praktisch mit dem Flügel und zeigte unverkennbar Profil."
"Mit fast sensationell zu nennenden Einfällen würzte er Busonis
«Carmen»-Sonatine, und Brahms Händel-Variationen verbanden souveräne
pianistische Meisterschaft mit einer durchdachten, fesselnden Deutung. Viel
Applaus."
Hamburger Morgenpost -
November 8, 1991
(Konzert Hamburger Musikhalle)
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"Erfolgreiches Hamburg-Debut ...
effektvolles Spiel ... Viel Beifall."
"...zeigte er live ähnliche
Qualitäten wie auf seiner jüngsten Aufnahme aus der Friedrich-Ebert-Halle
(wo er derzeit eine Brahms-Gesamtaufnahme einspielt.")
"...schon im
Adagio ließ Schliessmann neben abwechslungsreichem Mienenspiel jene
Klangintensität spüren, die Regers Bach-Variationen dann zum Höhepunkt der
ersten Halbzeit werden ließ."
"...Schliessmann fand bei «seinem»
Brahms und dessen Händel-Variationen samt zugegebener h-moll Rhapsodie sein
musikalisches Zuhause."
High Performance Review HPR -
Fall 1991
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"...this is the most imaginative
playing one has heard yet - on the level of Richter, Michelangeli, Wild,
Gould - the highest order of artistry."
"Schliessmann rates an
astounding musician, one who could approach the legends of Gieseking and
Serkin..."
"...Schliessmann's playing is riveting..."
"His
concentration seems so involving...he never lets you go..."
"With
each listening you discover new nuances in sequences of notes. This is the
true worth of his art, far outstripping his ability to produce huge volumes
of sound by sheer technique."
"Beyond the presence and the inherent
drama of the Schliessmann approach, it is hard to single out any aspect of
his playing as the lodestone of his appeal. With a pianist like Gould we can
instantly focus on the unique secco touch and contrapuntal genius.
Schliessmann, despite the hot temperament evident here, gives the impression
that his technique can stretch to fit anything his astonishing intellect can
conceive... . The devine synthesis Scriabin sought, the simultaneous
coincidence of the individual conscience and the life of the world, is
achieved here in great mesure."
American Record Guide -
May / June 1991
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"Displaying more
sensitivity and polish than many other Scriabin interpreters, Schliessmann
(who plays a rich-toned German STEINWAY) reveals an acute awareness of both
the lyric and the dramatic elements in the various pieces offered."
R É P E R T O I R E -
Février 1991
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"...Schliessmann's maîtrise certes les difficultés techniques..."
"...dans des formes plus menues comme les préludes qui jalonnent toute la
carrière du compositeur de 1893 à 1914, et ont bien peu connu les honneurs
du CD, Schliessmann possède un sens remarquable du coup de griffe, de la
miniature, de la concision. Les Danses op. 73 il joue avec un art moins
sobre, avec un piano plus épais, qui rappelle à chaque instant combien
Scriabine a voulu travailler une pâte sonore chargée."
"...ce CD peut
constituer une bonne introduction ... à cet univers complexe. Et pour
l'amateur averti, il offre tout de même suffisamment d'inédits pour être
plein d'intérêt."
Der Musikmarkt -
MM 23 / 90
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"... strebt bei seinen Einspielungen nicht
nur eine eigene musikalische Aussage im Detail an - er möchte jede seiner
Produktionen als eine eigenständige interpretatorische Gesamtäußerung
verstanden wissen. Als Spiegel seiner eigenen intensiven Beschäftigung soll
sie zu ebenso tiefgehen dem Nachvollzug durch mehrmaliges Hören einladen."
Hessischer Rundfunk HR -
December 19, 1990; "Schallplattenkonzert"
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"Diese breite und intensive Auseinandersetzung mit dem Klavierschaffen
Alexander Scriabins durch alle Phasen - sie kommt den Interpretationen auch
zugute. Schliessmann scheint da doch oft die frühen Werke im Spiegel der
späten pianistisch auszudeuten und sie werden dadurch filigraner,
durchsichtiger strukturiert; und der umgekehrte Vorgang, er gilt dann für
die späten, die so progressiven, aus aller Tonalität fast ausscherenden,
Stücke. Die interpretatorischen Finessen, sie sind im winzigsten Detail zu
suchen, in den dynamischen Schattierungen, und da bietet diese CD "einiges"
davon."
"Mit sehr viel dynamischer Delikatesse geht Schliessmann hier
an dieses vielschichtige, arabeske Gefirk. Er nimmt die Spielanweisungen
ernst, avec une grâce languissante für die «Guirlandes», und für den zweiten
Tanz, die «Flammes sombres», avec une grâce dolente."
ZDF - München / Mainz -
"ERSTKLASSISCH!" - December 2, 1990
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"Einen hochintelligenten Einstieg in das Klavierwerk Alexander Scriabins
liefert der Pianist Burkard Schliessmann mit einer mustergültigen
Einspielung."
Frankfurter Rundschau -
December 30, 1989
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"... Gefühl für ökonomische Proportionen, Streben
nach unprätentiösem und dennoch vollgriffigem Pathos oder auch wachem
Sichvertiefen ins Grüblerische und schlicht Sangliche kleiner Motivformen."
"... an entsprechend kräftemäßigen Vorprogrammierungen fehlt es ihm
natürlich nicht."
"Seine Beethoven- und Brahms-Interpretationen
treffen sich sozusagen über Beethovens Variationensatz, Prüfstein einer
schon Schliessmann-typischen, mehr intellektuellen und klangsinnlichen
Romantik, die sich mit der Brahmsschen Überlegtheit und Überlegenheit
vortrefflich paart."
American Record Guide -
September / October 1989
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"...those of us who have Curzon or Rubinstein or even Katchen are doing the
best. If however, that Curzon or Katchen or Rubinstein LP is tired - or you
are tired of it - you might try Herr Schliessmann for a fresh and youthful
(and very romantic) look at it. The playing is powerful yet sensitive, and
the sound is so vivid and solid it makes Curzon sound like he is two blocks
away."
FAZ - Frankfurter Allgemeine American Record Guide -
July 4, 1989
(Konzert Alte Oper Frankfurt)
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"Beethovens Sonate op. 10
Nr. 3 nahm der Pianist förmlich im Sturm. Der harte Zugriff, der in
Klangwirbeln und treibender Motorik den furiosen Charakter des Prestos
herausstellte, überzeugte schließlich auch im Largo, vor allem im Menuetto.
Schliessmann beugte hier mit kantiger Interpretation der Süßlichkeit
lyrischer Passagen vor, die Beethoven selbst durch dissonante Momente
entlarvte."
"Bei Brahms Fantasien op. 116 überraschte Schliessmann
besonders in den elegischen Intermezzi durch zarte Zeichnung
impressionistisch anmutender Skizzen, weiche Klangfärbung und subtile
dynamische Abstufungen."
"Bei Busonis Sonatina seconda gelang
Schliessmann eine souverän strukturierende Interpretation, Transparenz im
Klanggewirr und Betonung der tragenden Baßrolle."
"Mit geschärften
pianistischen Sinnen beschloß Schliessmann das Programm: Im dramatisch
akzentuierten ersten Satz von Scriabins Sonate Nr. 3 in fis-moll op. 23
kamen kleinste lyrisch nachempfundene Passagen, Feinheiten in der
Phrasierung, drängende Baßfiguren zu ihrem Recht; filigran geriet vor allem
das langsam in sich verdichtende Klangnetz im Allegretto. Nach fast
symphonisch wuchtiger Steigerung ein abrupter Schluß - drei Zugaben."
Frankfurter Rundschau -
July 6, 1989
(Konzert Alte Oper Frankfurt)
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"... über welch stupende Technik er verfügt, die vor
komplizierten Fingersätzen nicht zurückzuschrecken braucht, bewies er
eingangs mit Beethovens Sonate D-Dur op. 10 Nr. 3. Vehement sprudelnd
arbeitete Schliessmann die kontrastierenden Phrasen und Stimmungen des
ersten Satzes heraus. Plakativ und sehr wirkungsvoll legte der Musiker die
dramatischen Effekte an, zu denen auch der ausgekostete Wechsel von glasklar
gespielten Linien zu kompakten Staccati gehörte. Seinen gewissen
Pragmatismus verlor Schliessmann auch nicht in dem düsteren zweiten Satz.
Aber nicht nur hier verwandelten sich transzendente Klangwelten in recht
irdische Gefilde, in denen technisches Know-How zählt."
"In Brahms
Fantasien op. 116 gelang Schliessmann eine Interpretation, bei der sich die
Spannung eines "inneren Monologs" nach außen übertrug. Völlig in die Musik
versunken, kostete er jedes Detail, jede Reibung und neu auftauchende
musikalische Figur aus."
Frankfurter Neue Presse -
July 4, 1989
(Konzert Alte Oper Frankfurt)
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"Eine über
zwei Stunden gespannte Konzentration und vollkommene Versenkung in das
jeweilige Werk ermöglichten Schliessmann einen Vortrag, der in seiner
espressiven Dichte und seiner rhythmischen Kraft von geradezu unerbittlicher
Ernsthaftigkeit war. Immer wieder setzte er bei seinem kontrastreichen Spiel
neue Energien frei, die kein Loslassen erlaubten. Drei Zugaben."
Gina Bachauer Festival -
Salt Lake City, USA, 1988
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"...a pianist with excellent artistry."
Piano Festival Maryland -
Washington, USA, 1988
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"Schliessmann is a fine,
extraordinary gifted pianist and one with much promise."
Hessischer Rundfunk HR -
April 29, 1988; "Schallplatte des Tages"
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"Ein velversprechendes pianistisches Talent kündigt sich da an.
In den knapp zweieinhalb Minuten von Scriabins Etude op. 8 Nr. 12 in
dis-moll sind musikalische Konzentration mit außerordentlichen
spieltechnischen Schwierigkeiten verbunden und Burkard Schliessmann meistert
beides höchst brillant."
"Im zweiten Satz von Beethovens Sonate op.
109 wird Schliessmann sowohl dem zartverinnerlichten Wesen des Themas
gerecht wie er auch mit dem angemessenen Enthusiasmus die emphatische
Ekstase auskostet, die vor der Wiederholung des singenden Themas ausbrechen
darf."
Frankfurter Rundschau -
1988 - 1990
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"Als einen großen Gestalter von Musik ganz
unterschiedlicher Stile kann man den Pianisten sehr wohl bezeichnen."
"Was bei ihm auf Anhieb fesselt, ist die Bandbreite seiner Dynamik: Vom
zartgesungenen Pianissimo reicht sie bis zu einem raumfüllenden Fortissimo.
Ein anderes Merkmal von Schliessmanns Spiel ist sein raffinierter und
souveräner Umgang mit Pedal und Klang." (3.5.88)
"Da ist alles
überaus sorgfältig durchdacht und erarbeitet, da herrscht in der überlegenen
Anwendung der Agogik jene für den Komponisten Brahms typische, eigenwillige
Nachdenklichkeit vor, die dem Interpreten ebenso liegt." (28.12.88)
"... bestätigte sich die außerordentliche Arbeit des sich Hinein-Versenkens
in die Musik, die den Pianisten auszeichnet."
"... der förmlich
verhauchende Schluß der Berg-Sonate war ein Genuß für sich."
"Die
Sforzati, die Übergreifer, der melodische und agogische Reichtum, der
"Dialog" zwischen der Rechten und der Linken, die knappe Pedalisierung - da
stimmte alles."
"... Beethoven in Reinkultur."
"... beim
letzten Capriccio aus Brahms Fantasien op. 116 demonstrierte er ein
Agitato-Spiel wie aus dem Lehrbuch."" (3.5.89)
"Er könnte «der»
Brahms Spieler werden." (30.3.90)
Audio Magazin -
IV / 1988
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"Mit Bewältigung dieses Meisterprogramms können
Burkard Schliessmann und seine Freunde sehr zufrieden sein. Mit seinem
kraftvollen und konzentrierten Spiel präsentiert sich Schliessmann als
ernstzunehmendes Nachwuchstalent."
Hifi - Vision -
II / 1988
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"Mit wohldosiertem Programm gelingt dem Pianisten Burkard Schliessmann ein
lobenswertes Plattendebut. Seine Lehrjahre am Piano tragen ganz
offensichtlich reichhaltige Früchte: Schliessmann entpuppt sich als
begnadeter Virtuose, dem auch schwierigste Passagen locker von der Hand
gehen."