Composer: Frédéric François Chopin
Performer: Cécile Ousset
Number of Discs: 2
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Warner
Catalogue: 5855112
Release: 2003
Size: 360 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
CD 01
Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 35 “Funeral March”
01. I. Grave – Doppio movimento
02. II. Scherzo
03. III. Marche funèbre. Lento
04. IV. Finale. Presto
05. Scherzo No. 1 in B Minor, Op. 20
06. Scherzo No. 2 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 31
07. Scherzo No. 3 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 39
08. Scherzo No. 4 in E Major, Op. 54
CD 02
Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 58
01. I. Allegro maestoso
02. II. Scherzo
03. III. Largo
04. IV. Finale. Presto non tanto
05. Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23
06. Ballade No. 2 in F Major, Op. 38
07. Ballade No. 3 in A-Flat Major, Op. 47
08. Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 52
Technically, Cécile Ousset can play Chopin, but realistically, she lacks in interpretive skills. There is little grace and delicacy in the florid ornamentation, little lyricism in the melodies, and little sense that she is even trying to nuance the expressive possibilities of the music. The “Funeral March” of the Sonata No. 2 doesn’t have any gravitas. In the middle of the first scherzo, you can barely pick out the lullaby from the choppy accompaniment. She almost gets it in the Scherzo No. 2, but still has the tendency to be heavy-handed with the accompaniment. The opening of the Ballade No. 1 should have elegance, not sound like a series of octaves played completely detached, with each one quieter than the last. It is as if she is playing exactly what is written without much personal involvement, which is not to say these are introverted performances; rather, there is no sense at all of what these pieces mean to her. By and large, Ousset presents an unimaginative view of Chopin’s works.