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.