Guiomar Novaes plays Chopin in a unique and special way. She does not get lost in the notes as some are wont to do. It is music pure and simple that she plays, and while it is certainly Chopinesque stylistically, one can't help having the impression of hearing these pieces through a musical process that emphasizes the musicality first and the pianism second.
Novaes had a superb technique. So much so that she was able to create an impression of unevenness, for lack of a better word, in passages that most pianists slave for years trying to play evenly. At first it may seem that she is not able to do this. Then one begins to discern patterns within these passages that bring out sub-themes one has never before heard in the music.
A case in point is the performance in which Novaes plays Chopin's Revolutionary Etude, Opus 10 No 12. Instead of giving giving equal emphasis to the notes in an effort to achieve clarity, she gives emphasis to individual notes within the rapid runs and arpeggios resulting in new and wondrous shapes to the phrases supporting the melodic line. In the end one feels that one has heard the inner meaning of some of this music for the first time.
Novaes plays Chopin's Etude Op 25 No 7 as exquisite counterpoint, the two melodic lines sometimes alternating in importance, sometimes competing for dominance. The Nocturnes, so refined, so beautifully played. And the Sonatas, lovely two and three part contrapuntal effects in the Lento of the B minor sonata. And the Scherzo ....
Listen to Novaes play Chopin. Then go back to a favorite pianist and hear the difference. Of course, if your favorite happens to be Dinu Lipatti, you may find yourself rejoicing in the similarities, not so much in the details as in the musical vision of the whole.
