Page 89 - FULL BOOK Isata Kanneh-Mason Childhood Tales

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The foundation of the album, Kanneh-Mason says, is Dohnányi’s Variations on a
Nursery Song. The universally recognizable theme has a few playful twists and
turns, including an interchange between piano and bassoon toward the end which
may elicits a chuckle. The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in the third
variation will sweep listeners off their feet with buoyant, well-timed ebbs and flows.
The piano plays a more supportive role here, and Kanneh-Mason’s rolling arpeggios
are a perfect fit to the dreamy character. A series of surprise color changes greets
our ears at 0’55”, though the pianist could add a little more sparkle to Dohnányi’s
delightful runs. The finale has a Mozartean or early-Beethovinian flair from the
playful opening dialogue to the light contrapuntal textures that immediately follow.
The playing, especially from the orchestra, is light yet pristine; what results is an
exciting buzz that builds into a jubilant (and, for the soloist, a virtuosic) conclusion.

That Kanneh-Mason chooses to include Mozart’s “Ah vous dirai-me, maman” is a no-
brainer given the thematic overlap with the Dohnányi. We can hear the
effortlessness in her fast fingerwork and deftly executed ornamentation
throughout. However, the interpretation needs more personality. A large part of this
might have to do with how she handles repeats of phrases: in the theme, for
instance, there isn’t a whole lot of variation between the opening line and its echo.
While this in and of itself is not terribly problematic, it becomes a recurring issue
across multiple variations. The resulting absence of dimensionality feels a bit
frustrating. Turn to Lang Lang’s version (DG) and you’ll hear a lot more in the way of
creativity: in the theme, for example, he experiments with both articulation and
dynamics which captures the improvisatory spirit.

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In Kinderszenen, Schumann does far more than merely create images of childhood:
his writing captures the essence of youth by way of innocent charm (Von fremden
Ländern und Menschen), vivacious curiosity (Kuriose Geschichte), and melancholy
(Kind im Einschlummern). While Kenneth-Mason’s playing is clean and free from any
gimmicky mannerisms, it doesn’t capture the vibrancy I was hoping for. Traumerei,
for instance, ultimately proves a disappointment, sounding far too forward and
uniform: perhaps a matter of taste, but the phrases feel metronomic and wooden
with not enough character distinction between them—especially in light of other,
more successful renditions like Horowitz’ from his 1967 Carnegie Hall concert. He
manages to uphold the lyric integrity of the lines with the appropriate forward
momentum but not at the expense of expression: the magic appears in how the