Robert Schumann - Fantasie; Piano Sonata No. 2 (Sergio Fiorentino)

Information

Composer: Robert Schumann

• Fantasie in C major, Op. 17
• Arabeske in C major, Op.18
• Novellette in F major, Op. 21 No. 1
• Piano Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22
• Romanze in F sharp major, Op. 28 No. 2
• Die Lotosblume, Op. 25 No. 7 (arr. Fiorentino)
• Widmung, Op. 25 No. 1 (arr. Fiorentino)

Sergio Fiorentino, piano

Date: 1999

Label: APR

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Review

The late Sergio Fiorentino’s posthumous recording career takes a glorious, heartfelt turn in this Schumann collection. The C major Fantasy, recorded in 1996 when the pianist was 69, soars with emotional contrast and a sonority that sings in a direct, uncluttered way. Fiorentino negotiates the second movement’s knotty dotted rhythms and dangerous skips accurately and without making a stunt of the music. He also takes care with Schumann’s stepwise bass lines and makes natural sense of the inner voices. The Arabeske is paced to sing, and comes closest to matching Rubinstein’s exquisitely timed 1961 Carnegie Hall version (RCA). Like Wilhelm Kempff, Fiorentino isn’t about to outrace younger whippersnappers like Argerich (Philips), yet the older pianist gets to the finish line first. The first of the Op. 21 Novelettes and the gorgeous F-sharp Romance emerge from Fiorentino’s supple hands like liquid bronze, as do his effective transcriptions of the songs Die Lotosblume and Widmung. APR discs are not cheap, but piano enthusiasts will get a substantial return on their investment. A beautiful disc.

— Jed Distler

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Robert Schumann (8 June 1810 – 29 July 1856) was a German composer and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era, and left an array of acclaimed music in virtually all the forms then known. Schumann's published compositions were written exclusively for the piano until 1840; he later composed works for piano and orchestra; many Lieder (songs for voice and piano); four symphonies; an opera; and other orchestral, choral, and chamber works. Schumann suffered from a lifelong mental disorder, and died in 1856 without having recovered from his illness.

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Sergio Fiorentino (22 December 1927 – 22 August 1998) was an Italian classical pianist. He studied at the Conservatorio San Pietro a Majella in Naples, graduating in 1946, and made his international debut at Carnegie Recital Hall in New York in 1953. A near-fatal plane accident in 1954 interrupted his promising concert career, leading him to teach at the Naples Conservatory. He resumed performing in the late 1950s, gaining recognition in Britain and Europe. After retiring from teaching in 1993, he returned to the international concert stage and undertook an extensive recording project with APR until his sudden death in 1998.

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