Jacqueline Eymar ∙ Piano Recitals 1958-1972 ∙ 2CD

January 2017 ∙ British Gramophone ∙ Rob Cowan ∙ Jacqueline Eymar plays Mozart, Chopin, Ravel, Fauré, Brahms, Beethoven and Schumann
Once again we can turn to Melo Classic for a CD devoted to a remarkable but little-known pianist, though Jacqueline Eymar did at least make a handful of LPs (Brahms, Fauré and Debussy). Nowhere is this more evident than in a hair-raising account of ‘Scarbo’ from Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit, or her sensitively phrased and crisply turned Mozart (K283, K311 and K332/300k, the Adagio of the latter being especially beautiful). Like Rachmaninov many years before her Eymar emerges from the gentle trio section of Chopin’s ‘Funeral March’ to re-join the main theme triple forte then, at the close of the movement, drifts into a scarily ethereal presto. Her Fauré (Nocturne No 1, Barcarolle No 2) unfolds its narrative with directness and emotional candour – here we’re approximately in Germaine Thyssens-Valentin territory – and her ‘late’ Brahms trades rhetoric for Gallic poise and vivid colouring.
She offers a brilliant Appassionata, combining scintillating fingerwork, fast tempos and sensual textures, and her Schumann (Kreisleriana in this instance), although far from note-perfect, seems to relish the music’s constant shifts in mood. Try sampling the closing Schnell und spielend which is delightfully whimsical. A splendid programme, generally well recorded.
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May 2017 ∙ MusicWeb International ∙ Jacqueline Eymar plays Mozart, Chopin, Ravel, Fauré, Brahms, Beethoven and Schumann
The pianist Jacqueline Eymar is another of the lesser-known performers to be explored on the Meloclassic label. It’s in the three Mozart Piano Sonatas that Eymar makes a notable and lasting impression. Clean lines, vocal projection, of which the Andante of K283 is a case in point, and natural phrasing add up to some of the finest Mozart playing I’ve heard. All these qualities come together in the F major K332. Elegant refinement informs the opening Allegro, whilst the Adagio is wrapped in an innocent simplicity. The finale is played with gusto, verve and vigour. The drama of the outer movements of the Beethoven ‘Appassionata’ are addressed with passionate intensity. She summons formidable technical command in a thrilling reading of Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit. Ondine is well-projected and transmits sufficient tension, whilst Le Gibet’s sombre tolls suggest chilling portent. In Scarbo she unleashes its demonic forces with consummate virtuosity. Eymar’s pastel hues confer an autumnal glow on the two Brahms pieces. The outer sections of the G minor Ballade are fervently declaimed. This exquisite tonal shading reveals a wealth of subtlety and nuance in the Schumann Kreisleriana. She traverses the contrasting movements with imagination and poetic insight, portraying each as a miniature tone poem. The opening movement of the Chopin has sufficient turbulence, whilst the Funeral March is nicely paced, and not cumbersome like some performances I’ve heard. The finale is a coruscating fluorescence. The two Fauré pieces are a pleasing addition, and idiomatically shaped. The contents of these two generously timed CDs, much originating from the Eymar family archive, have been released with the kind cooperation of the pianist’s children. Sound quality is more than satisfactory. Comprehensive biographical notes and attendant photographs are supplied. This superb release is a must-have for pianophiles.
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July 2017 ∙ French Diapason ∙ Laurent Muraro ∙ Jacqueline Eymar plays Mozart, Chopin, Ravel, Fauré, Brahms, Beethoven and Schumann
« Ginette Neveu au piano » ! Le mot d’Yves Nat au Sujet de son élève Jacqueline Eymar a de quoi aiguiser notre curiosité pour une pianiste bien oubliée aujourd’hui, qui connut son heure de gloire durant les trente Glorieuses avant de se retirer dans sa maison du Var au début des années 1980. Ces bandes radio inédites et exhumées grâce à sa famille nous rappellent la sûreté de son goût et de ses doigts en matière de musique française. Couronnement d’un Gaspard de la nuit exemplaire, un Scarbo aussi véloce que celui d’Argerich nous fouette plus d’une fois le visage. Et on rangera sans hésiter ce Nocturne et cette Barcarolle de Fauré au rayon des petits trésors, pages d’une lumière irradiante oü le temps semble plus d’une fois s’arrêter. Tout aussi réussies, trois sonates de Mozart sont abordées avec un sourire malicieux aux lèvres et un sens du théâtre qui n’est pas sans rappeler celui déployé par Lili Kraus à la même époque. Eventail des nuances dynamiques et des phrasés, caractérisation de la moindre basse d’Alberti à la main gauche, sûreté de la ligne de chant à la droite : la Sonate KV311 est ainsi remarquable en tout point. Moins décisives, une « Appassionata » au son précaire et des Brahms parfois hors des Clous complètent le tableau. Comme on aurait aimé que ses Kreisleriana, impressionnants par moments, notamment dans les volets impairs, soient habités tout du long par la même noirceur que son Gaspard ! Espérons en tout cas que les archives familiales nous révèlent d’autres inédits de cet ordre.
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September 2017 ∙ Classical Source ∙ Colin Anderson ∙ Jacqueline Eymar plays Mozart, Chopin, Ravel, Fauré, Brahms, Beethoven and Schumann
As for French pianist Jacqueline Eymar (1922-2008), wow and wonderful, what a discovery she is. From the first notes of Mozart’s Sonata in D (K311) you know you’re onto a winner, and throughout this bumper package, recorded between 1958 and 1972 (with the majority of tapings being from the 1960s), she comes across as an outstanding musician allied to an all-embracing technique. For whatever reason Eymar is new to me, and I am so pleased to encounter her now. Her Mozart (she also plays the K332 Sonata) is perfect in tempo, phrase and blend, and Elysian in slow movements, and coming between them is a stunning account of Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit, full of vivid story-telling; she really goes for ‘Scarbo’, demonic and nightmarish. Chopin’s B-flat Sonata merges authority, splendour and spirit, and, as in the Ravel, she stresses the music’s visionary aspects, not least the turbulent if aphoristic Finale. This is followed by sublime Fauré, the E-flat minor Nocturne.
That’s only CD1. The other disc offer further Fauré, the G-major Barcarolle, beautifully turned and expressed, and suitably elusive yet emotional under the surface. Late Brahms (from Opuses 118 & 119) fares just as favourably, and then Eymar brings out further big guns with Beethoven’s ‘Appassionata’ and Schumann’s Kreisleriana, both riveting through her absolute musicianship and her white-hot sense of theatre. Finally, another Mozart Sonata (K283); if Eymar can be impulsive in Beethoven and Schumann, her Mozart is always balanced and beguiling.
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