On The Hunt

[Todd A]

Claudio Arrau. While no one really listens to an Arrau recording to hear something snappy, the pianist's tempo in the opening Allegro is not particularly slow. In places, he plays with something approximating zip, and his rich tone automatically adds some heft, so while the overall style is definitely on the serious side, it works nicely enough. Both Scherzo and Menuetto outer sections are played at a leisurely pace, with decent enough energy in the first case and ample lyricism in the latter. The Trio is weighty enough. The Presto finds Arrau playing with enough energy, drive, and weight to make the listener think the underlying tempo is swifter than it is, at least much of the time. The 80s recording is similar in timing an approach, but there's more a sense of the pianist just pushing forward; there's less flexibility in tempi, and dynamics are more limited. As such, the earlier recording ends up the preferred choice, though neither are top tier type stuff.

 

[Todd A]

Walter Gieseking. Somewhat slow to start his stripped-down Allegro, Gieseking takes his time to rev up. Throughout, though he introduces a refined and variable touch, and his inimitable sense of freedom, Gieseking's mien remains serious. The Scherzo has plenty of energy, but it, too, sounds too serious, as does the Menuetto. The seriousness doesn't seem to come from great affinity for the music, but rather from a desire to sight read the score and get it done with, though that's probably not the case. The Presto sure seems to indicate that, as here is what one expects of Gieseking playing Debussy. Pushed perhaps just a little too far, there's an insouciance bordering on recklessness that works rather well. While it's true the ancient sound doesn't help, the performance itself just is not among the pianist's better Beethoven performances.

 

[Todd A]

Mari Kodama. Kodama goes for a quick but not rushed Allegro characterized by some of the cleanest playing, especially left hand playing, one can hope for, and her dynamics are perfectly controlled, which is aided by tip-top sound. There's energy, fun, and so forth, but her playing seems surface-y. The Scherzo is comparatively broad and, while not sluggish or lacking energy, a bit ho-hum in comparison. The Menuetto is nice, though the Trio sounds somewhat underplayed, curiously enough. The Presto has more of that surface-y good time energy of the Allegro. Meh.

 

[Todd A]

Friedrich Gulda. Time for an eight hundred pound gorilla. In the Decca recording, Gulda starts off kinda slow and definitely soft, displaying nice tonal variation, and as the movement speeds up, he keeps things fairly soft much of the time. No hard-hitting playing here, though the aged sound plays a part. The mien is also light but serious. Prankish fun is a lesser priority. The whole movement has an air of smoothness to it, which is all the more impressive since the playing is swift without sounding especially swift. In the Scherzo, the young Gulda picks up the pace, and here a more prankish sense emerges, as do broader dynamics. There's again a sort of effortlessness to the swift tempo and the dynamic contrasts are superbly done. The Menuetto is taut and attractive in the outer sections and light but punchy in the Trio. The Presto is clean, light, fun, dynamically varied, has some rumbly-ish bass, and, most important, unerring rhythmic goodness. It's a superb recording - and it's the weak one of the bunch.

Gulda ramps things up in the Orfeo recording. The cleaner though still aged sound reveals more dynamics contrasts, and Gulda zips through the Allegro with improved rhythmic snap and a freer, funner, though still serious sound. And that left hand playing! Then comes a bopping, rocking Scherzo, with, for the time and type of recording, kick-ass forte (or rather fortississimo) playing. The playing could be described as jittery, except it’s too steady, too clean. It's almost a musical machine gun rat-a-tat-tat effect. Gulda keeps the outer sections of the Menuetto quick, remarkably un-tense given the tempo, and quite lovely. He then plays the Trio as a mix of satisfyingly lyrical episodes and punched out ones. Given the Allegro, it's not at all surprising that the Presto is all bouncy rhythmic greatness, clean 'n' clear fingerwork, bold dynamics, and good time, but still in a serious way playing. One of the great recordings. But it's still only the second best recording from Mr Gulda.

The Amadeo recording is where it's at. Basically, it takes the Orfeo recording's approach, adds small dashes of the Decca recording's smoothness, and then introduces a degree of flexibility, including playing that sounds almost downright relaxed, in a loosely coiled yet ready to strike sort of way, to render something well-nigh perfect, at least as far as classical style interpretations go. Too, there's more of a sense of fun in some of the playing. One for the ages.

 

[Todd A]

Paul Lewis. Kudos to Mr Lewis for starting off his cycle with the Op 31 trio, a most advisable move. In this sonata, Lewis opens with an Allegro on the slow end of the spectrum at 9'13". The movement is uncommonly lyrical and nearly as flexible as the best of them (Mejoueva, say), but Lewis is never in a hurry. And that detracts. While one can appreciate the clear fingerwork, the extremely fine dynamic control, and everything else, the playing lacks enough get up and go. In the Scherzo, Lewis takes his time, but his left hand playing is weighted in such a way and delivered so steadily that the movement sounds faster than it is - though it doesn't sound particularly fast. The Menuetto is smooth, flowing, lovely, with a perfect degree of tension, while the Trio sounds broad and large of scale. The Presto, too, sounds uncommonly large in scale, but again the tempo choice detracts. There's no questioning Lewis' ivory tickling ability (which is even more impressive in person), but this interpretation just doesn't work for me.

 

[Todd A]

Jean Muller. Muller plays the Allegro at a middle of the road pace, and he packs in all sorts of little touches - a potent accent here, a little accelerando there - that add spice without adding anything odd. It's a pleasant opening movement. The Scherzo use perhaps a bit more rubato than normal, but otherwise, it, too, sounds pleasant. The outer sections of the Menuetto are especially lovely, while the Trio is, well, alternatively pleasant and sort of potent. The Presto has ample energy, even if the playing lacks the clarity of other versions. A decidedly OK take.

 

[Todd A]

Martin Rasch. Aside from the resonant sound (perhaps with added reverb?), the opening Allegro is basically a run of the mill type reading, with enough energy and rhythmic snap to make for a quite nice listen. The Scherzo is just a bit broad of tempo, but Rasch keeps things moving forward with some nice bass-oriented playing. Rasch then plays the Menuetto in a comparatively swift manner, to good effect, with a nicely weighted trio. The slightly broad Presto, like the Scherzo, is led by the bass. In the context of the Rasch cycle, this is a good performance; in the context of comparative listening, it's OK.

 

[Todd A]

Glenn Gould. Gould drops repeats, starts the Allegro off very slow, then plays it very, very fast, and uses ridiculous rubato. The dynamics are limited and the playing is not particularly clear. The Scherzo, fortunately, doesn't sound quite as bad, but it's still obviously a musical grotesquerie. The Menuetto manages to sound ugly, and the Trio uglier yet, all while sounding stiff and rough. The Presto, mercifully short, is much closer to conventional and less bad, and has hints of musical value. It's only really possible to appreciate how laughably bad Gould truly is in a comparative context. This is actually worse than I remembered; this is clownish trash.

 

[Todd A]

Takahiro Sonoda. It's hard to think of a pianist more extremely different than Gould than Takahiro Sonada. He opens his Nippon Columbia with a slow, deliberate, and serious Allegro that comes in at a whopping 9'26". Despite the length, it never sounds slow; it flows along nicely enough, and if it lacks the last word in energy and playfulness, moments of levity shine through, and certain touches stand out, like the very fine trills. The Scherzo is likewise slow, and often too serious, or almost too serious, for its own good, but again, Sonoda introduces some levity, and his forte outbursts, while hemmed in and predictable, nonetheless work quite nicely. Sonoda delivers slow and somber but extremely beautiful playing in the outer sections of the Menuetto, and restrained playing in the Trio. In the Presto, Sonoda plays with ample energy and drive and wit, showing that the whole work was leading to this fun, though still serious, movement. The Evica recording, with gobs more hall reverb, starts with an Allegro that comes in at a more standard 8'58". The playing is a bit tauter, but certainly not speedy. The playing retains an undeniable seriousness, but Sonoda injects more musical with, and the dynamic variation is superior. The trills, though, are a smidge less satisfying. That's a tradeoff worth accepting. The Scherzo is again a bit broad, but even when slower than ideal, it keeps an unstoppable forward momentum, and Sonoda injects more tonal and dynamic variety into the recording, and includes subdued prankishness. In the Menuetto, Sonoda again delivers some lovely playing in the outer sections, though here it's a bit more tense, and the Trio is serious and mostly about stark contrasts. The Presto again wraps things up with ample energy and something like fun, though the contrast is less apparent than in the Denon recording. Overall, the Evica is the better recording.

 

[Todd A]

Eric Heidsieck. Heidsieck drops repeats in the Allegro, starts off a bit slow, but then moves into playing possessed of more energy, while delivering everything in an admirably smooth, flowing way. He uses personal rubato, and delivers sometimes widely varying dynamics, in a micro-sense, throughout, all while making it sound perfectly natural. Here's how to do idiosyncratic and do it right. It sounds fresh, even a half century later. It sounds inevitable. It's about Beethoven. The Scherzo, just a tiny bit broad in overall timing, has more wonderful flexibility and smooth forward drive, combined with wit and an appropriate dynamic punch when needed. The swift Menuetto is lovely and tuneful and tense in the outer sections, while the Trio is, at least partly due to the age of the recording, dynamically limited but still perfectly proportioned and just a bit relaxed in terms of tempo to more perfectly blend in with the outer sections. Heidsieck closes out with a vibrant, rhythmically snappy, driven but not pressed, and just plain fun Presto. Revisiting this just reinforces how good Heidsieck is in Beethoven.

 

[Todd A]

Maurizio Pollini. Late career Pollini in middle period Beethoven. The pianist starts the Allegro fast and keeps things more or less fast throughout. He does introduce a bit of tempo flexibility, and even tonal variegation, and hints of wit, but this is mostly about fast and serious Beethoven playing. Pollini does obviously enjoy himself, as both the constant vocalizing and dazzlingly rushed passages attest to. The Scherzo is of the high energy, somewhat serious variety, with some nice forte outbursts. Pollini keeps things fast in the Menuetto, with surprisingly attractive outer sections, and an unsurprisingly potent and quick Trio. Pollini also zips right through the Presto, almost going too fast in places. There's less sense of fun than in other versions, but it's still rock solid.

 

[Todd A]

Jean-Bernard Pommier. Pommier goes for a slightly slow Allegro, which allows for some flexibility in tempo, though it stays on the slow side. It also mostly stays on the light, small-scaled side, too. Some of the left hand playing is nicely prominent, but Pommier slows down around some forte playing, which doesn't really work in the context of this movement of this sonata. The Scherzo is just delightful, with Pommier scampering along the keyboard, obviously relishing the musical hijinks. It's one of the funnest Scherzi to this point. The outer sections of the Menuetto are swift and attractive, while the Trio is punchy and playful, sort of letting the spirit of the Scherzo pop out a bit. The Presto revisits the spirit and energy of the Scherzo to close out in style.

 

[Todd A]

Robert Silverman. In the Orpheum recording, Silverman opts for a slow-ish overall tempo, like Pommier, but more like Mejoueva, he uses this to allow for greater flexibility throughout the movement, which is enhanced further with the playback piano used. (The instrument also allows for masterful use of the underlying Bosendorfer decay traits.) The forte passages have some oomph, and the energy level is generally fine. Some of the little details are quite fine, especially with the perfectly weight left hand playing (ie, not too heavy) that nonetheless comes across with great clarity. The Scherzo offers slightly more energy, but otherwise is stylistically the same. The Menuetto flows nicely, though the sound is not especially lovely, while in the Trio, the Bosendorfer's clean decays and bass weight add some real heft to the proceedings. The Presto rollicks along with a vibrant good time vibe, with the left hand playing again offering a rock solid but not overbearing foundation. Too bad the supposedly audiophile sound ain't so hot.

The AudioHigh recording, taken from a recital performance starts off with a slower Allegro. Somehow, despite the fact that the pianist's older fingers seem slightly less secure than his earlier, non-Orpheum LvB recordings (since the Orpheum is altered, it's not an accurate take on the playing), Silverman actually seems to be groovin' just a little bit more, in a leisurely and carefree sorta way. Sure, the forte passages are a bit weak, the faster music is not fast or precise, but the music-making is just darned tootin', in a nice recital to attend kind of way. The Scherzo offers more of the same, but in the end is too slow, with no off-setting benefits in the manner of Garrick Ohlsson. The outer sections of the Menuetto are especially lovely and flowing here, and the Trio comes off nice enough. The Presto is a bit higher energy, and it's clear that the left hand playing here, which sounds remarkably similar to the Orpheum recording, is a feature of Silverman's style. Overall, the Orphuem is better, and the AudioHigh makes me wish I would have attended the recitals. Playing is usually more engaging in person.

 

[Todd A]

Arthur Schnabel. Schnabel opens with an Allegro on the swift, but not too swift side, of course, and he more or less makes the music flow along just like it should. He comes close to carelessly rushing some passages, and his forte playing has plenty of oomph, his accents plenty of bite, and the whole movement has plenty of energy and more than an occasional sense of playfulness. Nice. The Scherzo is fast and almost reckless at times. There's no denying the spirit of the playing. Again, nice. In the outer sections of the Menuetto, Schnabel plays with a good deal of beauty, and throws in repeated nice touches (eg, accelerated right hand figurations) to predictably superb effect, and the Trio takes on a very slightly somber tone at times to augment the at other times punchy playing. The Presto is reckless, with Schnabel pushing forward at breakneck speed, happily not worrying about imperfection. Talk about standing the test of time.

 

[Todd A]

Claude Frank. Frank opens with an Allegro only seconds longer than Schnabel's, but Frank never sounds hectic or rushed or anything close to careless. Indeed, he sounds rather careful. That's not to say that Frank doesn't imbue his playing with a sense of fun and vigor - he does - just that he's better prepared. His playing offers an adroit mix of the serious and the light. (This is one of the things that makes his 31/1 one of the very best ever.) The Scherzo could conceivably be considered too buttoned down, but it’s not, and some of the little touches, with some shortened note values used to perfect effect, enhance the experience. Frank's seriousness pays off with attractive outer sections of the Menuetto and a slightly lighter in tone Trio possessed of ample weight. The Presto is like a slightly freer sounding Scherzo. A superb take.

 

[Todd A]

Jenő Jandó. Jandó starts off with a perfectly sensible Allegro. Timing is slightly broad, but that allows for perfect and comfortable tempo flexibility. The Alberti bass is dandy. The playing has ample energy and wit and fun, and the overall feel is on the light side. Nice. Jandó picks up the pace a bit in a rhythmically alert and forward moving Scherzo, with the only drawback being the somewhat limited nature of the forte outbursts, though that is likely due more to the recording technique. In the Menuetto, Jandó goes for a quick, tense, but still lyrical approach, and in the Trio he ends up going the personalized route, with a slow tempo and exaggerated pauses and notable rubato, though it all works. The Presto is played at a quick tempo, with ample energy, and Jandó's left hand playing is remarkably steady and clean. Overall, a solid version.

 

[Todd A]

Louie Lortie. Lortie goes for a slightly lengthy opener, again allowing for flexibility in tempo, but, when combined with the resonant recording, sometimes generous pedaling, generous legato, and generous rubato, Lortie generates a fairly big sonority take that doesn't really move forward or have lots of energy, and wit is somewhat less apparent. There's something appealing in the style, but it has its limits. The Scherzo is just a tad broad, but has nice energy and drive, and the scale is rather nice. The outer sections of the Menuetto are deliberate and lovely, and the Trio is deliberate and a bit dull. The Presto is nicely done and benefits more than the prior movements from the big sound.

 

[Todd A]

Michael Houstoun. In the Morrison Trust recording, Houstoun starts with a broad Allegro, but this allows for great tempo flexibility. He starts slow, subdued, and he never shies away from belting out the forte playing, instead relishing the opportunities. He also clips some notes and chords to good effect. And then he shows how one can play an 8'32" opener and still play with a super-zippy tempo in the faster passages. In short, he maximized contrasts in both dynamics and tempo. Very nice. He also doesn't skimp on wit and prankishness, and his trills are so fast they produce a musical blur. In the Scherzo, Houstoun doesn't adopt a fast tempo, but his approach makes it sound faster than it is, and again, he seems to positively relish the forte outbursts. The outer sections of the Menuetto are nice enough, but the weighty, dynamic Trio is where it's at here, and in the Presto Houstoun revs up the tempo and plays with drive and rhythm and punch aplenty. Superb.

The Rattle recording, in better, bolder, richer sound, starts off with an even slower Allegro. Houstoun changes things up quite a bit. The forte playing isn't as bold, though it's nice. The fast sections are definitely slower, but they sound lighter and more relaxed. Leading with the bass, Houstoun delivers a sort of slow-ish motion perpetuum mobile Scherzo, and one where the pianist again revels in hammering out the loudest music. In the Menuetto, Houstoun plays with a broad beauty in the outer sections, and predictable oomph in the Trio, and he ends the movement with uncommon strength paired with effective slow playing. He then holds pretty much nothing back in a high energy Presto closer. Overall, the Morrison Trust recording is better, but the Rattle recording has its not insubstantial appeal.

 

[Todd A]

Christian Leotta. Leotta's tempo for the Allegro is on the super slow end of the spectrum, coming in at 9'35". While a slow approach can work, it takes some doing. To be sure, Leotta plays with no little tonal beauty, and he keeps the music moving forward, but wit, fun, energy, and effective outbursts are more or less all absent. Leotta goes for a super-slow Scherzo, and it pretty much sounds slow. The outer sections of the Menuetto are attractive enough, but the Trio is slow and boring. Leotta plays with a bit more energy in the still broad Presto, but it's not especially strong, and it closes out a ho-hum take on the work.

 

[Todd A]

Emil Gilels. Gilels' Allegro is of course on the broad side, but at least as much as with Ohlsson, there's a sense precision and restraint, and a sense of ease. Gilels does play some forte passages with oomph, and he does play some faster passages quickly, but mostly there's a sense of ease, almost like musical doodling by a master. The Scherzo carries on the overall feel, and sounds mischievous, especially when Gilels belts out the forte outbursts. Those forte outbursts return in the deliberate and measure Trio, as expected, which is surrounded by slow sections of the Menuetto that sound rich and lovely. In the Presto, Gilels almost lets loose. I write almost because he obviously could push things further if he wanted, but the clarity, the steadiness of the left hand playing, the dynamic contrasts, everything sounds just swell. Good stuff.