Susanna Artzt

As a pupil of Paul Badura Skoda, after winning several competitions and performing highly praised concerts, here we have the first CD of this young pianist Susanna Artzt, who lives in Austria. And what debut! In many respects she gives credit to the premature praises, which were conferred on her by the press on her first concert tour through Germany in 1999. On the one hand it is unusual, that a CD recording is not made on a classical grand piano, but on a smaller one (in this case it is the Bösendorfer 225) which however under the fingers of Artzt creates an almost sinfonic sound. Considering the interesting programme, which this young pianist has chosen, the necessity for thundering sound is very rare.

With Debussy’s „Images“ and „Estampes“ as well as his „L’isle joyeuse“ she pours out flowery worlds of sound, extremely transparent and clearly accentuated, with much emotional depth. Cultured touch is the magic word, with which Susanna Artzt’s play can be characterized. At the same time she accentuates with fascinating tension, so that these well known pieces - freed from too much icing and transfiguration - sound in a fascinating novelty. And there is something else remarkable in that recording: Lili Boulanger’s „Trois Morceaux“, which are recorded very seldom. In these pieces the composer takes up Debussy’s stile and lets it develop in the direction of Poulenc. With these 3 miniatures, too, Artzt’s play fills us with enthusiasm. In the end the pianist, moreover, proves her knowledge of different means of expression: with the interpretation of Scriabin’s 5th sonata. Here she so convincingly conjures up the world of sound of the spirit of this Russian, who was always searching for the new, achieving it with that swinging between lyricism and vehement outbreak, so that one can almost speak of a new understanding of this work. Bravo!