András Schiff Plays Beethoven
Posted by: Todd A on 03 June 2007
(This links to the prior threads.)
Time for another volume; I’ll just jump in.
This volume starts with late early works, or early middle works, depending on how one looks at it. Mr Schiff falls into the former category, so perhaps that will illuminate some of what will follow. The disc opens with the Op 26 sonata, and here Schiff does reasonably well, but some nagging doubts that have accompanied the earlier volumes remain. The Andante theme that opens the first movement sounds predictably lovely and warm and soft-hued, setting the stage, one hopes, for some fine variations. The first variation, though, sounds a bit fussy until the end. The second variation sounds more vibrant and almost playful, and has nice rhythmic brio. The third is darker, harder, and louder, though not really heavier. The fourth is incisive and jaunty but not jocular, and the final variation is warm, glowing, smooth, and lyrical. So it’s good, but not really great. The Scherzo has a nice energy to it, but it’s somewhat light and lacks bite, not that one would expect a huge amount here. The Funeral March is a bit different. It’s quite brisk and small in scale. There are hints of bitterness, too. The build-up to the middle section is more vigorous, with the middle itself characterized by incisiveness and oomph. But it’s also kind of abstract. The concluding Allegro starts off slow and fussy, though it boasts wonderful low-end dynamics, and only exhibits any intensity in the middle. So, it’s a mixed reading, but still enjoyable.
I expected more from Op 27/1. Here fussiness becomes a real problem. Not that the opening Andante theme reveals that: it’s predictably lovely and warm and smooth, the second theme even more so. But the Allegro is fussy and clunky, and Schiff’s little touches – some peculiarly accented upper registers, for instance – don’t really add much. A second pass at the Andante fares well, but the Allegro molto e vivace is even fussier than the Allegro. It’s not at all vivacious, either. The Adagio con espressione is actually a bit on the quick side, and it’s also a bit on the cool side. A no go. The closing movement opens with a fussy, prissy Allegro vivace, though it quickly picks up, only to become too fussy again. Only the return of the initial Andante theme offers anything of value. A clunker of a reading.
The Mondschein fares a bit better. The Adagio sostenuto is uncommonly quick and, for Schiff in this recital, unfussy. Solid Bösendorfer bass underpins the playing, and a stark, urgent, tense feeling pervades. What goes missing is haziness; it sounds as though Schiff didn’t lean too heavily on the sustain pedal. The Allegretto sees the return of some fussiness, but it still offers a nice foil for the opening movement. The plinky upper registers and plumy lower registers make for a nice sonic contrast during the movement. The Presto agitato benefits from beefy rolling bass, but it suffers from some stiff, fussy playing again. This occurs mostly in bursts, but it still doesn’t help. Overall, I would have to say this is an average or perhaps slightly below average reading.
The disc closes with the great Pastorale, and I came to it with high expectations. It just seemed to me that Schiff’s style would mesh well with the music. It more or less does. The opening Allegro sounds as warm and gracious and flowing as one could hope for. Schiff displays near-exemplary dynamic gradation, especially at the lower end of the spectrum, and he also displays ample dexterity when called for. The middle is stormier, as it ought to be, though it’s not really intense. The Andante is taken at just the right pace and has just the right degree of tension and little pauses that are timed just right. The middle section is the model of grace and charm. The Scherzo sounds just plain fun. Crisp and light in the outer sections, with a scampering trio, it really works. Only in the Rondo do some concerns arise. Schiff’s nearly ubiquitous fussiness makes an unwelcome return a few times, though fortunately only at the beginning of some phrases. The music generally unfolds so gracefully and beautifully that one has little choice but to luxuriate in it. The middle section starts off with feathery soft legato playing before deliberately and deliberatively building up to a satisfying climax before fading back to the opening material. A nice gallop of a coda caps off a more than solid reading of this work.
What to make of this disc, and of this cycle? The disc isn’t very successful. A good Op 28 hardly makes for a satisfying disc. The other works are just too fussy and lack real fire or sparkle. The cycle itself is definitely mixed up to this point. I really like the second volume, but the other three are not exactly compelling, and none of them have made it to my frequently played LvB list. I must confess that although I generally like András Schiff, his Beethoven sonata cycle is turning out to be at least somewhat disappointing. Perhaps he’ll do better later on, and I certainly want to hear him in some of the upcoming works (Opp 31/1, 54, 101), but I’ll have to rely on others for the real deal.
Superb sound quality.
Time for another volume; I’ll just jump in.
This volume starts with late early works, or early middle works, depending on how one looks at it. Mr Schiff falls into the former category, so perhaps that will illuminate some of what will follow. The disc opens with the Op 26 sonata, and here Schiff does reasonably well, but some nagging doubts that have accompanied the earlier volumes remain. The Andante theme that opens the first movement sounds predictably lovely and warm and soft-hued, setting the stage, one hopes, for some fine variations. The first variation, though, sounds a bit fussy until the end. The second variation sounds more vibrant and almost playful, and has nice rhythmic brio. The third is darker, harder, and louder, though not really heavier. The fourth is incisive and jaunty but not jocular, and the final variation is warm, glowing, smooth, and lyrical. So it’s good, but not really great. The Scherzo has a nice energy to it, but it’s somewhat light and lacks bite, not that one would expect a huge amount here. The Funeral March is a bit different. It’s quite brisk and small in scale. There are hints of bitterness, too. The build-up to the middle section is more vigorous, with the middle itself characterized by incisiveness and oomph. But it’s also kind of abstract. The concluding Allegro starts off slow and fussy, though it boasts wonderful low-end dynamics, and only exhibits any intensity in the middle. So, it’s a mixed reading, but still enjoyable.
I expected more from Op 27/1. Here fussiness becomes a real problem. Not that the opening Andante theme reveals that: it’s predictably lovely and warm and smooth, the second theme even more so. But the Allegro is fussy and clunky, and Schiff’s little touches – some peculiarly accented upper registers, for instance – don’t really add much. A second pass at the Andante fares well, but the Allegro molto e vivace is even fussier than the Allegro. It’s not at all vivacious, either. The Adagio con espressione is actually a bit on the quick side, and it’s also a bit on the cool side. A no go. The closing movement opens with a fussy, prissy Allegro vivace, though it quickly picks up, only to become too fussy again. Only the return of the initial Andante theme offers anything of value. A clunker of a reading.
The Mondschein fares a bit better. The Adagio sostenuto is uncommonly quick and, for Schiff in this recital, unfussy. Solid Bösendorfer bass underpins the playing, and a stark, urgent, tense feeling pervades. What goes missing is haziness; it sounds as though Schiff didn’t lean too heavily on the sustain pedal. The Allegretto sees the return of some fussiness, but it still offers a nice foil for the opening movement. The plinky upper registers and plumy lower registers make for a nice sonic contrast during the movement. The Presto agitato benefits from beefy rolling bass, but it suffers from some stiff, fussy playing again. This occurs mostly in bursts, but it still doesn’t help. Overall, I would have to say this is an average or perhaps slightly below average reading.
The disc closes with the great Pastorale, and I came to it with high expectations. It just seemed to me that Schiff’s style would mesh well with the music. It more or less does. The opening Allegro sounds as warm and gracious and flowing as one could hope for. Schiff displays near-exemplary dynamic gradation, especially at the lower end of the spectrum, and he also displays ample dexterity when called for. The middle is stormier, as it ought to be, though it’s not really intense. The Andante is taken at just the right pace and has just the right degree of tension and little pauses that are timed just right. The middle section is the model of grace and charm. The Scherzo sounds just plain fun. Crisp and light in the outer sections, with a scampering trio, it really works. Only in the Rondo do some concerns arise. Schiff’s nearly ubiquitous fussiness makes an unwelcome return a few times, though fortunately only at the beginning of some phrases. The music generally unfolds so gracefully and beautifully that one has little choice but to luxuriate in it. The middle section starts off with feathery soft legato playing before deliberately and deliberatively building up to a satisfying climax before fading back to the opening material. A nice gallop of a coda caps off a more than solid reading of this work.
What to make of this disc, and of this cycle? The disc isn’t very successful. A good Op 28 hardly makes for a satisfying disc. The other works are just too fussy and lack real fire or sparkle. The cycle itself is definitely mixed up to this point. I really like the second volume, but the other three are not exactly compelling, and none of them have made it to my frequently played LvB list. I must confess that although I generally like András Schiff, his Beethoven sonata cycle is turning out to be at least somewhat disappointing. Perhaps he’ll do better later on, and I certainly want to hear him in some of the upcoming works (Opp 31/1, 54, 101), but I’ll have to rely on others for the real deal.
Superb sound quality.