A new release available for download from Roméo Records (romeorecords.com) features the Duo Forte-Nádas in a 1980 recital at Boise State University. Madeleine Forte studied with Alfred Cortot and Wilhelm Kempff. At Juilliard, she studied with Rosina Lhévinne and Martin Canin. In addition to her activities as a concert artist, both as an orchestral soloist and recitalist, Madeleine Forte made several recordings, some of which have been reviewed in Fanfare, and most positively. Forte is also a scholar, a specialist in the music of Olivier Messiaen, and the author of the book Olivier Messiaen, The Musical Mediator (Farleigh Dickinson Press, 1996). István Nádas, born in Hungary, studied piano with Louis Kentner and Béla Bartók, composition with Zoltán Kodály, and chamber music with Leo Weiner. Nádas made his New York Town debut on October 5, 1954, to critical acclaim. He, too, made several recordings. From 1965-8, István Nádas was a Professor of Piano at San Francisco State University. He founded Washington State University’s Doctoral Program in Piano. Nádas later taught in Mexico, where he died in 1998.

The 1980 Boise State U recital opens with a lovely performance of Debussy’s Six Epigraphes Antiques. The artists play with the utmost refinement, transparent voicing, and an enchanting embrace of Debussy’s beguiling synthesis of the ancient and contemporary. Printed materials sent to me in conjunction with the Roméo Records download include reviews of Madeleine Forte by The New Yorker and American Record Guide. They cite Forte’s “gorgeous tone and sensuous line,” and the pianist’s “big technique and big sound.” Both of these qualities are apparent in this recording. To be sure, the Mozart and Bach receive big-boned performances that, at least for advocates of HIP, may seem out of place. But this writer, who admires the Bach and Mozart of both Otto Klemperer and René Jacobs, has no such qualms. Yes, it is true that the Duo Forte-Nádas makes no attempt to suggest the harpsichord of Bach’s time, or the fortepiano of Mozart’s. The renditions of both the Mozart K. 448, and Bach BWV 1061 celebrate the tonal and volume capacities of the modern concert grand. But the Mozart Sonata also displays the elegance, precision of execution, seamless legato, and flexible, attractive singing line all favored by the composer. Contrasting elements (such as the first movement’s subsidiary principal theme) are realized convincingly, without exaggeration or italicization. Everything proceeds in a logical and organic fashion, as it should. The Bach, cleanly and incisively played, has a compelling spring and momentum. And to my ears, Bach’s writing does not suffer, and perhaps even benefits, from the sonority of the concert grand. In the case of the Schubert Fantasy (1828), the absence of period instruments matters less (although even here, HIP proponents may disagree). The work is a remarkable synthesis of Schubert’s gifts as a song and piano composer, and visionary of the early Romantic era. The Duo Forte-Nádas does that achievement justice. With each appearance of the affecting principal melody, Madeleine Forte conjures just the right color, dynamics, and phrasing to make the greatest effect. The virtuoso moments are delivered with impressive vigor and power. And the various episodes are managed and balanced in seamless fashion. A powerful rendition of a great and unique work.

The quality of the in-performance recording is adequate. The mike placement is rather distant, and there are hints of pitch fluctuation. In the Schubert, there is some drop out in the left channel. The audience provides its share of extra-musical sounds, in addition to the expected applause. But the palpable atmosphere of a live performance, with both the performers and audience engaged by the event, is highly compelling and satisfying. This is a valuable document of a style and quality of performance that should never fall out of style or favor.

Ken Meltzer

Four Stars: A compelling recital by the piano Duo Forte-Nádas