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Editorial Reviews

The new mark for young musical prodigies is no longer the number of accolades or recordings they can produce at an early age, but whether the enthusiasm surrounding their careers extends into adulthood. Pianist Evgeny Kissin has not only maintained a highly visibly and successful adult performance career, but some of his recordings from the late '80s and early '90s are already being re-released, a testament to his musical maturity at a young age. This compilation, entitled Fantasy, showcases much of Kissin's technical and musical acumen. Schubert and Brahms dominate the first disc, with the infrequently recorded Liszt transcriptions of six Schubert lieder starting off the album. Kissin's playing accentuates not only the virtuosic demands that Schubert/Liszt make of the pianist, but also take care to maintain the original vocal qualities of the music. The Schubert "Wanderer Fantasy," while lacking slightly in the introspection achieved by Alfred Brendel, is far from trite. The second disc begins with the Tchaikovsky "First Concerto" accompanied by the Berlin Philharmonic and Herbert von Karajan, one of Kissin's many supporters. Here, though, Kissin shows a little bit of his youth and inexperience with a somewhat slow, plodding rendition. The third movement in particular is far from the true Allegro con fuoco that can be heard in more seasoned performances of Van Cliburn or Volodos. Still, this is a recording of one of the titans of the concerto literature made by an artist of just 17 years, who is now undoubtedly capable of delivering many of the qualities he may have lacked as a younger man. Mike Brownell, All Music Guide

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