Rare is the artist whose leftovers would end up on best-seller lists, but this one from pianist
Nelson Freire did just that in the autumn of 2022. Part of the reason is that the unexpected loss of
Freire the previous year is still keenly felt. Also, his recorded output was less than prolific, and many
Freire fans will jump on this release sight unseen, but the biggest reason is that there are indeed some lost gems, mostly small ones. The album offers recordings in three categories. First, there is a short session recorded in Berlin in 2014, apparently part of a project that never came to fruition. These include the miniatures that
Freire always did so well; the balance of voices in the
Myra Hess piano transcription of
Bach's
Jesu, joy of man's desiring is nothing short of miraculous. The
Beethoven Andante favori, WoO 57, was apparently not recorded by
Freire anywhere else. Second, there are three concertos recorded during radio broadcasts in Germany in the 1970s and '80s. The sound on these is reasonable considering the limitations of the era, and the
Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 83, especially, is a fine illustration of
Freire's art, with the percussive half-steps in the first movement done in such a way that they reverberate through the whole work. Finally, there are miscellaneous short pieces that have never appeared on CD before; one can understand, with the likes of
Debussy's
La plus que lente, why
Decca wanted to rescue these from the historical scrap heap.
Freire fans will need no encouragement here, and there is a lot of pleasure for the general listener. ~ James Manheim
