Angela Hewitt Plays Beethoven
Posted by: Todd A on 21 November 2010
The last thread is here, and it contains a link to the one before it.
Ms. Hewitt’s LvB cycle has thus far been uneven. Last time around (and it’s been quite a while) I hoped the pianist would do better with the third installment. So she has, though I still have reservations. The disc offers a nice mix of sonatas early, middle and basically late, and all seem to benefit most of the time from her playing.
First up is the Funeral March sonata, and it’s probably the best work on the disc. The theme and variations come off quite nicely, and nicely varied, the march itself is funereal without being too heavy or overly dramatic, and the Scherzo and concluding Allegro have enough pep and bite (due to the Fazioli) to satisfy. It’s a pleasure to listen to. The same holds true for the sixth sonata. The outer movements have plenty of drive and energy, and the second movement is nicely reserved. The only quibble I have has to do with the somewhat serious mien; surely this work deserves to be played with a bit more levity. Op 90 is a bit hit and miss. The opening movement is superb, with Ms Hewitt using the Fazioli to great advantage. Here playing is forceful and incisive and driven, and the effect is basically hard-hitting (late) middle Beethoven rather than more ethereal late Beethoven. The second movement, though lacks the nearly Schubertian lyricism of (at least some of) my preferred versions. It’s a bit scrappy, if you will. The concluding work on the disc the Mondschein, and here Ms Hewitt again leverages the Fazioli to good effect. The opening movement may lack the dark haziness of the best versions, but the sound of the piano is at once bright, incisive, and resonant. Most entertaining! The second movement moves along nicely until the forceful, biting, satisfyingly clangy concluding movement. This is no mushy, warm take on the work.
Overall, I enjoyed the disc. Op 26 aside, I can’t say that she cracks the top ten or twenty for any of the works, but I shall be spinning this disc again. The sound is excellent, displaying what a Fazioli can do. (I’d like to hear some Liszt played on a Fazioli, that’s for sure.) Not bad.
Ms. Hewitt’s LvB cycle has thus far been uneven. Last time around (and it’s been quite a while) I hoped the pianist would do better with the third installment. So she has, though I still have reservations. The disc offers a nice mix of sonatas early, middle and basically late, and all seem to benefit most of the time from her playing.
First up is the Funeral March sonata, and it’s probably the best work on the disc. The theme and variations come off quite nicely, and nicely varied, the march itself is funereal without being too heavy or overly dramatic, and the Scherzo and concluding Allegro have enough pep and bite (due to the Fazioli) to satisfy. It’s a pleasure to listen to. The same holds true for the sixth sonata. The outer movements have plenty of drive and energy, and the second movement is nicely reserved. The only quibble I have has to do with the somewhat serious mien; surely this work deserves to be played with a bit more levity. Op 90 is a bit hit and miss. The opening movement is superb, with Ms Hewitt using the Fazioli to great advantage. Here playing is forceful and incisive and driven, and the effect is basically hard-hitting (late) middle Beethoven rather than more ethereal late Beethoven. The second movement, though lacks the nearly Schubertian lyricism of (at least some of) my preferred versions. It’s a bit scrappy, if you will. The concluding work on the disc the Mondschein, and here Ms Hewitt again leverages the Fazioli to good effect. The opening movement may lack the dark haziness of the best versions, but the sound of the piano is at once bright, incisive, and resonant. Most entertaining! The second movement moves along nicely until the forceful, biting, satisfyingly clangy concluding movement. This is no mushy, warm take on the work.
Overall, I enjoyed the disc. Op 26 aside, I can’t say that she cracks the top ten or twenty for any of the works, but I shall be spinning this disc again. The sound is excellent, displaying what a Fazioli can do. (I’d like to hear some Liszt played on a Fazioli, that’s for sure.) Not bad.