Younwha Lee Plays Beethoven

[Todd]

About this time last year, I stumbled across Yaeko Yamane's Beethoven cycle.  A Japanese market only release recorded in the 90s, it caught me by surprise because I was completely unaware of it, and of the pianist, and because of how much I liked the cycle.  It is definitely an interventionist take on the works, and while not everything works equally well, Yamane's ideas and delivery do offer rich rewards in many works.  But for St Annie, Yamane's cycle was perhaps the best I'd heard from a woman, with only Irina Mejoueva's set of comparable quality to my ears.  This year, thanks to fellow forum friend Fred, it was Younwha Lee's turn.  I can honestly say that before January 10, 2015, I had no idea Ms Lee existed, or that she had recorded a Beethoven cycle.  Thanks to Mateus, I was able to finally find a Korean source for CDs, and one that happened to have the cycle, and for the not too bad price of about a hundred bucks all-in.  Unlike Ms Yamane, though, it appears that Ms Lee, at least as far as recordings go, is a one trick pony: Whereas Yamane has recorded a good chunk of core rep, Lee has recorded only Lou's stuff.  Of course, she did so for Sony Korea, so that seemed a positive sign.  Her tutelage at UDub and Juilliard seemed to ensure technically fine playing.  That she counts Ania Dorfman among her teachers places her in an at least somewhat distinguished pedagogical line, too.  This cycle was started in 1994 and took until at least 1999 to complete, though I'm thinking it took longer.  The five discs of the first volume were recorded in Japan, and the five discs of the second volume were recorded in Australia.  The whole shebang was released in two clamshell boxes in 2007.  I'm embarrassed to say I did not buy this until 2015.

The embarrassment got worse upon listening.  No need to delay: Ms Lee's cycle kicks ass.  She's a no-bullshit, high-energy performer of the music.  She has no time for petty prettiness, nor does she wallow in sentiment, nor does she (usually) sacrifice the big picture to focus on detail.  These are Beethoven's piano sonatas, dammit, so the only two things that need to be done are for her to play and the listener to listen.

The first disc contains three big 'name' sonatas: Tempest, Waldstein, and Appassionata.  Perhaps the powers that be at Sony did not initially intend to record a cycle, or perhaps this was all part of the plan.  Whatever the case, 31/2 starts the disc, and right from the start, Ms Lee plays the music in a way I dig.  The opening arpeggio of the Largo, and the Largo itself – slow and moody.  The Allegro – quick, fiery, and biting.  If, as recorded (with a healthy dose of resonance), Ms Lee is not the world's greatest colorist, she far more than makes up for it with dynamic variegation, drive, and outright vigor.  The slow Adagio makes good use of silences, and even better use of dynamic contrasts.  The Allegretto, with Lee's bright, metallic tone, cruises along with a high degree of energy and moments of perfectly measured intensity.  Op 53 starts off brisk, but not rushed, then moves into brisker, more dynamic playing, though Lee knows when to back off.  But there's unstoppable forward drive.  Perhaps some of the louder passages get just a smidge congested, but then this is more distantly recorded than some other sets.  Also, some of the playing ends up teetering right on the edge of harshness, but that serves to ratchet up excitement.  The Introduzione is somber and perfectly paced, and Lee builds up the tension in the forte passages by hitting sharp, metallic notes, which add a sense of urgency.  The Rondo starts off with nimble, swift playing, before swelling into powerful, undulating playing.  Again, some of the playing sounds almost harsh, but it never gets there, and though Lee is a straight-forward type of player, she allows herself some unique phrasing, but she absolutely always makes sure to keep things moving forward, at times almost breathlessly, though never recklessly.  The coda is hammered out, perhaps right at the edge of Lee's technique, and it comes perilously close to banging.  But it is thrilling, there is no doubt.  Op 57 ends the disc.  The opening Allegro is pounded out at the beginning, shorn of subtlety and beauty.  The 'quieter' playing is imbued with a tense, jittery feel.  There is no real respite.  This is of St Annie and Richter levels of intensity – though not Richter level technical command.  The Andante finally offers rest from the onslaught.  It is calm, nearly serene.  The tension slowly builds, until the third variation which is nearly as intense as some of the opening movement.  The final variation is a slightly desperate sounding reprise of the theme.  Then the Allegro ma non troppo erupts.  Lee plays fast and decidedly furious.  Again, subtlety and grace go AWOL.  In their place are intensity and more intensity.  Listeners who want more tonal beauty and delicacy should listen elsewhere, because Ms Lee is right up in your face.  The dynamic range seems flattened a little to achieve the speed and intensity, but that is a trade worth making.  Some of the phrasing seems a bit strained, and at least one edit close to 7' seems a bit abrupt, but so what?  Whew!  What an opening disc! 

The second disc contains three more 'name' sonatas: Pathetique, Moonlight, and Les Adieux.  It opens with Op 13, and Lee starts with a serious, slow Grave, then moves into a fast, intense, but scaled-back – when compared to Opp 53 and 57 – and classical reading of the Allegro.  Make no mistake, it is loaded to the brim with brio, and it is no milquetoast reading; this can match any other reading out there for seriousness and intensity.  Serkin?  St Annie?  Sure.  The slightly tense Adagio cantabile finds Lee playing with a bit more tonal refinement and lyricism, but this is no salon piece.  The Rondo starts off ever so slightly restrained, but very quickly moves into high intensity playing.  Pacing, dynamics, rhythm: everything is just about right.  27/2 follows.  The Adagio is comparatively brisk and tense and moody, and Lee doesn't bother to create an especially hazy sound.  That's quite alright.  The Allegretto is taut and clean, serving as a perfect bridge to the Presto agitato, which starts fast and moderately intense, but not too much so.  This leaves a bit of leeway to exploit dynamic contrasts, with basically perfect (or something very close to it) sforzandi.  Truth to tell, the playing takes on an almost academic air.  It's as though a professor has grown weary of talented, naturally gifted students just not doing things right, so she has taken it upon herself to demonstrate how it's done.  The disc ends with 81/a.  The opening movement alternates nicely between slow-ish, almost meditative playing, and quicker, sharper, more intense playing.  The right hand playing has real zing at times.  The slow movement adds in some sharp left hand playing, too, but it never wallows.  It is merely serious.  The final movement expresses joy of a most vibrant type.  Plenty of energy and drive are on offer, and if some of the playing sounds a bit congested, the overall feel is spot-on in the context of Lee's approach.  The second disc nearly equals the opening disc.

The third disc ends up going back to the start, and covers the first three sonatas.  2/1 opens with swift, potent Allegro; moves to a slower, gentler Adagio, though not one that turns soft; transitions to a well-nigh perfectly paced and played Menuetto and Trio; and concludes with fiery Prestissimo.  An almost perfect opener.  2/2 is, if anything, better yet.  The Allegro vivace is quick, alert, light(-ish), and over quicker than its timing might imply.  The Largo appassionato, taken at a quick clip more like a fast Adagio or slow Andante, never delves too deep, but it is a bit more serious, and is more intense than passionate, but that only serves to help matters.  The Scherzo's outer sections are jaunty and fun, the trio more subdued and lyrical.  The Rondo is comparatively breezy, except for the strikingly intense middle section.  Everything just clicks.  The final sonata of the opening threesome starts off quick but measured for the first theme, bursts into life during the chords and octaves, and basically goes back and forth for the rest of the movement.  Throughout, Lee plays with superb dynamic variation, rock-solid rhythmic vitality, and a sense of fun.  The Adagio, played at a more measured pace than other slow movements, is serious and searching.  The tolling bass notes are restrained, and while intense in places, Lee keeps things well controlled.  The Scherzo minuet sections have sharp, clean staccato playing, and the trio remains taut and tense.  Lee plays the Allegro assai at a comfortable yet still fast pace, and she brings out more distinction between the left and right hand parts than normal at times.  Everything about every movement of every one of these three sonatas is spot-on. 

Disc four continues on sequentially with Op 7.  Lee plays the opening Allegro at yet another perfectly judged tempo, maintains unfailing rhythmic acuity, plays the loudest chords at a satisfying but not overwhelming volume, and makes the work sound both serious and youthful at once.  It is possible to have the best of both worlds.  The Largo, slow and played with expertly judged pauses, is passionate yet restrained, and hints at bigger things.  The Allegro is quick and jaunty in the outer sections, and the middle sections is a quasi-growling, intense interlude.  Lee closes with an at times edgy, at times potent (especially in the middle section), always vibrant Rondo.  10/1 follows.  Lee opts for a potent rather than blistering fast opening arpeggio.  Again, Lee's sforzandi rock, her overall dynamic command is superb, and her mastery of transitions is more evident than before – and it was plenty evident before.  The very Andante-like Adagio maintains forward momentum and a certain lightness.  This is not musical heavy weather, though it's not at all lightweight.  The Prestissimo is incisive and weighty, and if a few times it sounds a bit congested, the unyielding forward drive is simply a treat to listen to.  10/2 closes the disc.  Lee lightens up a bit, at least in some passages.  She reveals an attractive legato in some passages, yet she always remembers to punch out notes and chords where she should.  She also plays at a slightly more leisurely than anticipated tempo in the opening movement.  It's not slow, not at all, but it breathes a bit, as it were.  The  Allegretto is a bit heavier than expected, making for a nice overall contrast.  The Presto, unfortunately, elicits my first serious complaint: Lee doesn't play the repeat.  That's quite a pity given the rollicking good time she makes of it.  Another superb disc down.

The last disc of the first volume opens with Op 10/3.  As expected by this point, Lee plays the opening Presto swiftly and energetically, with a most satisfying dynamic range.  She's not afraid to hammer on them keys (like in the coda).  But she also knows when not to.  The Largo opens s  l  o  w, and stays that way most of the time.  She builds up the tension and dynamics slowly – and I do like it when a pianist can play slow and loud – and if she never builds to a fever pitch of intensity, the darker, more brooding type she does generate is its own reward.  The Allegro again offers a near perfect mix of tempi and dynamics, and the high voltage, fun Rondo finishes off a world class seventh sonata.  Op 14/1 follows, and Lee holds nothing back.  Fast and hard-hitting, she plays the sonata about as intensely as it can take, yet she never pulverizes the music.  She slows down quite a bit in the Allegretto, but balances everything just right.  The Rondo is another high-energy affair, especially the blistering middle section, which takes a back seat to no one in terms of excitement.  Op 22 finishes off the disc.  Lee plays the opening movement in an appropriate manner, but she also plays a few upper register notes in an unusual, flat way in the opening bars, and when the music returns, but the overall feeling of the movement is just right.  Lee then softens up just the right amount for the Adagio.  She also allows herself a few more personal touches, with tasteful rubato deployed in a few spots.  The Menuetto and concluding Rondo are both played with plenty of energy, a few personal touches with respect to tempi and dynamics, and an occasionally sharp sounding right hand.  Nothing harsh, mind you.  It's just right.  As is the entire first volume.

The second volume opens with 14/2.  The recorded sound is noticeably different.  It is closer, much closer, and much less resonant.  It also has much less bass weight, and while Lee still plays with fine dynamic gradation, the change in recording technique affects overall dynamics.  Big crescendos are less big; potent sforzandi are less potent.  The playing has less drama, less oomph, less impact.  All five discs in the second volume are similar, though some are a bit better that others.  Anyway, Lee opens with another well-judged Allegro, here a bit gentler and lyrical, though the bright right hand playing is still evident.  The Andante suffers from the recording technique.  Tempo is fine, spirit is fine, but the dynamic contrasts are more subdued – too subdued.  The Scherzo is crisp and fun, with Lee's rubato and nice use of a few micro-pauses becoming more evident with the closer sound.  Op 26 follows.  Lee plays the Andante theme at a pleasant pace and with a softer sound (the recording or playing?), and with a few personal touches – an accelerated arpeggio here, a bit of dynamic shading there.  She then launches into a nicely varied set of variations, all well played and judged.  But, again, some bass notes, in particular, sound comparatively anemic.  The Scherzo displays more of that bite and intensity more evident in volume one, sans truly satisfying left hand playing, but is shows Lee in fine, if sometimes gruff form.  The funeral march is somber and intense of spirit, but the listener has to fill in the lower register blanks.  (Cranking the volume helps a bit.)  The middle section is especially fiery.  Lee pummels out the final movement with intensity and grit to spare.  The lack of heft ends up not really mattering so much here.  The disc concludes with Op 28.  This is no lyrical, laid back Pastorale.  This is a hard-hitting, driven performance.  The Andante is slow and super serious, offering not respite, but something nearer gloom, except in the measured but fun-ish middle section, and sounds both urgent and lyrical in the final pages.  The Scherzo has a biting sound to it.  The trio sounds stiff and just a hair off, to what end I'm not quite sure.  The final movement is taut and edgy, yet still lyrical enough, and builds to an intense climax in the middle and thunders out at the end after some perhaps less than one hundred percent tidy playing.  Overall, a most enjoyable disc, even if sound is not what it could have or should have been.

Disc seven starts off with Op 27/1.  Lee plays the Andante in a measured but stark way.  The Allegro is fast and furious, and there's a bit more bass weight to enjoy, along with a somewhat gruff metallic patina in the loudest passages.  She then moves back to a gentler Andante, and then back to potent playing the non-separately tracked Allegro molto e vivace, which ends in a bit of a congested, not overwhelmingly precise manner.  The Adagio is slow and somber, and the Allegro vivace suitably energetic and muscular, though again it doesn't always match the most precise playing I've heard.  31/1 follows.  Lee starts off ever so slow, but she quickly moves to a faster, more robust style, and dynamics approach the first volume.  Lee plays the second movement in pretty much a straight-forward manner, with clean and sharp trills, uniquely accented left hand playing, rhythmic vitality, and a generally jovial sense in the outer sections.  The concluding is all high-energy vigorousness.  There are other ways to play it, but this works well.  A rock-solid opener to the critical Op 31 trio, after an even better 31/2.  The disc closes with the Op 49 sonatas.  Both sonatas are a bit on the serious side, but both sound quite fine, the first, in particular. 

Disc eight opens with the last of the critical Op 31 sonatas.  Lee plays the opening bars in restrained fashion, but it doesn't take her long to adopt a nearly perfect tempo and demeanor.  She takes care to offer some dynamic contrast while keeping the pep factor up there.  She then speeds up more in the Scherzo, with clear and distinct left hand playing, some nice if not in your face explosive chords, and what sounds like one too noticeable edit.  It's a rollicking good time.  The Menuetto definitely follows the moderate and graceful designation, especially in the gentle trio.  Lee then finishes off the work with a good time Presto con fuoco.  It's a superb performance, and if it is not quite as relatively good as the other two Op 31 stablemates, Lee delivers a superb Op 31 trio overall, which is mandatory for any great cycle.  Next up, Op 54.  Lee plays the contrasting themes with very obvious contrast, with the second theme quite intense.  (The fingernail accompaniment is also quite pronounced.) The second movement is sharp, quick, and moves relentless forward to the coda.  Op 78 is next.  After a serious Adagio opening, Lee plays the remaining Allegro of the opening movement pretty quickly, and with a sharp, intense sound more or less throughout.  The second movement is quick and possessed of a nervous energy and surprisingly wide dynamic range.  The disc ends with the first foray into the late sonatas with Op 101.  Lee does an admirable job of establishing a transcendental, late-LvB sound with just a bit of bite to it in the opening movement.  The march then immediately explodes, and boasts a nice dynamic range and sharp-edged playing, though it lacks the lower register heft of the volume one recordings, and has a few passages that are not under perfect control.  Lee then goes back and forth between a transcendental Adagio and an intense, bright, fast, not entirely rock solid fugue that is undeniably exciting and loud. 

Disc nine opens with Op 79, and somewhat predictably, Lee opens with a fast Presto all tedesca that never lets up, moves to a comparatively quick Andante, and ends with a fast Vivace.  The sonata is over almost as soon as it starts, and is most enjoyable.  Op 90 follows, and Lee again shows she's no wallflower, as she plays the music with enough oomph in the louder chords, and with a nice degree of gruff ferocity in the faster passages.  This is not beautiful Beethoven at all; it is intense, aggravated music making.  The second movement is lyrical, but it doesn't flow like some other recordings.  It is stilted at times, and it has a few intense interruptions, and sounds a bit biting.  The left hand playing, while lacking in weight, is still quite clear and can be followed more or less start to finish.  A very good reading.  The disc ends with 106.  Lee plays the opening movement at a broad eleven-ish minutes, and it is bold, large in scale, and biting and metallic.  But this doesn't detract from the proceedings.  The playing does veer dangerously close to unruly banging at times, but it never quite gets there. There are also a number of passages where Lee pushes her technique beyond the breaking point, but better to take chances if the overall feel is right.  The same observations hold true for the Scherzo.  The Adagio is taken at a moderate pace, coming in at around eighteen minutes.  Much of the time, Lee keeps things tense and searching and hotter rather than cooler, then around 12'-13', she cools things down quite a bit.  The change is quite effective.  The Largo is largely subdued and quiet and nicely paced, all the better to contrast with the percussive, explosive Allegro.  Extremely high on excitement, not quite as high on precision and control, Lee powers her way through the fugue.  It could be used an as alternative to coffee to wake one up in the morning.

The cycle ends in with the last three sonatas, which is always a good way to end a cycle.  The close, metallic sound doesn't prevent Lee from almost immediately establishing a transcendental sound, and the measured overall tempo only helps.  Lee also takes great care to offer nuanced dynamics.  The Prestissimo is not rushed, but not slow, and Lee knows when to hammer out notes, and when to pull back.  The Andante opens with the full late-LvB treatment.  Measured, restrained, and Elysian.  Yes, there's still some metal, but that works.  As the variations unfold, Lee maintains that elusive late-LvB sound in the slower, quieter passages, and a more intense but almost ecstatic, if, perhaps, a bit gruff, feel in the fast passages.  Op 110 is much the same.  The opening movement alternates between moderate passages of some restraint and immoderate passages of more than a bit of expressiveness.  Sounds about right.  The second movement finds Lee hammering out notes right up to the point where some may find it to be banging.  I find it to be the musical equivalent of splashing one's face with a large amount of cold water.  The final movement starts with a taut, slightly tense, but satisfyingly ethereal Adagio, then, after a bizarre, extended lag between tracks six and seven on my copy, the fugue starts off austere and cold before moving to slicing and fierce – but not rushed.  The second appearance of the arioso is cool and searching, and ends with repeated chords that build up to a satisfying climax before Lee plays the inverted fugue in an intense, partly exultant, partly angry (or at least angry sounding) manner, and then she just rushes right through the coda.  It's blunt but effective.  Op 111 opens with a blow away the cobwebs Maestoso, which is basically what I expected, and then moves to nervous, fiery, biting Allegro.  No wimpy playing here.  The Arietta sounds somewhat small is scale, just a bit rushed, with slightly clipped notes.  It's not ethereal and transcendental in the first half – it's searching and somber.  The second half is a bit cooler and calmer.  Lee keeps the listener slightly off balance in the opening variation, leading with the left hand, as it were, and maintaining a slightly tense mien.  The transition to the second variations is not exactly seamless, but the second variation does ratchet up tension a bit, and the boogie woogie variation even more so.  After that, Lee moves on to a more transcendental sound.  The "little stars" are quieter and luminescent, with the right hand definitely taking prominence over the very subdued left hand playing.  The first long set of trills are clean and sharp, if not flawlessly steady.  Once they are done, the listener gets to behold one vision of musical Elysium, albeit one still possessed of a sense of searching.  The final set of trills see Lee playing the trills quietly, very quietly at times, as the melody moves to the fore, and the coda is not so much soothing or reassuring as almost questioning.  It's really quite effective, and a strong end to a very strong cycle. 

Overall, this cycle is the best one I've heard since Paul Badura-Skoda's Astree cycle.  Like the PBS set, I place this in my second tier.  This cycle is probably not for everyone.  Those wanting tonal luster and beauty should look elsewhere.  Lee can sound almost harsh, sometimes aggressive, and more than occasionally gruff, though never too much so.  Those wanting a display of unlimited technical ability should look elsewhere – Korstick, Goodyear, Kikuchi, Pollini, or select sonatas from others like Richter.  That's not to say that Lee cannot play well – she most certainly can and does – just that, first, she's not at the same level as those I listed, and second, that's not what her playing is all about.  Those souls seeking a surfeit of individual, willful, or idiosyncratic playing should look elsewhere, too.  And the set is definitely not for those who want the best possible modern sound.  Those who want some superb, near-great, and great Beethoven playing, well, this set is for those people.  Among women pianists, Lee trounces all others except St Annie, and is so good that limiting her to comparisons with only women pianists seems, and is, patently ridiculous. 

In some ways, Ms Lee's set brings Friedrich Gulda's Amadeo cycle to mind.  No, I don't think this cycle equals that one, but the cycle is something like a fresh start.  It sort of reboots the whole listen-to-all-the-cycles undertaking for me, getting me ready for the next decade – well, the next dozen years – as cycle after cycle will undoubtedly arrive in time for the commemorations of 2020 and 2027.  I'm more excited to hear more cycles now than in a good while.  Look and listen long and hard enough, and one will be rewarded with a hitherto hidden gem.