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On The Hunt

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Steven Herbert Smith. Smith opens the Allegro very slowly, though he transitions to notably faster tempo for most of the movement. Smith plays the Scherzo in a fast, fun, no-nonsense fashion, and he slows down to a moderate but well-judged tempo in the Menuetto, not over- or underdoing anything. The Presto is much like the Scherzo. The entire sonata comes off very well, indeed. (Looking back at my original comments on the whole set, it turns out that this is one of the highlights of the cycle.)
 
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Another American Steven, this time Masi. A slightly slow start gives way to a light-ish, fun, energetic Allegro filled with personal rubato and some nice, subtle dynamic shifts throughout. A couple slightly fudged passages serve to make the playing sound more inspired - it's not edited to perfection. The Scherzo is a bit on the broad side, and it sounds quite fun overall, though a couple passages sound a bit rough in terms of execution. The Menuetto is fairly slow and unaffected in the outer sections, while Masi allows himself more freedom in the Trio, really hammering out some music. The Presto finds Masi playing with a good amount of rubato and some hefty accenting, but the rhythmic pulse is at times unsteady. A recording with strong points and not so strong points.
 
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Craig Sheppard. At just shy of nine minutes, Sheppard takes his sweet time in the Allegro. He plays with admirable clarity and really very fine dynamic contrasts, but the playing is too low energy and comes off as perhaps a bit more serious than ideal. Alas, the Scherzo, coming in at 5'42", is just too slow and deliberate. Sheppard keeps things slow in the Menuetto, which works well in the rather lovely outer sections, and then he thunders in the Trio, while still keeping the tempo slow. The Presto is also taken at a slow overall tempo, though Sheppard's steadiness and wide ranging dynamics sound nice. Overall, it's too slow and low energy for my tastes.
 
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Another American Steven, this time Masi. A slightly slow start gives way to a light-ish, fun, energetic Allegro filled with personal rubato and some nice, subtle dynamic shifts throughout. A couple slightly fudged passages serve to make the playing sound more inspired - it's not edited to perfection. The Scherzo is a bit on the broad side, and it sounds quite fun overall, though a couple passages sound a bit rough in terms of execution. The Menuetto is fairly slow and unaffected in the outer sections, while Masi allows himself more freedom in the Trio, really hammering out some music. The Presto finds Masi playing with a good amount of rubato and some hefty accenting, but the rhythmic pulse is at times unsteady. A recording with strong points and not so strong points.

Todd
As an aside, what is the Albany SQ like. It isn’t a label I’ve heard much nor seen over here. I have a couple of George Lloyd (I think it is - can’t check cos i’m In the middle of France) LPs of his symphonies on that label from the 80s/90s and they sound very natural.
 
Todd
As an aside, what is the Albany SQ like. It isn’t a label I’ve heard much nor seen over here. I have a couple of George Lloyd (I think it is - can’t check cos i’m In the middle of France) LPs of his symphonies on that label from the 80s/90s and they sound very natural.


It's variable, and definitely not SOTA. It's pretty good most of the time, but there are artifacts (clicks, congestion) of something less than top shelf engineering.
 
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Russell Sherman. One of the most idiosyncratic Beethoven interpreters, his take on the sonata offers ample evidence of his unique style. The Allegro is broad of overall tempo, and starts slow, but even in the slow playing, he will extend or shorten note values, seemingly just because. All throughout the exposition, he pokes and prods at the score. It's a hyper-detailed form of idiosyncrasy. It's also not especially energetic or fun, though humor is evident. It's sort of bizarrely analytical, but in a good way. Also, Sherman's dynamic range is rather wide, which he only illustrates a few times, when he plays extremely loudly. Otherwise, he plays in a finely graded narrow dynamic band. The Scherzo starts off with playing that is fast to the point of what seems like exaggeration, with the left hand dominating the proceedings, but the overall timing and tempo really isn't that fast. It's quite something. The Menuetto is really quite lovely and mostly standard in conception, and the Trio isn't particularly distorted, though Sherman throws in some nice accelerandos, just because. The Presto has a nice level of energy, and here Sherman, who can play just as clear as he wants, slurs some chords in a more marked way than just about anyone, and otherwise peppers his playing with individual touches, again just because. For those who like Sherman's very personal style, this sonata works very well, indeed.
 
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Timothy Ehlen. Another pianist who takes his time with the Allegro, and who flows back and forth between tempi nicely. The second theme is faux clunky, with more impressive than I recalled separation of hands. A slightly higher energy level would have been even better yet. Leading with the left hand, Ehlen plays up the dynamic contrasts and fun in the Scherzo. The slow Menuetto is almost too lyrical and morose in the outer sections - this ain't Schubert - while the Trio is fairly standard. The Presto displays plenty of oomph and energy and clarity and makes for a satisfying closer.
 
Try that, fantastic pianist and recording, wondrous music of course. My reference.

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Homemade Beethoven by John Kane. Slurred chords open a lengthy overall take, which overall is characterized by a nice sense of fun and some broad dynamics. Kane follows up the broad opening movement with a quick Scherzo, which has a rambunctious playful sense to it, with nice forte outbursts. The Menuetto more or less checks every box, with nicely paced and lovely outer sections, and a bold, pointed Trio. The Presto is boisterous and fun, and Kane delivers some left hand playing more than subtly different than other pianists, while not tipping into eccentricity. The bold dynamic contrasts also remain. This is not the best performance out there, but it is good and outdoes some big names.
 
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Garrick Ohlsson. Yet another lengthy open from an American, with Ohlsson displaying a level of precision rather more refined and dynamic range rather obviously wider than many other pianists. One gets the sense of permanent restraint, even in the loudest music. There's also a most delightful, effortless flow, even when the playing is purposely blocky. Ohlsson's having fun. Ohlsson then delivers one of the slowest Scherzos imaginable, at 6'32". His dynamic contrasts are enormous, with thundering fortes morphing into perfectly controlled fortissimos, and the very slow, very deliberate playing at first seems too serious, but one quickly hears a sense of mischief in the delivery. Ohlsson is going against expectations. He keeps things slow in the Menuetto, too, delivering beautiful, steady outer sections and a dynamically super-wide ranging Trio. He makes many other pianists seem puny. The Presto is again a bit broad, but here Ohlsson masks that with a perpetuum mobile style that flows effortlessly, and again the dynamic contrasts are among the very best on record, or even possible. It's impossible not to appreciate the playing quality, and in the context of a shootout, Ohlsson's recording fares better than I recalled.
 
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Earl Wild. Wild pulls off the trick of sounding like a young man. The overall timing is middle of the road, but with accelerandos, bold dynamic contrasts, and a metallic sound in the forte passages, the movement sounds faster than the timing. The energy level is high, though the delivery is more aggressive and biting than fun. Wild pulls off a similar trick in the Scherzo, with the biting forte chords adding even more heft. Wild keeps the Menuetto fairly tight, with a strong Trio, but the outer sections seem kind of plain. He closes with a high voltage Presto in line with the rest of the interpretation.
 
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Anton Kuerti. Returning to one of the most micro-managed sets yet recorded. The extremely close and dry sound reveals every detail of Kuerti's approach, and in the Allegro, that means a broad overall timing of 8'48" and dynamics at least as precisely honed as anyone's. While Kuerti imparts energy in the faster portions, and his exaggerated left hand playing imparts some humor, this is an intellectual approach to the music. Like Ohlsson, Kuerti plays the Scherzo slow, but somehow, though Kuerti's at first seems to flow better, the intense seriousness drains away a sense of mischief. And while Kuerti's dynamic range is wide, it doesn't match Ohlsson, though one gets to hear how to use the una corda to cold perfection. The Menuetto is slow and too serious in the outer sections, making the music sound like a Habsburg musicbox, and slow and exceedingly serious in the Trio, though here it merely adds weight to the proceedings. Then comes the Presto, and Kuerti reveals that he can play with real verve, energy, clarity, wide ranging dynamics, wit, the whole bit, but it's too late. The Kuerti cycle largely left me cold when I first encountered it, with some exceptions (eg, one of the greatest possible Op 31/1 recordings ever), and while I'm a bit less put off by it now, Kuerti demonstrates that it is in fact possible to treat Beethoven too seriously. At least in this sonata.
 
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Peter Rösel. From a cycle that deserves a wider audience. Rösel is no less serious than Kuerti, but he knows how and when to lighten up a bit, as in this work. The middle of the road overall timing of the Allegro (8'25") allows the music room to breathe and for nice contrasts in tempo, and Rösel also offers outstanding dynamic contrasts. In conjunction with these, he plays with high energy and imparts a sense of (admittedly well-behaved) fun. In the Scherzo, Rösel comes close to boogying, and he displays steadiness and left hand control to die for. A Menuetto with lovely, lyrical outer sections and a potent Trio gives way to a Presto of energy, drive, and fun. An eminently satisfying version.
 
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Ian Hobson. Hobson may just represent the most middle of the road interpretation possible. Here, that is complimentary. He makes no unusual tempo choices, does not rely on outsize dynamic contrasts, accents, rubato, or other interpretive gestures, and just plays. All of the movements are just about on in terms of musical flow and energy level (maybe the Scherzo could have a bit more oomph), with literally no substantive complaints even possible. This is sit down, shut up, and listen Beethoven playing.
 
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Jean-Efflam Bavouzet. Bavouzet plays the Allegro in an unabashedly quick, light, fun way. There's no excess weight or seriousness here. Same with the Scherzo, which flows along unrushed but not slow, with nice, if polite, outbursts. The Menuetto is lovely in the outer sections, and a bit small scaled in the Trio, but the Presto is all fun and energy. A nice version.
 
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Ronald Brautigam. Memories of Brautigam's cycle is that he tends to play fast. The Allegro here doesn't really live up to that memory. It's normal in tempo. Brautigam does sound a bit rushed and gruff in certain passages, but overall it's run of the mill. Except for the instrument, which I dislike. The Scherzo sounds similar, though Brautigam does rev up some of the playing more than a bit and hammers out some forte passages. It's here that one of the things I'm not wild about surfaces: the comparatively unrefined use of ancient instruments. As Paul Badura-Skoda and András Schiff both demonstrate, more subtlety can be extracted from the instruments than Brautigam opts for. This lack of subtlety is one of the traits of Brautigam's modern piano recordings, too. This becomes more of an issue in the Menuetto, where Brautigam's super-speedy ways merges with lack of nuance to create an unappealing approach. Things go better in the Presto, where speediness pays musical dividends, but the overall recording is not for me.
 
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Three from Danny Boy. Barenboim's Beethoven is sort of baseline Beethoven. He's been performing and recording the sonatas for so long, that they are basically in the category of Kempff or Brendel in that these are core recordings of core rep. Revisiting the EMI set reinforces that. Barenboim the young man could certainly have added more zip to his playing had he wanted to, but he was somewhat more measured and serious, though not at all too much so, and in place of exuberant energy is greater attention to clarity and dynamics. A fair tradeoff. The Scherzo picks up the pace a bit, and the dynamic contrasts remain potent enough to satisfy. Barenboim goes the slow route in the Menuetto, with slow and lovely outer sections and an at times near-thundering Trio, also taken slowly, and he holds the movement together nicely. The sonata closes with a very peppy Presto. The DG recording isn't too different. The Allegro sounds a bit more playful and lighter, and more relaxed. That doesn't mean slower (it's a few seconds quicker) or laid back, just more relaxed. This is evident in the funner Scherzo, too. The Menuetto loosens up quite bit compared to the earlier recording, and the Presto is groovier fun. The Decca recording, also on EMI DVD, is live, and as such it's more spontaneous and less exact. The older Barenboim succeeds in presenting an even freer sounding version of the sonata. Tempi are more pressed, dynamics wider, though they sound a bit less controlled up top. The Scherzo scampers along, punctuated by crashing forte chords, and a few passages that veer right up to recklessness. The Menuetto has more beauty and wallop but less precision, and the Presto has more drive and power, but again lacks the studio perfection of the DG recording. It's something of a toss-up between the DG and Decca live set, with the EMI still rather nifty.
 
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Paavali Jumppanen. The Allegro is more or less middle of the road in terms of timing, but it's what Jumppanen does within that timing that tickles the ear. There's an irresistible sense of playfulness and fluidity. Jumppanen's rubato and accents are personal but not outsized, and his energy level is high but also held back just a bit to keep things classical in mien. Nice. The Scherzo matches obvious preparation and mischievousness in just about perfect proportions. High energy, superb clarity, and fine forte outbursts make it sound just right. The Menuetto is beautiful in the outer sections, while the Trio is pointed and potent without sounding too dramatic. Jumppanen then plays the Presto at an almost frantic pace. I write frantic because he keeps things entirely under control, and there's incredible pep, drive, clarity and fun. A very strong end to an outstanding version.
 
Having done a sort of sub-set of American interpreters, I figured I should try something different: a shootout inside a shootout! Based on all of my prior listening, I know who I like among here and now pianists, and who rates in my first and second tiers. Thus, I decided to have a shootout of the best and brightest of today's pianists. I decided to exclude late career titans like, say, Pollini, though I did include Peter Takács – no spring chicken – just because. My selection criteria were entirely self-indulgent and lacking in objective, scientific merit, for those who concern themselves with such things. Anyhoo, time to get going:


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Kazune Shimizu. Quick, clean, fairly light in the Allegro, Shimizu zips through, making sure that the Alberto bass is clean 'n' clear without being obtrusive. And them trills. And them forte chords. Everything sounds just so. The Scherzo is just so-er. Not rushed, but most definitely not slow, its tempo is just right, and Shimizu delivers on the forte outbursts. It's serious and fun. Shimizu plays the Menuetto at a quick pace, coming in under four minutes, but not only does the playing not sound rushed, it flows and sounds lovely and relaxed in the outer sections, with just enough bite in the Trio. The Presto is quick and light in demeanor, though that should be taken to mean that Shimizu doesn't wallop out some of the passages, because he does, and he has a nice, growly bass at times. An absolutely top-notch version.



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FFG. The overall timing of the Allegro is similar to Shimizu, but FFG is more about flexibility. He uses more rubato, plays around with dynamics more, and injects a greater sense of playfulness. There's real spontaneity. (It helps that the recording is live.) FFG plays the Scherzo with oodles of mischievousness, and blurs his playing to create a sly sound, which is punctuated by the forte chords. It's all a jolly good joke! Then FFG delivers an absolutely gorgeous, slightly melancholy, though still light Menuetto. The Trio is more pointed and potent, though scale is more intimate. FFG then delivers a high speed Presto that is energetic and relentlessly forward moving, but in a good-natured way. Another top-notch version, though maybe - and it's just a maybe - not as top-notch as Shimizu.



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Andrea Lucchesini. Lucchesini, like FFG, offers a degree of flexibility in tempo and rhythm rather more noticeable than Shimizu, but the Italian keeps his personal touches within narrower bounds. His lovely tone, unfailing lyrical style, exemplary control, and wide and perfectly controlled dynamic range all help rather nicely. The Scherzo boogies right along with rhythmic brio and powerful fortes. Lucchesini delivers gorgeous playing in the outer sections of the Menuetto and more tension in the trio, and then a galloping, dynamically wide ranging, and vibrant Presto, with even more spontaneity than FFG's. (It's another live take.) Another high-end take, though not quite up the prior two versions.



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Daniel-Ben Pienaar. Pienaar goes for a lengthy Allegro, which allows him the maximum amount of flexibility in tempo, which, though some individual passages are fast and jittery, is never really rushed or especially fast. Pienaar instead focuses on emphasizing specific phrases and uses personal rubato and accenting at will. It's idiosyncratic, and while the playing doesn't flow as well as from some others, it all sounds, if not natural, than at least contrived in a fun and stylistically appropriate way. The Scherzo differs from most others in the extensive use of rubato, but otherwise is more or less falls within normal interpretive bounds. The Menuetto is fairly typical in the outer sections, with a leaner, harder sound in the Trio. In the Presto, Pienaar plays with his fast and jittery style, and he plays in a way to suggest laughter, to superb effect.



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Yusuke Kikuchi. Kikuchi starts with one of the quickest Allegros out there, and it's meticulously executed. Oodles of energy and drive; rhythmic swagger; fun phrasing; clean articulation; nifty dynamics: it has it all. It seems a bit more superficial than Shimizu, but the dashed off feel doesn't hurt a thing. Kikuchi follows that with one of the jauntiest, funnest Scherzos around, with left hand playing so good, so clear that almost all other versions seem underprepared. Kikuchi keeps it quick in the Menuetto, imparting a slight sense of urgency to the playing while keeping it beautiful in the outer sections, and light and playful in the Trio. The Presto is turbo-charged, with the pianist rushing through with exemplary control and drive and articulation and more crazy good left hand playing. The playing exhilarates. One of the best.



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Younwha Lee. Lee takes the Allegro at a middle of the road tempo, and plays with a nice degree of flexibility. Dynamics are wide ranging, but otherwise it's more or less a straight-forward, slightly gruff take on the movement, which works well. Sound is a bit edgy and bright, which also works well. The Scherzo is a rollicking good time, with everything well within normal bounds. (A rather noticeable edit kind of annoys, but that happens.) The Menuetto offers unaffected, lyrical outer sections paired with a punchy Trio, and the Presto is perfectly paced, energetic, superbly clear, and a jolly good time. Lee's recording comes close to being a perfect straight-ahead version.



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Yu Kosuge. Kosuge starts off her Allegro a bit broadly and with slurred chords, and then she proceeds to play with a degree of flexibility in tempo unsurpassed by anyone, and her dynamic gradations, especially at the quieter end of the spectrum, aided by some of the best engineering of any cycle, are superb. Her rhythmic sureness, her light, articulate Alberti bass, her perfect accenting, and her continuous forward momentum yield an irresistible open. Kosuge takes a full 5'40" to play the Scherzo, but not only does it not sound slow, it more or less bops right along at an energetic pace, with striking dynamic swings. A few passages are taken more slowly than normal, typically right before forte outbursts, which simply serves to amplify the contrasts. The Menuetto is slow and lovely (too lovely maybe?) in the outer sections and bold in the Trio, while in the Presto, Kosuge again pulls off the trick of playing with a broad overall tempo, but keeping things bopping along. Here, the effect is a bit more obvious, and never more so than when she uses dramatic, almost operatic pauses. The super well prepared and executed version is one of the best.



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Peter Takács. An academic's turn. And another recording on a Bösendorfer, this time in fully modern sound. What one gets in the Allegro is playing underpinned by beefy lower registers, and slightly tart upper registers, with the pianist taking the no-nonsense approach of Lee. While there's ample energy and boogie, there's also an analytical air to the proceedings. Just an observation. The Scherzo benefits from the deep, weighty Bösendorfer bass, and Takács moves things along in a steady, if not rushed fashion. The Menuetto sounds flowing and lovely, and again, the piano adds some extra heft to the playing in the Trio, adding to the allure. The Presto is another rollicking, bass rich movement. Takács delivers another no-nonsense reading for this group of recordings.

As expected, versions from first and second tier cycles all fare very well. Some are tip-top.
 


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