I CD

CLAUDE DEBUSSY:

Préludes, Book 1. Rêverie. Arabesques Nos. 1 and 2. Clair de lune. La plus que lent. Valse romantique

Sandro Baldi (pianoforte) – BONGIOVANNI GB 5186-2 (66:41)

So who is this Sandro Baldi? I’m asking because he is really, really good. I requested this disc knowing nothing about him, and while I didn’t expect it to be awful, I had what might be called reasonable expectations for it. I expected to hear some Debussy played well enough. I heard a lot more than that.
Baldi, from the photo on the back of the booklet, is neither young nor old. He studied primarily in Italy, and also in Salzburg, at the Mozarteum. If he has won any major competitions, they are not listed in the short biographical note. He published a book on piano technique in 2011, and he teaches at the Bologna Accademia Filarmonica and at the Conservatory of Adria. Apparently he has recorded for a number of labels, but very few of his recordings appear to be readily available, at least in the United States. In fact, ArkivMusic offers exactly none of them, and Amazon, in addition to the disc reviewed here, lists Baldi’s disc of preludes by one Remo Vinciguerra, about whom I know even less. Maybe this review will stimulate more interest in Baldi, and lead to the wider release of his other recordings. I hope so, anyway.
From the opening measures of “Danseuses de Delphes,” one senses that a special talent is at work here. Although his tempo is quite slow (3:22, compared to Robert Casadesus’s brisk 2:29 on Columbia), these Delphic dancers have quite a lilt in their step, and the music almost seems balletic. It is odd how a performance can be slower and yet more propulsive, but that is what happens here. “Des pas sur la neige,” again rather slow (3:59, compared to Casadesus’s 3:20) moves purposefully forward, with no loss of atmosphere. “La fille aux cheveux de lin” sounds more sophisticated than she does in other performances, and Baldi’s rhythms and tempi give her more self-expressive freedom—she might be a blonde, but she is not a dumb blonde! Baldi’s “La cathédrale engloutie” is uncommonly lyrical. In fact, Baldi is a pianist who lets Debussy sing, not simply paint pictures, and I find that rather rare. Although he gives these works the atmosphere that they deserve, he brings out their melodic strength in a way that I found refreshing. There’s humor too: try the end of the second Arabesque, where Baldi seems to be saying, with a light touch, “there, put that in your pipe and smoke it.” La plus que lent seems a little knowing too. . . pleasantly so. Clair de lune is evocative but not over-romanticized. The disc ends charmingly with the little-played Valse romantique, and this was a smart choice, because it and La plus que lent make an intriguing and complementary pair.
Baldi plays a Yamaha C7 piano on this disc. It has a slightly covered sound—or is that a function of the engineering, or of Baldi himself?—and some will not find it ideal. This is one of those discs that sounds better if you do not play it too loudly. At the same time, Debussy’s music also sounds better if you do not play it too loudly, so my concern with the sound is not as great as it might have been.
I thought I knew this music. Baldi’s playing made me hear it in a new light. I want to hear more from this pianist. This will be on my Want List, come the end of the year.

Raymond Tuttle (Fanfare Review , may/june 2016 pag 227 e 228)

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