Beethoven piano sonata shoot-out

[Todd]

Over the past several months, I worked through four complete LvB piano sonata cycles, including one bad cycle and the worst cycle yet recorded.  (One hopes no one records anything worse.)  Whilst refreshing the Most Scientifically Accurate and Objective Ranking System^® known to humankind, I thought it was about time that I clean up the top of the second tier, which includes an unsatisfying eleven cycles.  It must be ten, so a proper top ten can be followed by a second best top ten.  It just makes aesthetic sense.  It also allows for a sussing out of comparative greatness sufficient to ultimately be compared to the top ten, so a refreshed, rejuvenated, and new and improved top ten cand be sorted out at some point. 

It's just too time-consuming to listen to all thirty-two sonatas eleven times, so I decided to go with a sampling approach.  Relying on objective rigor that would make Schneider-Kreuznach engineers envious, I selected five sonatas to get to the bottom of this pressing question.  The first round consists of A/Bing two pianists in Opp 10/3 and 31/3.  The second round compares Opp 28 and 78 from the first-round winners.  The third round compares Opp 110 from the second-round winners.  Since eleven pianists are involved, Irina Mejoueva, in her second cycle for Bijin, earns a first-round bye.  While I expect each bracket to have a winner, in the unlikely event of a tie, a coin flip will decide the victor.  So, let the games begin.





Match 1: Fazil Say vs Arthur Schnabel

 

In Op 10/3, Schnabel plays the Presto quite swift in the quickest passages, but he backs off, with perfect fluidity, to play some passages a bit slower, but with perfect flow.  The slow burn Largo epitomizes late 19th century romanticism.  The note imperfect Menuetto has plenty of verve, as does the concluding Rondo.  It had been a while since I last listened to Schnabel's take, and it is indeed good stuff.  Say starts a bit slower, speeds up, amps things up, and uses rubato as deftly as Schnabel.  The Largo is wildly different, with no repeat, and played at a swift tempo, with tension throughout.  It works, just not as well as Schnabel's take.  The Menuetto sounds lovely in the outer sections, and punchy in the middle, while the Rondo has ample verve.  But Schnabel takes it.

In 31/3, Schnabel is pretty much all about verve and speed and playing that veers right to the edge of recklessness.  Such a style works rather well here.  Say opts for more variation in tempo and especially dynamic contrasts, coming close to overthinking the piece.  Fortunately, the end result nevertheless yields ample energy and wit.  And the lightness of touch in some of the playing really hits the spot.  He offers a distinct take on the Scherzo, which, while not slow, sort of rolls along at a relaxed tempo, and his playing in the outer sections of the Menuetto are quite lovely.  Overall, Say is pretty close to Schnabel in this sonata, just different.

Winner: Schnabel

[George]

Should be a fun thread. I have always loved my Schnabel set (on Naxos Historical CDs.)

[AnotherSpin]

Quite an illustration of the scientific approach

[Todd]

Match 2: Kazune Shimizu vs FFG

 

Kazune Shimizu starts 10/3 with crisp, clean, brisk playing, with nary a note out of place, and a perfectly classical mien.  The Largo sounds controlled and mixes drama and reserve nicely, with a rock-steady slow tempo and a satisfyingly loud climax.  The Menuetto and especially Rondo are delivered with pep and clarity.  Nice.  FFG starts faster, and the more closely miked piano sounds beefier.  FFG does not play with the same clarity as Shimizu, but he almost glides along with a sense of serious playfulness in the Presto.  The Largo comes off slightly pressed sounding, rather dramatic, and kind of episodic, but in the best way.  The close, bass-rich recording yields nice forte playing and an overall dramatic feel.  The tuneful outer sections and playful middle section of the Menuetto really hit the spot, and the Rondo just exudes fun.  FFG takes this one.

Shimizu's 31/3 sounds clean and proper, with beefy bass sforzandi and forward momentum.  The Scherzo is left-hand led, and that left hand is again steady, steady, steady.  The Menuetto meets the Moderato e grazioso definition, that's for sure, and the Presto con fuoco displays snap, crackle, pop, and nice sforzandi.  FFG offers playing that's more or less the same in terms of tempi, but the playing is less about clean articulation than about groovy forward motion and flexibility.  This is a live recreative event.  Which one is better, clean and straight-forward or flexible and mischievous?  It's a mood thing and damn close to a tie. 

Winner: FFG, by the slimmest of margins.