András Schiff Plays Beethoven
Posted by: Todd A on 03 November 2006
This continues these prior posts.
Time for another volume. This time around Schiff juggles the opus number chronology a bit to open this disc with the two Op 49 works, to more accurately reflect their dates of composition. Perhaps not too surprisingly, he’s actually pretty good in the two little works. Not great, but good. The first sonata’s opening Andante is lovely and delicate, yet somehow still possesses hints of drama. The Rondo, like the Andante, opens haltingly, but then proceeds to unfold at a nice pace with what some (or perhaps many) may call precious phrasing. Schiff also trots out rubato and ornamentation enough to make the movement sound just enough unlike anyone else’s that one can call it a Schiff interpretation. The second sonata opens with a bright, fun, and lyrical Allegro ma non troppo that is tastefully punctuated by some bolder chords here and there to liven things up a bit. The Tempo di Menuetto is most notable for a crisp, steady left hand underpinning a somewhat softly voiced right hand that does a good job of evoking the good time feeling so easily heard in this theme from the Septet.
Time for some slightly more substantial fare in the form of the two Op 14 sonatas. Comparative softness is again a pervasive trait, as the opening Allegro opens quite gently and pretty much stays that way. The upside is that the playing is rather beautiful. Even so, a bit more bite would have been welcome. A slight offset comes in the nifty soft-focus left hand accompaniment that shows up in a few places. I ain’t never heard nothing quite like it. Another positive trait, which no doubt owes something to the clear and close recording, is the superb left-right clarity; one always easily hears what each hand is doing. And it’s not all soft – Schiff knows enough to throw in some beefy chords and phrases here and there. The Allegretto second movement, somewhat surprisingly, is tenser and tauter. It still tends toward soft lyricism, but now has a brooding bent. Schiff closes with a comparatively weighty Rondo full of flavorful rubato. Overall, I can’t say that this rates among my favorites, but it’s a success.
That soft, lyrical style so present throughout the disc so far comes to its fullest fruition in the G major sonata. The opening Allegro is downright beautiful and eminently lyrical. My only quibble is that the runs are taken too deliberately, but otherwise I like it. Some will no doubt find it too soft, but it works for what it is. The Andante continues along largely similar lines, though there’s enough lightly punchy, rhythmically supple, and gently humorous playing to bring these variations to life. The concluding Scherzo is definitely too soft – a bit more zip would have made it better yet – but the admirable clarity and occasional interjections of pianistic wit make for a good listen.
The disc ends with the last of the “early” sonatas, the (potentially) quite invigorating Op 22. Continuing on with the style of the playing so far, the opening Allegro con brio is a bit reticent. Where’s the weight and drive? Where’s the brio, dammit? Things pick up a bit at the ending, but it seems as though this is another soft one. That ain’t necessarily so. As with the first of the Op 14 sonatas, the slow movement is a bit tenser that one might expect. Indeed, this Adagio is surprisingly quick and at times muscular and passionate. What’s going on here? Whatever it is, I like it! The Minuetto offers much more of the same. The outer sections are swift and strong (or at least strong-ish), but the middle section approaches sounding violent, at least within the context of Schiff’s playing. To end the work, Schiff keeps up this more robust style. The Rondo starts off slightly more relaxed than the preceding movement, which is just fine, but the tension never flags. Then after 2’07” Schiff starts hammering out a few chords, ratchets up the tension a bit, and then plays in a somewhat grace-challenged blocky style before easing up to start it all over again. The piece may start off a bit softly, but it doesn’t end that way. I still prefer many others here, and my special weakness for French pianists in this work remains, but this is a nice way to cap off a disc.
The third volume in the cycle ends up falling somewhere between the first and second qualitatively. I’m not too keen on the first volume, but really enjoy the second. This one, it’s better than middle of the road, but it’s not a must have for non-LvB cycle collectors. I look forward to next year as more substantive fare starts appearing on disc. Perhaps Schiff is saving his best efforts for where they’ll really count.
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Time for another volume. This time around Schiff juggles the opus number chronology a bit to open this disc with the two Op 49 works, to more accurately reflect their dates of composition. Perhaps not too surprisingly, he’s actually pretty good in the two little works. Not great, but good. The first sonata’s opening Andante is lovely and delicate, yet somehow still possesses hints of drama. The Rondo, like the Andante, opens haltingly, but then proceeds to unfold at a nice pace with what some (or perhaps many) may call precious phrasing. Schiff also trots out rubato and ornamentation enough to make the movement sound just enough unlike anyone else’s that one can call it a Schiff interpretation. The second sonata opens with a bright, fun, and lyrical Allegro ma non troppo that is tastefully punctuated by some bolder chords here and there to liven things up a bit. The Tempo di Menuetto is most notable for a crisp, steady left hand underpinning a somewhat softly voiced right hand that does a good job of evoking the good time feeling so easily heard in this theme from the Septet.
Time for some slightly more substantial fare in the form of the two Op 14 sonatas. Comparative softness is again a pervasive trait, as the opening Allegro opens quite gently and pretty much stays that way. The upside is that the playing is rather beautiful. Even so, a bit more bite would have been welcome. A slight offset comes in the nifty soft-focus left hand accompaniment that shows up in a few places. I ain’t never heard nothing quite like it. Another positive trait, which no doubt owes something to the clear and close recording, is the superb left-right clarity; one always easily hears what each hand is doing. And it’s not all soft – Schiff knows enough to throw in some beefy chords and phrases here and there. The Allegretto second movement, somewhat surprisingly, is tenser and tauter. It still tends toward soft lyricism, but now has a brooding bent. Schiff closes with a comparatively weighty Rondo full of flavorful rubato. Overall, I can’t say that this rates among my favorites, but it’s a success.
That soft, lyrical style so present throughout the disc so far comes to its fullest fruition in the G major sonata. The opening Allegro is downright beautiful and eminently lyrical. My only quibble is that the runs are taken too deliberately, but otherwise I like it. Some will no doubt find it too soft, but it works for what it is. The Andante continues along largely similar lines, though there’s enough lightly punchy, rhythmically supple, and gently humorous playing to bring these variations to life. The concluding Scherzo is definitely too soft – a bit more zip would have made it better yet – but the admirable clarity and occasional interjections of pianistic wit make for a good listen.
The disc ends with the last of the “early” sonatas, the (potentially) quite invigorating Op 22. Continuing on with the style of the playing so far, the opening Allegro con brio is a bit reticent. Where’s the weight and drive? Where’s the brio, dammit? Things pick up a bit at the ending, but it seems as though this is another soft one. That ain’t necessarily so. As with the first of the Op 14 sonatas, the slow movement is a bit tenser that one might expect. Indeed, this Adagio is surprisingly quick and at times muscular and passionate. What’s going on here? Whatever it is, I like it! The Minuetto offers much more of the same. The outer sections are swift and strong (or at least strong-ish), but the middle section approaches sounding violent, at least within the context of Schiff’s playing. To end the work, Schiff keeps up this more robust style. The Rondo starts off slightly more relaxed than the preceding movement, which is just fine, but the tension never flags. Then after 2’07” Schiff starts hammering out a few chords, ratchets up the tension a bit, and then plays in a somewhat grace-challenged blocky style before easing up to start it all over again. The piece may start off a bit softly, but it doesn’t end that way. I still prefer many others here, and my special weakness for French pianists in this work remains, but this is a nice way to cap off a disc.
The third volume in the cycle ends up falling somewhere between the first and second qualitatively. I’m not too keen on the first volume, but really enjoy the second. This one, it’s better than middle of the road, but it’s not a must have for non-LvB cycle collectors. I look forward to next year as more substantive fare starts appearing on disc. Perhaps Schiff is saving his best efforts for where they’ll really count.
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