Of
Janácek's complete piano music, as
Martino Tirimo says in his A Personal Note, "I cannot help but love it." Clearly; every note
Tirimo plays radiates love. From the staid and stolid Theme and Variations of 1880 through the raging and riotous Sonata 1.X.1905 of 1905 to the sensuous and mysterious In the Mists of 1912,
Tirimo invests every phrase, every gesture, every harmony, and every rhythm with all the warmth and affection of a mother for her children. And yet, like some mothers with some children,
Tirimo does not seem to quite understand what he loves. Too often,
Janácek's idiosyncratic melodies, harsh harmonies, eccentric rhythms, and evasive forms seem to be just beyond
Tirimo's comprehension and his performances, for all their undeniable love, seem slightly beside the point. For recordings by a pianist who not only loves
Janácek's piano music but understands
Janácek's piano music, try
Rudolf Firkusny's set on Deutsche Grammophon.
Tirimo's is fine as far as it goes, but it doesn't go nearly far enough. Quartz's sound, produced by Milan Slavicky, is clear but a tad too distant.