Pizzicato

Thirty-one-year-old pianist Tom Hicks, originally from Guernsey, presents one of the most interesting complete recordings of Chopin’s Nocturnes with this album. His interpretations are notable because they are personal yet not overly idiosyncratic or manneristic.

Divine Arts provides the following information about the recording: « In recording these nocturnes, Hicks takes Ekier’s print edition, including some of those lesser-heard variants, as a starting point but also refers to the Chopin Online edition, which provides access to high-quality scans of manuscripts and early editions, paying homage to Chopin’s multifaceted creative process, in which improvisations were central. Hicks includes some of Chopin’s own embellishments and occasional localized improvisations, which are rarely heard in performance and especially recordings. »

This demonstrates that Hicks has studied the nocturnes in depth and seeks the most impressive interpretations possible. Incidentally, these interpretations were made at night.

The playing is extremely clear, immensely imaginative, incredibly fresh, and spontaneous. There is alert rubato, unexpected accents, unusual articulations, and fine nuances of color and dynamic shading.

The only other recording I can recall that displays a similar richness of differentiation, which makes these works so distinctive, is the Pires recording. Hicks allows us to share in the mystery of these Chopin compositions, thereby stimulating our imagination.

*Supersonic Award

—Remy Franck