THE NOCTURNES RECONSIDERED: THOMAS SCHWAN AT THE PIANO
- Walter
- Jan 3
- 2 min read
Thomas Schwan’s live recording of the complete Chopin Nocturnes is the work of a musician who has nothing to prove and everything under control. What immediately sets this cycle apart is that it feels informed by a discipline rarely associated with Chopin. One hears a mind shaped by Bach. The experience of living with the Well-Tempered Clavier is present throughout, not as a stylistic overlay, but as an inner order.
The foundation of this interpretation is sound. Schwan’s sonority is stable, centred, and honest. There is warmth, but no indulgence. The singing line is never detached from its harmonic base. Bass voices are articulated with the same care as the melody, creating a vertical clarity that recalls Bach’s contrapuntal thinking. Pedalling serves resonance, not atmosphere, and harmonic motion remains transparent at all times.
Phrasing grows directly out of harmonic awareness. Schwan does not phrase by instinct or tradition. He phrases by function. Each melodic inflexion is justified by what happens beneath it. Rubato is present, but it is structural, grounded in harmonic rhythm rather than emotional impulse. This gives the music an inner steadiness, even in the most vulnerable moments.
What truly defines this cycle is architectural thinking. Each Nocturne unfolds as a complete structure, sustained from first bar to last. Transitions are handled with foresight. Inner voices are neither highlighted nor neglected. They are simply there, doing their work. This is Chopin understood by someone who knows how voices relate, how lines coexist, and how form is built over time. The influence of Bach’s WTC is unmistakable in this sense of proportion and continuity.
There is also restraint. Schwan refuses to sentimentalise. He allows silence, tension, and resolution to speak without interference. This lends the music dignity and gravity. Chopin emerges not as a composer of moods but as a serious architect of sound, fully aware of structure, balance, and necessity.
This is not a cycle designed to seduce. It is convincing because of its coherence and integrity. Thomas Schwan plays Chopin with the seriousness one usually reserves for Bach, and in doing so, reveals how closely these worlds are connected. The result is a reading that feels grounded, durable, and quietly authoritative.
Highly recommended.
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