On The Hunt

[Todd]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

[amw]

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.

I happened to listen to this recently and found it exceptional, with the only thing keeping it from becoming my personal favourite immediately being the tempo of the first movement (a bit too fast for my taste, even though he knows what he's doing with it and isn't just mindlessly rushing). Now hoping Kikuchi records a Mozart piano concerto cycle.

[Todd]

HJ Lim.  Lim is on the quick side overall in the Allegro, but she starts fairly conventionally in the opening bars before segueing into faster playing that is a bit jittery and rubato laden.  Dynamic contrasts are nice, but not especially wide.  She more or less keeps things moving forward, though some unusual pauses pop up.  Somehow, with a lot of traits that should make for a good opener, the spirit of the music seems missing.  It's just fast to be fast.  The Scherzo is of course very fast, and here, the forte outbursts aside, she just pushes too hard, approaching Gouldian levels of irrelevance.  The outer sections of the Menuetto are rushed and Lim manages to make the inherently lovely music sound disjointed and unappealing.  She does well enough in the fast and pointed Trio, though.  The Presto starts promisingly, but it doesn't take Lim long to add her unpleasant touches.  She does maintain a high energy level, to her credit.  I came to this sonata hoping my decidedly unfavorable memories of the recording were exaggerated.  No such luck.

[Holden]

I'm listening to another pianist that I'm sure you'll get round to Todd - Clara Haskil.

[Todd]

I'm listening to another pianist that I'm sure you'll get round to Todd - Clara Haskil.

Both studio versions are in the queue.

[Todd]

Michael Korstick.  Like Lim, Korstick goes for a fast Allegro, but unlike Lim, he knows how to pull it off.  His dynamic range is superior - no surprise - and he also uses a bit of rubato, but rather than pushing and pulling the music at random, he keeps it moving forward, and knows when to slow down to emphasize something just so.  His left hand playing is not always depth charge deep, but it is pretty much always super clean.  The Scherzo is not super-fast, but Korstick plays it so cleanly, and with such pleasantly relentless forward drive that it sounds faster than it is.  Korstick delivers flowing and quite lovely playing in the outer sections of the Menuetto, sort of against type, while his Trio has the oomph one expects.  Predictably, the Presto is fast, dynamically wide ranging, rhythmically snappy, and fun. 

[Todd]

John O'Conor.  O'Conor plays the Allegro at a brisk pace, with nice clarity and solid left hand support.  The highlight of the playing is the fine dynamic control at the softer end of the spectrum, though the forte playing is quite fine, too.  There's also an appealing warmth to the pianist's approach.  It's not too hard hitting, nor is small-scaled.  The Scherzo rollicks along with decent energy and a somewhat soft-edged sound.  The outer sections of the Menuetto are perhaps the loveliest on record, touching and poetic, while the Trio has ample weight.  The Presto, like the Scherzo, rollicks along with a soft-edged sound.

[Todd]

Michaël Lévinas.  Lévinas opts for a nice overall tempo in the Allegro, and he starts off with a just right tempo, not rushed, not sluggish.  The whole movement sort of cruises along at a comfortable pace, with the pianist sounding like he is enjoying himself, and imparting a good-time classical feel to the music while still reveling in some fine details - clean bass line, slight acceleration in some ascending phrases, etc.  Lévinas plays the Scherzo in a just right style again, though it is possible to want just a bit more bite in the outbursts.  The outer sections of the Menuetto sound lovely, but are just a bit rushed, adding a nice degree of tension, while the Trio is nice but a bit light.  The Presto, while somewhat limited in terms of dynamic contrasts, has ample energy and some wonderfully accented left hand playing that sounds distinct but not overwhelming. 

[Todd]

Sviatoslav Richter.  Mid-60s vintage Richter, in decidedly mediocre sound, goes for a slow opening Allegro at 9'12", but this allows for tempo flexibility, and not all that surprisingly, Richter knows how to play in a way that makes everything seem flowing and inevitable.  The mien is serious, to be sure, with only the slightest hints of wit and fun, but it definitely sounds right overall.  The Scherzo retains the serious overall character, but middle aged Richter ups the speed and energy, scampering along, and the loudest passages engulf the venue and recording.  The measured outer sections of the Menuetto sound lovely and serious, while the Trio is likewise measured, but again, the way Richter puts everything together, it sounds just right.  He then rushes through the high energy Presto that makes for a perfect closer. 

Late career Richter stretches out the Allegro to over ten minutes.  Distended tempi were, of course, common in late career performances, and somehow Richter manages to make the music hold together more than one would suspect going in, but even so the extreme tempo drains energy and wit from the music and it ends up more or less just sounding too slow, and, on occasion, too sloppy.  The Scherzo is likewise slow, though it's comparatively better.  The Menuetto and Trio are fairly close to the earlier recording, just not as good.  Ditto the Presto.  Overall, a dud.