Ian Hobson Plays Beethoven

Ian Hobson’s cycle was never high on my list of cycles to hear. Indeed, I’d largely forgotten about it until I picked up a disc of Michel Block playing some Ravel and Falla works with Mr Hobson conducting. Alas, that disc for the Zephyr label did not find Mr Block in top form, and I found Hobson’s conducting not especially inspired. But his name popped back on the radar. So I did the (almost) inevitable and bought the New Testament. It ain’t too bad. It ain’t great, either.

The biggest problem with the set as a whole is that there’s what I can only describe as a generic sound to it. Hobson adopts generally sensible tempi – not too fast, not too slow. He plays with an attractive sound, though it’s a bit soft, blunting some of the attack where needed. His dynamics are well controlled and wide ranging, but rarely does anything really grab the listener’s attention. (Well, this listener, at any rate.) There’s heft and drive and rhythmic snap, but perhaps not quite enough. It’s largely undistinguished.

That written, I noticed one positive thing about the cycle. Hobson gets better as the cycle goes along. I definitely prefer cycles where the quality improves in the later works, but even so it’s hard to think of true standouts. The critical Op 31 sonatas all fare well, though none really engross like they should. The Appassionata is a bit broad, and much of the time lacks energy, but in certain portions, especially in the last movement, Hobson plays with real flair and power. The Hammerklavier is a bit long, but the great Adagio is very good. Even parts of Op 111, especially the second movement, sound excellent.

This is a decidedly middle of the road cycle, interpretively and qualitatively. I can think of literally dozens of cycles I prefer, though I can also think of more than a few that Hobson trumps. It wouldn’t be a bad introduction to the works for a newcomer, but I don’t see it satisfying in the long run. I’ll find out.

Sound, though, is quite good. It appears that the folks at Zephyr went for that audiophile, minimalist set-up, so the piano is a bit distant, but dynamics are excellent and tone on the full side. And though irrelevant, I must note the poor packaging. I don’t know who thought up the idea of black lettering on a charcoal gray background, but deciphering what’s on an individual disc from the cover can be challenging.


--