This mazurka set is definitely outside the box, with lots to contribute. Rangell freely admits that his specialties have been Bach and Beethoven, and to an extent, what you have here is Chopin played by an expert in Bach, who, of course, influenced Chopin profoundly. The pedal is sparse, and the gauzy romantic mood that so often surrounds Chopin is absent. Rangell's clean approach puts the focus on the daring harmonic turns in these mazurkas, but even more so on the ornamentation, which is carefully traced out. This ...
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This mazurka set is definitely outside the box, with lots to contribute. Rangell freely admits that his specialties have been Bach and Beethoven, and to an extent, what you have here is Chopin played by an expert in Bach, who, of course, influenced Chopin profoundly. The pedal is sparse, and the gauzy romantic mood that so often surrounds Chopin is absent. Rangell's clean approach puts the focus on the daring harmonic turns in these mazurkas, but even more so on the ornamentation, which is carefully traced out. This disturbs the dance rhythms of the pieces, something else to which Rangell not only admits, but proudly takes credit for: he sees the blurring of phrase boundaries as central to Chopin's accomplishment. You may or may not like his approach, but it's consistently thought out and very elegantly executed. Sample one of the well-known pieces, like the Mazurka in A minor, Op. 17, No. 4, to gauge your reaction: a wistfulness associated with this piece is missing, but the way Rangell puts its basic...
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Add this copy of Mazurkas to cart. $27.95, like new condition, Sold by Broad Street Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Branchville, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Sono Luminus.
