Ichiro Nodaira Plays Beethoven

[Todd]

When I scooped up the Paul Badura-Skoda JVC/Astree cycle and Wilhelm Kempff 1961 cycle on King International from Japan, it just kind of made sense for me to buy a new cycle by a Japanese pianist, too.  I had three complete sets to choose from – Ichiro Nodaira, Takahiro Sonoda II, and Shoko Sugitani – and one probably complete but can't buy it complete set – Kazune Shimizu.  The last option didn't entice me this time, precisely because it's the one disc that isn't available that I want most, and I have Sonoda's Denon cycle (superb) and Sugitani's LvB concerto cycle (not so superb), so I opted for the name new to me: Ichiro Nodaira.

Mr Nodaira is a good, old-fashioned pianist-composer, with recordings of his own works floating around Japan and online.  This struck me as a good thing.  My experience has generally been positive with other pianist-composers; Kempff, Schnabel, and Michaël Lévinas all have unique, insightful things to say, as it were.  Casadesus, too, I hasten to add.  Perhaps Mr Nodaira would join them.

This is not a brand new cycle, having been recorded between 1998 and 2003 for the Live Notes label.  It is also super complete, filled with all manner of one-off movements and some variations, and so on, though it is not completely complete.  The entire set also includes the Diabellis, but I skipped that for now, so I ended up with eleven of the twelve volumes.  Being an all-Japanese affair, the only English comments consist of a blurb about Nodaira repeated in all volumes, so there's precious little information about the set, including which kind of piano is used, or pianos are used.  I will say that the piano sound is very clear and dynamic, but lacking a bit in tonal color.  I'm betting Yamaha, but I could be wrong.

To the playing, well, Mr Nodaira shows that perhaps pianist-composers do have some special connection with these works, because his cycle is uniformly excellent.  His tempi are generally quick.  His overall approach is serious, almost reverential, which seems common among Japanese pianists.  And Nodaira is definitely very "classical" in nature.  He doesn't utilize outsize dynamics or attention grabbing rubato, nor does he perfume the music with excess pedalling.  His is basically a straight-ahead, no-nonsense style.  The main liberty he takes is that he tends to exclude repeats. 

Nodaira is solid, really solid, across the board.  Actually he's better than solid.  His early sonatas are quick and intense and serious, but never heavy.  His middle sonatas are swift and powerful, though in some sonatas the bass registers growl and sound indistinct.  He brings out some left hand figurarations in a way I had not quite heard before in Op 28 and Op 53, though each note is not crystal clear.  Whether that is purposeful or an artifact of the piano used, or the recording technique used, or some combination of the three, I cannot say.  What I can say is that Nodaira nails Op 31.  Each is characterized pretty much the way I like.  The outer sonatas are great good fun, and 31/2 is intense.  I just sat straight through the disc, listening, more than occasionally smiling, and always reveling in the playing.  He pretty much nails the last five sonatas, too.  101 and 106 are not showcases of unlimited technical prowess, like with, say, Korstick or Goodyear, but they are just so right.  Even more right are the last three sonatas.  The playing manages to achieve late LvB trancendence while at the same time sounding incredibly proper.  Nodaira opts to just let the music speak for itself, as it were. 

This is really a superb, consistent, and consistently enjoyable cycle.  Early this year I picked up Yusuke Kikuchi's cycle, and I deemed it perhaps the best Japanese cycle I'd heard, trumping even Takahiro Sonoda's Denon cycle.  (Maybe – that's not etched in granite.)  Nodaira doesn't quite match up to those two of his compatriots, but he's pretty freakin' close.  He also rates quite highly overall, besting, for me, some big names, though it's hard to say if he joins the elite.  That will take some time to determine.  In the meantime, this cycle makes a most welcome addition to my collection.

[jochanaan]

Interesting review!  I tend to like my Beethoven "over the top" but not too much; still, it sounds like I might really like this set--again, if I could afford it or find clips somewhere...

[Mookalafalas]

Really nice review.  I opened this up because I am listening to Kempff's 60s cycle right now.  I like the breadth and even-handedness of your approach, but especially the positive enthusiasm.   It makes me want to listen to everything even more, and more closely.  Thanks for the inspiration