Disc of the year already?
Posted by: Todd A on 08 March 2009
It’s only March, but I think I have a contender already: Anton Kuerti’s recording of six of Haydn’s sonatas on Analekta. (Okay, it’s a 2008 release, but I didn’t even know about it until a few weeks ago.) Anyway, this disc is a delight from start to finish. Kuerti plays a nice assortment of sonatas – half early or early-ish, half late – and he reveals himself to be a Haydn interpreter of distinction. He offers thoughtfulness and introspection where appropriate, but mostly he delivers joyous, often fun and witty, and energetic and rhythmically peppy playing. His dexterity in some of the fast movements is impressive indeed, but unlike Hamelin he never over-indulges in this aspect. I can think of few if any Haydn recitals that I like more, and as it happens I’m working my way through Ronald Brautigam’s set for a second time, and for my money, Kuerti is clearly better. The only somewhat disappointing aspect of this disc is the less than stellar sound; it’s good, just not state of the art.
This certainly joins a pair of discs of music by Cristóbal de Morales and an old LP of LvB’s Opp 10/3 and 57 sonatas played by Russell Sherman on the Pro Arte label as one of the best purchases of the year so far for me. Great stuff.
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A bit early for dic of the year - but this is my disc of the year so far.
Yes - all verywell known pieces, most of us can sing along to them. But The Sixteen have been able to cast their magic over them and they come up all shiney and fresh despite the over playing of these pieces in recent years. A worthy contribution to the Handel anniversary year.
Yes - all verywell known pieces, most of us can sing along to them. But The Sixteen have been able to cast their magic over them and they come up all shiney and fresh despite the over playing of these pieces in recent years. A worthy contribution to the Handel anniversary year.