Adam Laloum FRANZ SCHUBERT Piano Sonatas 894 & 958

                                                         PIANO SONATAS 894 & 958

Adam Laloum / Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin / Kazuki Yamada BRAHMS Piano Concertos

Adam Laloum, described by Le Monde as “a great artist and poet”, is recognized as one of today’s most exciting young French pianists. For his debut recording on Sony Classical, Laloum has chosen to record the two piano concertos by Brahms. Each is a titan of any pianist’s repertoire, making this choice a special statement of Laloum’s artistic confidence and strength. In the words of Le Monde, “Adam has that je ne sais quoi which captivates the audience.”

In his new recording of the Brahms concertos, Laloum is partnered by the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin under the baton of Kazuki Yamada. “I worked with Kazuki a few years ago with the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, which was a very good experience,” Laloum says. “Therefore I was eager to ask him to do this recording with me. It was a wonderful working relationship because we were searching out the interpretation together, really sharing something. We weren’t trying to ‘fix’ the music, but to let it breathe, just giving our natural energy.”

Contrasting the two Brahms concertos, Laloum says: “I feel a sense of large landscapes in the D minor Concerto, something much colder than the B flat major work, yet also there is a special kind of light within it. The main character of the first movement is very dark, but still, in this work you find many different colours and feelings. The Second Concerto to me contains more fantasy, with an extraordinary sense of noblesse and a different type of generosity: it is warmer and more human, particularly in the third and fourth movements. Although it is an immense work, sometimes in it he talks about simple things and even about humour – always with a lot of tenderness.”

Lise Berthaud / Adam Laloum SCHUMANN - SCHUBERT - BRAHMS

In comparison to the violin and cello, the viola has always had a small repertoire, and works for other instruments have been adapted to augment it. Of the three pieces on this 2013 release by violist Lise Berthaud and her accompanist, Adam Laloum, only Robert Schumann's Märchenbilder was conceived from the beginning for viola and piano. Franz Schubert's "Arpeggione" Sonata was originally composed for a six-stringed cello-like instrument, and the music was transposed to the viola's range and arranged to be playable on four strings. The Sonata No. 2 in E flat major by Johannes Brahms was written for clarinet and piano, but he was so taken with the possibilities that he subsequently arranged it for viola and violin. Yet all three works have become staples for violists, and the program is unified by a common Romantic style and means of expression. Berthaud produces a rich and deeply vibrant tone, and her smooth, sustained lines and lyrical style give these pieces a strong feeling of connectedness. At the piano, Laloum provides understated support that underpins Berthaud's playing with warm harmonies and vigorous rhythms, yet never dominates or pushes the music along. The microphone placement puts the viola front and center, and every note is fully audible, even at the softest dynamics. (Blair Sanderson)