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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.