A new release available for download from Roméo Records (romeorecords.com) presents a “Hungarian Program,” performed in a 1993 recital by the piano duo of Madeleine Forte and Del Parkinson. Madeleine Forte was a pupil of Alfred Cortot and Wilhelm Kempff. At Juilliard, she studied with Rosina Lhévinne and Martin Canin. Del Parkinson, who studied at Indiana University and Juilliard, has been a professor of piano at Boise State University since 1985. In the previous issue of Fanfare, I reviewed another Roméo issue, with Madeleine Forte and pianist István Nádas performing works by Debussy, Mozart, Schubert, and Bach. I praised Duo Forte-Nádas’s impressive technique and musicality, while acknowledging that some HIP advocates might not gravitate to such full-blooded renditions of the Baroque and Classical works. I did have some reservations about the recorded sound—distantly miked, and with occasional pitch fluctuation and channel dropout. The sound is better in the 1993 Hungarian recital, offering greater immediacy, presence, and definition. The major blemish is in “Village Dance,” the second part of Bartók Two Pictures, which is afflicted with a frequent metallic-sounding distortion. That’s a shame, too, because that excellent performance of the Bartók is emblematic of the quality of the recital as a whole, and deserves the best possible sound.

The repertoire on the “Hungarian Program” is unified by the trio of composers’ birth country. But there is also a fascinating and engaging variety, not only within the contrasting styles of the three featured composers, but within the multiple works of Bartók and Liszt as well. The spiky folk melodies and rhythms of the four pieces from Bartók’s Mikrokosmos occupy a different sound world from the composer’s early embrace of French Impressionism, Two Pictures. The Rákóczi March and Réminiscenes de Don Juan (based on Mozart’s Don Giovanni) manifest Franz Liszt’s virtuoso, exuberant, and at times humorous side. Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude is a pensive and eloquent statement of faith. Madeleine Forte and Del Parkinson play all of these works (as well as Leó Weiner’s engaging Variations on a Hungarian Folk Song) with an impressive unity of technical execution and artistic vision sensitive to the character of each piece. I am grateful for the beauty and elegance they find in their chosen repertoire, without ever shortchanging the brilliant moments in such works as the Liszt Rákóczi and Don Juan. The appreciative audience frequently registers its gratitude as well. And the palpable concert atmosphere enhances the listening experience. I wish the recorded sound was commensurate with the quality of the artistry. But the sound is more than sufficient for the appreciation and enjoyment of a first-class recital. Recommended.

Ken Meltzer