Search - Garrick Ohlsson :: Pieces of a Dream

A real treasure!

Vera Kolb | Kenosha, WI | 01/21/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Admit it! The reason why you have not gotten this record yet is because it costs 99 cents! You are having doubts if the CD is good! Oh, well, remember the times when Google's shares were cheap, but you would not buy them. Who wants a cheap stock? It cannot possibly be good!

Actually, this CD is not just good, but superb. It also comes with an interesting story, described in the booklet that comes with the CD. The story goes something like this. Once upon a time, in 1876 to be precise, there was a great Steinway Concert Grand piano built, who later resided all the way down under in Australia. The piano was beautiful, adorned with nice Brazilian rosewood, but it eventually needed restoration. The piano was passed on after many years to this CD's producer-engineer, Mr. Adam Abeshouse, who had some great piano experts restore it. But the piano was lonely. Mr. Abeshouse brought Mr. Garrick Ohlsson to give the piano the voice.

Mr. Ohlsson plays here the pieces that are all well known and are the public's favorites. They include selections from Rachmaninoff, Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Brahms, Chopin, Liszt, and Scriabin. My first compliment goes for the sequence of the pieces, which, despite their diversity, provides a continuous listening experience. My first favorite is Bach, a selection from the Well-Tempered Clavier, Book One, "Prelude and Fugue in C-sharp Major". You must hear Mr. Ohlsson roll! It is fascinating performance, with which I have immediately bonded. It was a gratifying experience, since recently I have been unsuccessful in bonding with Mr. Barenboim's performance of the Well Tempered Clavier. My second favorite is Mozart's sonata in C Major, K 330. Mr. Ohlsson has produced a real gem. His performance is so beautiful that it hurts. One cannot listen to his playing and not wonder how can a human being produce such perfection, such delicate playing, such exquisite and controlled dynamic, and with such a singing voice. My third favorite is Chopin's Waltz in E-flat Major, Op. 18. I have listened to it several times in succession. Mr. Ohlsson has here surpassed himself, I think. I can now understand why he was the winner of the Chopin competition in his youth. Mr. Ohlsson played most enthusiastically here, but never lost the control. It felt like a live performance, which amplified the listening experience. Off he goes, with his sound rolling, his tone, rhythm and dynamics beyond any comparison. Listening to this waltz was a truly extraordinary event in my musical life. The other pieces are also great.

The sound of this particular piano and its technical capabilities are unique. Mr. Ohlsson addresses this in the booklet that comes with the CD. However, even a naïve listener can figure out the advantages of this particular instrument in playing at least a part of this repertoire.

The booklet also gives a high-quality description of the musical highlights of each piece by the music expert, Professor Frank Cooper. Also are listed Mr. Ohlsson's biography, and the list of the records he made for Arabesque.

It would have been nice if a documentary of this project were produced. A movie about this project, with some imagination added to the historical facts, would be a real winner, I feel. Who was playing on this piano in the last 130 years? Who is playing it now? What is the process of the piano restoration for the historic instruments?



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