Van Poucke, an Unconventional Poet

Quality and quantity are two different things. The best, of course, is getting both. But if a choice has to be made, quality must prevail. Short as this DSD EP may be, it scores high on quality. 

For the first time, I heard the Dutch pianist, van Poucke, in a carefully crafted Schumann recital – The Schumann Collection Vol 1 – recorded by TRPK in 2020. A revelation! Against fierce competition, he showed himself to be a genuine Schumanesque interpreter. Poetically tender, emotionally convincingly strong. His deep understanding of Robert’s often enigmatic soul continued in Vol 2. For me, a great talent was born. At age 32 he is on the brink of joining the Great Masters. And clearly, I’m not alone. Being invited to play in the Dutch Hall of Fame: The Royal Concertgebouw, says it all.

This ‘short-play’ release is taken from a concert van Poucke gave on the 8th of October 2024. It is the pre-interval programme. Missing, therefore, is the second part with Rachmaninoff’s Moments Musicaux. Let us hope there will be a complete release in the non-too-distant future. 

What I particularly like, is that the recording is a realistic and ‘unpolished’ version. Noises from the Hall (and the pedals), as well as the inclusion of applause, make it life-like. Especially the roaring applause after Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 9 in D major, K.311. Van Poucke begins the Sonata with a captivating Allegro con spirito, followed by a thoughtful and poetically rendered Andante con espressione. Both are typically not run-of-the-mill Mozart. But I think it was the dazzling and powerful rendition of the final movement that aroused the enthusiasm of a strikingly young audience. Van Poucke at its best. Wonderfully unconventional. The hallmark of a real artist.

The richness of van Poucke’s pianistic baggage comes furthermore to life in the contrasting 6 Variations on ‘Mein junges Leben hat ein End’ by the Dutch composer Sweelinck, and Debussy’s Images (Prèmiere Série): I. Reflets dans l’eau. These are graceful performances of sensitivity and reflective poetry.

Blangy-le-Château, Normandy, France.
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