This is in many ways an easy recording to review as everything about it - presentation, sound and artistry - is pleasing. Vladimir Feltsman has already displayed the mastery and versatility of his art in a series of first rate recordings for Nimbus; now this issue may take its place in his discography as a highly desirable modern version of music not especially richly represented in the catalogue.
The Album for the Young is a collection of 43 short piano pieces originally written by Schumann for his three daughters as a result of his dissatisfaction with the practice material then available. They are much more than technical exercises, being exquisite little portraits which may be played for pleasure by children and adults alike; this is music which brings to mind the old aphorism about Mozart’s piano music being “too easy for amateurs and too difficult for professionals”. The first eighteen are simpler, the remainder, “für Erwachsenere” (for more grown up ones) more complex. The shortest,” The Wild Horseman”, lasts only thirty-five seconds, the longest, “Wintertime II, just over four minutes, but by and large each takes only a minute or two and their variety makes the 76 minutes’ duration of the recital pass quickly.
