Search - Prokofiev, Hindemith, Mustonen :: Visions Fugitives Op 22 / Ludus Tonalis

Technique gets in the way

Paul Slavens | Denton, TX United States | 01/14/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I was overjoyed to find a CD with my two favorite piano compositions and did not hesitiate to order it ( off Amazon). I had never heard of Mustonen and still have no other knowledge of him save what I know from this disc. I must say that I listened again today to the disc and still feel that Mr. M has disappointed me. While noone could say that he is not endowed with great technical prowess, I repeatedly was irritated with his overuse of a certain staccato technique. WHile a novel sound and probably very difficult to produce this effect did not enchant me as much as it seems to enchant Mr. M. I found myself, throughout the disc, distracted by his playing instead of carried by the music. Still, these are two incredible works and there is some good work by the pianist, when he backs off and plays more lyrically. I strongly recommend the pieces but not the disc."

Mustonen brings his unique style to two modern classics

Marcus K. Maroney | 10/06/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Fans of Mustonen, Hindemith and Prokofiev should buy this disc without hesitation. Mustonen does indeed have a unique playing style, as noted by the reviewer below, and it is one that you will likely either greatly enjoy or find odd. I find it fascinating, and Mustonen's tonal and dynamic control in these two sets of pieces is ingenious. The pieces themselves are incredibly enjoyable. Prokofiev's Visions fugitives run the gamut from spiky, quirky numbers to light, lyrical ruminations to virtuosic perpetual-motion pieces. Hindemith's study in "Counterpoint, Tonal Organization and Piano Playing" may sound overly-academic at first, but there are many, many ravishing moments in the piece. I tend to enjoy the Interludes and Prelude/Postlude more than the fugal movements, as Hindemith seems less likely to get caught up in the contrapuntal necessities of fugal writing and just let his imagination run. Decca's sound for Mustonen on this collection is a bit dryer than, say, his RCA collection of Bach/Shostakovich Preludes & Fugues; that certainly adds punch to the spiky numbers."