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Diapason

Originally published by a Belgian publisher (ZeD), this recording from 2015 here earns a remaster. There remains a hardness that is not the result of the sound recording alone.

If the first of the Drei Klavierstücke op. 11 (1909) by Schonberg, with beautifully curved arabesques, is certainly fluid, very readable in its polyphonic layering, the whole thing remains almost too clean, a bit clinical. In his manifest desire to offer a vast dynamic amplitude, James Iman focuses his attacks on power, to some detriment of the material. Also seeking great precision, Gould allowed himself a wider phrasing. And, to stick to established references, Pollini expresses in a different organic fashion

James W. Iman seems to be settling in with a more playful mood in the Variations in Op. 27 (1935-1936) by Webern. However, we prefer the amplitude of play and the contrast of the attacks of Krystian Zimmerman, although lman would most likely find his reading too romantic. Sonata No. 3 (1957) by Boulez combines serialism and open form. There are many “points”, but also more volatile figures and “blocks” of resonances and the performer highlights the harmonic emanations. He approaches the reactive and flexible touch of Paavali Jumppanen, which maintains an advantage thanks to more diversified attacks. Offering the first recording of the Piano Sonata (1960) by Gilbert Amy, which betrays a strong Boulezian influence, Iman reveals his concern for respect for the score. In this very abstract work but which is devoid of the brilliance of Amy’s Boulezian inspiration, such parametric rigor ends up rather neutralizing the work’s discourse.. (Four Stars)