New Testament Shootout: Minsoo Sohn v Konstantin Scherbakov

[Todd]

Op 31/1

Sohn - Now things get serious.  Sohn starts 31/1 with an Allegro vivace characterized by exceedingly precise playing, with the disjointedness pristinely executed, as it were, and dynamic contrasts that bring to mind Kovacevich, sans the brutality.  Like Herbert Schuch, Sohn brings his Adagio grazioso in at just shy of twelve minutes.  Less fluid and overtly expressive than the Romanian pianist, Sohn revels in heaping fine touches into his playing, be it minute, simultaneous and different dynamic shifts in each hand or subtle rubato, with decelerandos that creep up on the listener, and the playing in the coda displays some of the most striking, incredibly clear voicings I've heard.  Sohn revels in the musical exaggeration.  The Rondo starts reserved but picks up nicely, and Sohn delivers more startling clarity, and just crazy good left hand playing, to go with the measured amounts of boogie.  Every bit as good as Schuch's blockbuster recording, which means that two top shelf G Majors have been released this year. 

Scherbakov - Scherbakov goes for a faster and punchier Allegro vivace, with an almost relentless forward drive at times, though it remains jocular.  The blubby bass, when hammered out, still sounds less than ideal, but it sounds physical, at least at the volume I selected.  The Adagio grazioso gets the swift treatment, too, coming in at under ten minutes.  The playing has a freer, more light-hearted feel than Sohn, even if some of the playing sounds harder.  But the finest of fine details go missing.  The Rondo keeps the swift and kinda punchy vibe going, and of course this movement sounds just swell when played thusly.

Winner:  Sohn

[Florestan]

Looks like Sohn will got more than 269 electoral votes. 

[Brian]

Looks like Sohn will got more than 269 electoral votes. 

Ha! Really, it looks like both these performers operate at a pretty high level in their chosen styles.

[Todd]

Op 31/2

Sohn - A slow and meticulously executed Largo gives way to a clear and dynamically wide ranging Allegro possessed of artificial urgency.  The sheer quality of execution alone carries the day.  The Adagio likewise benefits from flawless execution, with perfectly judged pacing and dynamics, and everything else, though it sounds a bit idealized and cool.  The Allegretto displays a bit more drive and urgency.  Not the most intense or emotive take, but superb for its type.

Scherbakov - A decently slow Largo followed by an only modestly brisk Allegro, which ends up sounding clunky and stiff, with the recorded bass sound subtracting more here than normal.  The left hand playing is steady and clean, though.  Scherbakov delivers a pretty standard Adagio, and then belts out the Rondo with no little power and urgency, though he scales down nicely for the coda. 

Winner: Sohn

[Todd]

Op 31/3

Sohn - Sohn opens slightly tentatively in the Allegro, and he never really plays with great speed and rarely with great oomph.  Instead, he focuses on clarity and dynamic contrasts in a somewhat cool take.  What's lacking in fun is made for in meticulousness.  Sohn then entirely switches approach with a super-zippy Scherzo, with bubbly bass and prankish right hand playing punctuated by cheerful fortissimo blasts.  The Menuetto flows smoothly and beautifully in the outer sections while the trio sounds chunky, while in the Presto con fuoco, Sohn comes close to letting loose, with a zippy tempo and more of that incredibly clear voicing he likes to deliver.  Sohn delivers something needed for all high end cycles: he delivers a superb Op 31 trio. 

Scherbakov - Scherbakov likewise starts off tentatively, throws in shortened bass notes, then some rubato, and then he's into the meat of the music, and though he plays with energy, he never really takes flight, and some of his touches, no more personal than Sohn, don't work quite so well.  The Scherzo goes a more slowly and heavy, though obviously in a purposely joke-y manner.  The outer sections of the Menuetto sounds nice, and the trio, if clunky, packs a wallop.  Scherbakov also speeds things up in the Presto, and in some ways the overall conception sounds similar to Sohn, though the executive details vary widely.

Winner: Sohn

[Todd]

Op 49/1

Sohn - Light, bright, colorful, and while not heavy, Sohn plays with hints of gravitas in the opening movement, and bite in the second.

Scherbakov - Measured, rich, weighty and beautiful in the opening movement, and playful and spunky in the second movement, Scherbakov delivers a knockout reading where knockouts are rare.

Winner: Scherbakov

[Todd]

Op 49/2

Sohn - Slightly punchy in the opening movement, and slowed down in the second, to an almost exaggerated degree, Sohn plays with both immense beauty and more of that clarity that allows the listener to absorb every but of musical goodness.

Scherbakov - Again, the opener sounds lightly punchy and probably a bit too weighty, while the second movement sounds quite lovely.

Winner: Sohn

[Todd]

Op 53

Sohn - The Allegro con brio starts with unerringly steady playing, though it sounds more piano than pianissimo.  Meticulous, Sohn displays supremely fine chops as he revs up the playing.  The effortless dynamic changes again impress most.  Sohn slows way down in the somber Introduzione, and then opens the Rondo in restrained, lyrical fashion before erupting into faster, powerful, expressive (though studied), and controlled playing.  Everything is well nigh perfectly executed.

Scherbakov - Scherbakov starts off quickly, but not pianissimo, as he decreases volume before the reappearance of the chords.  His playing sounds more freely virtuosic than Sohn's, and also dynamically satisfying.  The Introduzione finds the pianist playing more slowly, and with some expressivity, but somehow, though less obviously studied in approach, it compels less.  In the Rondo, Scherbakov's freer, looser approach - though to be clear, it is not sloppy or uncontrolled - in some ways sounds more echt-Beethoven, yet, somehow, Sohn still works better.

Winner: Sohn

[Todd]

Op 54

Sohn - The first theme sounds beautiful and somewhat delicate to open, while the second theme sounds pointed and quick, though also highly polished, with each section tightening up as the movement proceeds.  The second movement starts quickly but subdued in terms of volume, which allows Sohn to ramp up both as the movement moves forward.  The left hand playing is a marvel of clarity, but the syncopated rhythm sounds a bit smoothed out.

Scherbakov - The first movement alternates between the minuet theme which sounds lovely and taut, and the triplets sections, which Scherbakov hammers out.  The second movement sounds more fluid and, curiously, dynamically restrained compared to Sohn, but the whole works fits together better.  And ya gotta love the last chord.

Winner: Scherbakov

[Todd]

Op 57

Sohn - The Allegro assai starts slightly held back, then Sohn lets rip dynamically, though he never plays especially fast.  The playing sounds cool and focused on perfection, and the highs sound slightly rolled off, but the insistent, twitchy left hand playing gets right up in one's face to superb effect.  The Andante starts off calm and rich, and the second and fourth variations elevating the theme even more, and then Sohn hammers out the right hand part and segues to an Allegro ma non troppo that sounds faster than it is, and here his right hand playing dominates more than his still exceptional left hand playing, to bracing effect, and in the coda he unloads on the delighted listener. 

Scherbakov - In the Allegro assai, Scherbakov starts subdued, but one can sense something more ferocious coming, and then it comes, as he growls and throws blurs of potent, if perhaps slightly uncontrolled, playing at the listener in the loudest passage.  He backs off, of course, just to do it again.  And again.  A high impact, high excitement opener.  In the Andante, Scherbakov delivers a more pressed - too pressed - theme and variations.  He then launches the final movement with clipped chords before moving into blazing fast playing, generating lots of excitement and dynamic contrasts, but it kind of just sounds too pressed, despite the undeniable high excitement level.

Winner: Sohn

[Florestan]

Winner: Sohn

This becomes boringly predictable, or predictably boring.

[Todd]

Op 78

Sohn - A lovely opening Adagio cantabile, with lyrical legato, followed by an Allegro ma non troppo, Sohn delivers a pristine, bright opener, and one that hints at, if does not explicitly evoke, music to come later, specifically the "little stars" of 111.  The Allegro vivace has more power and drive and scale.  Nice.

Scherbakov - Scherbakov likewise starts off lovely, and sounds warmer, in a more traditional conception.  (Dig the right hand tremolo.)  The Allegro vivace has ample drive, but sounds more effortful.

Winner: Sohn

[Todd]

Op 79

Sohn - The Presto alla tedesca starts quick and bright, with Sohn introducing subtle rubato, just enough to make the listener go "Eh? Yeah."  And of course his dynamics appeal.  The acciaccatura comes off less comical than normal.  A minor blemish - or is it?.  The Andante, though, sounds beautiful, lyrical, and just shy of 101 style depth, and the Vivace closes tight, quick, and clean.

Scherbakov - Scherbakov plays the Presto alla tedesca with nice energy, but it sounds a bit rough in comparison to Sohn.  The Andante becomes the heart of the work here, with a bit more depth than the rest, and the Vivace sounds peppy and playful in a very nice version.

Winner: Sohn

[Todd]

Op 81a

Sohn - Sohn starts slow and coolly despondent, and he keeps things evenly quiet until the crescendo, where the dynamic contrast sounds exaggerated - but in the best way.  It's all terribly precise and clinical, but the execution again carries the day.  The Abwesenheit gets the cool, clinical treatment, with some stiff phrasing and heft, which again is meant in the best way, and then Sohn launches the final movement with grand scale, speed, and power, all under superb control. 

Scherbakov - Scherbakov likewise starts slow and quiet and despondent, and then belts out the louder passages.  The contrast is stark, just less stark, and it sounds warmer, more fluid.  The second movement sounds a bit more emotionally engaged, but less technically fulfilling, and the final movement sounds more ebullient and emotionally engaging.

Winner: Scherbakov

[Todd]

Op 90

Sohn - Sohn maintains a steady, controlled tempo, which creates a sense of tension in the quieter music, and then he rips into the forte playing, while playing with a completely contained, structurally focused style.  It's kinda wow.  Sohn plays the second movement in slow, poised, lyrical, elevated style.  The slight emotional detachment and full pianistic engagement fully captures the listener's attention, and makes one hope that Sohn lays down some Schubert.

Scherbakov - Scherbakov's potent, hard-hitting style serves the music well, with tense, twitchy playing morphing into thunder, and the whole thing dispatched speedily.  The second movement sounds lyrical but more rushed and rough than ideal.

Winner: Sohn

[Todd]

Op 101

Sohn - Sohn starts in rarified territory, and again he displays clarity and dynamic shading aplenty on his way to a smoothed out march, with ample amplitude but less than maximal incisiveness.  Which is good here.  The Adagio keeps the cool style Sohn so often deploys, and then in the concluding movement the real magic happens.  Sohn delivers crisp, clear, bright playing that sounds elevated yet classical and shorn of excess, light yet potent.  Nice.

Scherbakov - Scherbakov opens with a beautiful opener, though it sounds heavier than Sohn, and then he pushes the march with some rushed phrasing, obviously for effect, it's just that the effect does not work as well.  In this version, the Adagio is where the magic happens, as Scherbakov slows down, and goes for the deep, solemn approach.  The closing movement is played quickly and cleanly, with some lighter, more beautiful right hand playing, but it sounds comparatively less compelling.

Winner: Sohn

[Todd]

Op 106

Sohn - Sohn goes for a swift Allegro at 10'14", and he pulls it off.  While not as effortless sounding as Goodyear or Korstick, he seems to have no appreciable difficulty dashing it off, and indeed seems like he could go faster.  Energy is high, but ultimate scale is lacking.  It's a fair trade.  (And Sohn does not sound puny, by any means.)  The Scherzo stays the same, and then Sohn goes for a reasonably paced Adagio at eighteen minutes and change, keeping it tense in the first half and cold and tense in the back half.  The final movement is a freakin' scorcher, with Sohn playing fast and, at times, powerful.  Granted, Sohn makes it sound faster than it really is, but the energy and intensity thrill.  Overall, it's one of the highlights of the cycle.

Scherbakov - Scherbakov goes for the slow, big, nearly huge opener, but it sounds heavier and at times clunkier than Sohn.  The sheer physical impact cannot be denied.  The Scherzo has the same style.  Scherbakov then plays a faster, more expressive Adagio that, despite the slightly faster tempo, sounds less tense.  The playing, while cooling off, maintains some tension and never adopts a sense of desolation.  Scherbakov finishes off with fast, heavy, almost as cleanly played but not as clear fugue.  The opening two movements sort of don't match up to the second two.

Winner: Sohn

[Todd]

Op 109

Sohn - Sohn ups his game.  The first movement alternates between a reserved Vivace ma non troppo and a delicate Adagio espressivo, where dynamic shading, multiple simultaneous dynamic levels, and supremely fine articulation create a rarified sound before moving to a fast, ideally scaled up (not too much, definitely not too little) Prestissimo.  The final movement starts with a deliberate, beautiful, and elevate theme before moving into a gorgeous first variation, and somehow in both the second or quicksilver third, he stays at least as elevated while delivering each variation distinctly.  As he moves toward the coda, he plays with a wide dynamic range, but the draw is unquestionably the exquisite pianissimo playing, and the coda with steady left hand playing and undulating right hand playing on the way to a sublime coda offers a whole lotta wow. 

Scherbakov - Scherbakov plays the Vivace ma non troppo has more drive and oomph, making for more striking contrasts with the slow playing, but it does not flow together as seamlessly.  The Prestissimo has more oomph, but the rubato doesn't work quite so well, and some sections sound to breathless.  The final movement starts with a more pressed theme, and in the first variation there are some rough - stylistically, not in execution - passages, though the second and third variations sound quite nice, and then Scherbakov elevates his playing a bit in the remainder of the movement.  It's nice enough on its own, but coming immediately after Sohn, one hears what else can be done with the sonata.

Winner: Sohn

[Todd]

Op 110

Sohn - Entirely expectedly, Sohn starts off with a rarified sound world and extremely fine dynamic control and exquisite cantabile playing, and strong but not overwhelming forte playing.  Also predictably, the Allegro molto has enough heft, though never without polish, and more than ample clarity.  The final movement's first Arioso at times sounds almost embarrassingly rarified and sublime, as Sohn lets notes and chords diminish to pianissimo to match Yamane or Gorus or Volodos, but he does it with such perfect integration with the surrounding music that one sits spellbound.  The fugue starts as a model of Bachian poise, then speeds up a bit - though it never becomes speedy - picks up in volume, and maintains exemplary clarity.  The second Arioso sounds tenser than the first but as sublime, and then after a suitably grand, slow, and powerful set of repeated chords, the inverted fugue proceeds in a beautiful, almost dreamy yet clear, and elevated manner.

Scherbakov - Scherbakov starts the sonata with lovely playing and nice dynamic contrasts, and a clear and wandering left hand, but the playing sounds less refined than Sohn.  The Allegro molto is fast and furious and kind of rough.  The last movement starts with a first Arioso that sounds a bit tense but is played more staccato than I prefer.  The fugue comes off nicely, the second Arioso sounds much like the first, the repeated chords sound clipped and clunky, and the inverted fugue sounds quick and energetic.  Not bad.  Not at all great.

Winner: Sohn

[Todd]

Op 111

Sohn - Sohn starts with a bold, darkly hued and refined Maestoso then segues with refined yet sinister sound to an Allegro that contains both fast, aggressive, pointed playing and slow, more rarified playing.  It sounds just right.  The Arietta starts off sublime and slow in the first half, and in the second half it elevates yet further, right into the musical ether.  The first two variations maintain a sense of elevated style, while the boogie-woogie variation lacks maximally satisfying syncopation though it does possess dazzling speed.  Then things get serious.  Sohn's bright right hand playing starts to come to the fore a bit more.  He plays curiously indelicate though gentle, almost clinical "little stars" and then the remaining music takes on a cool, almost cold feel, though it remains pristine right through the ridiculously gorgeous and gently variegated chains of trills through to the Elysian coda.  Superb in every way.  Between this and Kotaro Fukuma's likewise superb in every way version, it has been a good few months for 111.

Scherbakov - Scherbakov likewise starts dark in the Maestoso and goes for a faster Allegro, though he plays with less clarity, speed, and dynamic contrast.  His left hand playing does have more of the blubby bass sound.  Scherbakov then delivers an excellent Arietta and even more excellent first variation, both of which sound sublime and lovely.  After that, it's back to slightly less rarified playing, though the third variation has grunt.  The "little stars" and surrounding music sound good enough, and the music takes on a decently rarified field as the coda approaches.  Decent, but not a top forty kind of recording.

Winner: Sohn


Two new cycles down, and Minsoo Sohn cruises to an easy victory.  His slightly cool style, meticulousness, and incredibly fine control over dynamics and tempi result in the most engaging overall cycle since the very, very different Daniel-Ben Pienaar.  Sohn doesn't crack the top ten, but he joins the second tier, comfortably outclassing most tiermates.  I may need a new tier.  Scherbakov ends up in third tier, and while he offers many fine things, his set ends up blending in more, leaving less of a musical impression.