Martin Roscoe Plays Beethoven

[Todd]

Cycle Number 123 in my collection – or Number 117 if only truly complete cycles get included – is played by Martin Roscoe.  Mr Roscoe has long been represented in my collection by way of his complete Szymanowski set on Naxos, as well as some chamber music collaborations, also on Naxos.  When I saw he started in on a Beethoven sonata cycle over a decade ago, I was excited because it was a new cycle.  But, man, it took a lifetime to complete.  It is now complete.  I had to listen.

The volumes do not present the works chronologically, but some are grouped together by opus number, so listening can be done in a kind of order.  To that end, I launched with Volume 5, titled In the Beginning, which I assume refers to the good book and not the opening track to Mötley Crüe's magnum opus Shout at the Devil.  Like Peter Takács, Roscoe goes super-complete, tossing in some earlier sonatas, with WoO 47/1 opening things.  The light 'n' kinda slight work sounds youthful and fun and does not out last its welcome.  Op 2/1 comes across as fairly straightforward, with no outsize dynamic contrasts or idiosyncratic rubato.  About the only distinctive touch, and a very nice one at that, is the potent, tense coda, which offers a spending contrast to the slow, flowing Adagio.  Roscoe plays the Menuetto straight and adds a bit of oomph to the Prestissimo.  A nice opening sonata.  2/2 starts with a nothing special Allegro vivace that seems constrained, at least until Roscoe plays loudly, though without hardness or edge.  The taut and not particularly expressive Largo is much the same, as are the final two movements.  Not much in the way of "interpretation" goes on.  I hasten to state I do not mean that negatively.  The same sort of applies to 2/3, but here it is the most discreet of touches that make a difference.  In the Allegro con brio, his accenting adds just a bit of spice, and the way he delivers and subtly emphasizes the right hand playing so one sort of naturally follows along.  The Adagio benefits from a coldness which hints at possible good things in 106 with some punchy but not overwhelming dynamic contrasts.  Once again, the final two movements get dispatched with an at times almost interpretationless sound.  A nice way to open.

Volume one, with the Op 10 sonatas and Op 13 got the nod next.  10/1 launches with super-swift ascending arpeggios, with Roscoe slowing way down after for nice contrast, and displaying some really fine clarity.  A very slow but kind of expressionless Adagio follows, and the sonata ends with a vibrant, dynamically contrasted Prestissimo, thus showing that the traits evident in the fifth volume existed in the first.  10/2 follows the same pattern, which works well in the outer movements, especially the peppy and light, repeat-included closing movement.  With 10/3, the artistic stakes rise.  (Well, not really.)  Roscoe knows that as he knocks out a peppy 'n' zippy Presto, with nice dynamic contrasts again on offer, and no eccentricities, along with sweet, bright uppermost register playing.  The great Largo is taken slowly, with Roscoe playing with no little clarity and a sense of subdued urgency, turning even the quiet playing into something tense, while the climax ups the tension, though it is neither as dramatic nor hard-hitting as some other versions.  The last two movements offer lighter, quicker, less tense playing, as one would expect.  Not a top twenty choice, but quite good.  Op 13 starts with some dark but somewhat soft chords in the Grave, though Roscoe cranks it up several bars in, and then he uses some nice pauses and extended playing before moving to a forward moving, but not especially vigorous Allegro.  The whole sonata comes off as a bit lacking in energy, the middle section of the Adagio aside.  Roscoe does throw in those nice dynamic contrasts in the Rondo, but overall it's middle quintile at best. 

Volume four next.  The disc opens with the Op 14 duo.  In 14/1, Roscoe maintains peppy tempi, excellent clarity of voices, nary a hint of unneeded legato, and, especially in the coda of the Rondo, nice dynamic contrasts.  14/2 sings decently in the opening movement, has clean if not especially differentiated playing in the second movement, and sounds plucky in the closing movement.  A nice, but not great duo.  Roscoe's no-frills style seemed well suited to Op 22, and so it is.  The Allegro con brio is brisk, clean, dynamically variegated and barely interpreted.  The Adagio stays taut and a bit cool, but the molto espressione indication gets short shrift.  The final two movements cruise along very nicely, though, thank you, with the Rondo more leisurely and flowing than expected.  Whereas Roscoe didn't deliver a satisfactory theme and variations in 14/2, he generates much more variation here, aided by the material, of course.  Nifty dynamic contrasts come in extra handy here.  The Scherzo displays ample drive and oomph, always a good thing.  Roscoe keeps the Funeral March taut, as well, and it sounds more tense and punchy and almost angry rather than funereal, while the closing movement flows nicely but seems kind of slow given what came before.

Jumping back to the second volume, Roscoe launches Op 7 with an Allegro molto e con brio very much possessed of molto brio.  The quickly and insistently pecked out dotted rhythm, overall rhythmic swagger, and voice clarity makes the movement a delight.  The taut, but kind of weak on expression Largo does benefit from nice, punchy dynamics and some sweet, very quiet right hand playing right where it should be.  (I admit that I love it when the pianissimo playing goes all the way, to almost Yamane levels of quietude, reveling in the idiosyncrasy that offers.)  Roscoe opens the third movement with an arpeggio that sounds unlike any other version I've heard, in a fleeting personal touch, and then he moves into a movement that more or less conforms with his up to this point standard approach, but he does deploy some discreet rubato several times, just enough to bring attention to what he's doing.  The last two movements come off well enough in a close to uninterpreted way.  Op 49/1 starts off with standard Andante, but Roscoe amps up the Rondo a bit, to excellent effect.  49/2 starts off quite peppy and ends with a Tempo di Menuetto that sounds more vibrant than lyrical, with a rocking left hand.  The disc closes with the Waldstein.  Roscoe starts off with a quick and vibrant Allegro con brio, though I am not sure it's truly pianissimo.  I don't know how one can know for sure.  I do know that he slows down effectively, accents effectively, and brings the thwacks in the forte playing.  Nice.  The Introduzione is slow, but as usual with slow movements to this point, not especially expressive, which is corrected in the Rondo, where Roscoe really does some beautiful things with the slow, quiet right hand playing, on top of energetically pounding the keyboard.  A solid performance, a rock-solid disc.

Volume six starts off with the two sonatas quasi una fantasia.  In 27/1, he opens with a first movement that sounds nicely variegated in its five parts, with the third section filled with oomph, even if it seems of the perfunctory kind.  The Allegro molto e vivace benefits from punchy wide dynamics, while the cool Adagio again lacks a bit in expression.  The concluding Allegro vivace, though, has so much drive and boogie in the fast sections that any blandness in the slow sections are all but obliterated from memory.  27/2 has a nice, cool, perfectly timed Adagio sostenuto, where the lack of expression pays big musical dividends.  The Allegretto seems to avoid dropping to true piano, but the rocking, almost 'roided barcarolle feel works well, and the heavy duty, fast but not rushed, intense, cleanly Presto agitato sounds just right in context.  Indeed, this is one of the best new recordings of this works I've heard in years.  It almost makes me want to do some A/Bs.  Rarely does this sonata make me think that.  Op 28 starts with a heavier and slower Allegro than I anticipated, but the steady left hand basically hypnotizes the listener and commands listener supplication.  The same holds true for the Andante, which also sounds a bit relentless, though not harsh, in its forward motion.  The punchy Scherzo finally introduces a bit more flowing sound, and in the Rondo Roscoe brings the legato and beauty, at least in the more lyrical sections, because he doesn't skimp on the growliness and punchiness here, either.  The contrasting themes in the opening movement of Op 54 benefit from Roscoe's style, with the menuetto sounding attractive but not too beautiful, and the triplets heavy, crude, and pounded out, in perfectly measured style.  The second movement moves forward in rough 'n' ready fashion, barely stopping to take a breath.  That's not to say it is rushed, but just a constant outpouring of notes right to the end.  WoO 47/2 is tacked on to the end, and it is imbued with ample energy and fun and sounds a whole heckuva lot like Haydn.  A whole heckuva lot. 

Volume seven, which I streamed before deciding to buy (as if I wouldn't) came next.  It starts with the last of the WoO 47 sonatas, which sounds more or less like gruffer Haydn again, as it should.  Perhaps one day I will perform a quick shoot out of the few versions I have to determine the best-ever take on works that I don't really care about.  Now to the big show, the ever-critical Op 31 trio.  I prefer interventionist takes on 31/1, and Roscoe brings a little bit more personality.  He opens the Allegro vivace softly and quickly, but quickly moves to some playing with wide ranging dynamics and prancing left hand playing.  In the Adagio grazioso, he plays up the contrasting material, poking out the left hand playing in such a way that it sounds reliably rhythmic yet kind of sloppy, while being anything but.  The right-hand playing sounds like a singer singing off key, with expertly dispatched trills.  Good stuff.  The Rondo offers nice clarity, but it ends up lacking enough energy to close the work with maximum satisfaction.  31/2 starts with a pretty quickly dispatched Largo, establishing a sense of tension really from the opening arpeggio, and that sense never leaves, and ratchets up in the Allegro, which displays the clarity and dynamic heft as expected, but it also has a tetchy but not heavy bassline.  Nice.  The Adagio finds Roscoe highlighting some details nicely, especially with the left hand, but it lacks a bit in terms of expression.  The Allegretto returns to energetic form, with nicely accented left hand playing often catching the listener's attention, as well as some nicely subdued right hand playing in places.  31/3 starts with a peppy, not overly emphatic Allegro, where Roscoe plays with such verve and pleasantly variable dynamics and discreet rubato, that I swear the listener can tell he is having fun.  The Scherzo sort of sneakily glides along for a while, only briefly erupting into something loud, and Roscoe adds multiple little touches that fly by, like the way he plays some ascending arpeggios – the sly dog.  The Menuetto sounds flowing and lovely, and finds Roscoe playing some brief phrases entirely differently than other pianists, and also finds him upping his already formidable dynamic differentiation game.  The Presto con fuoco just exudes fun, with Roscoe bubbling through the piece, with energy heaped on top of fun layered on top of insouciance.  Oh yeah.  This ends up the best of the trio and one of the best performances of the cycle to this point.  Overall, Roscoe delivers a very good Op 31 trio, but not a great trio, which automatically precludes this cycle from achieving greatness, now and forever.  It has been written. 

Op 57 opens volume eight, and it is clear from the opening bars that Roscoe will go for the gusto.  Quick, tense, at times jittery playing undulates slightly in volume but not tension until a couple minutes in when he ratchets up the intensity.  Rinse, repeat through to the end of a satisfying, classical, Casadesusesque Allegro assai.  The Andante con moto retains some tension as Roscoe sets up the big transition to the big Allegro ma non troppo, punched out in high energy, high intensity style.  The sonata is low on subtlety, high on excitement.  Nice.  Given Roscoe's interpretive approach to this point, I did not expect an especially emotive 81a, and I got what I expected.  All three of the movements are executed well, but there isn't much beyond that.  That's fine, though this does not end up a Top 40 hit.  Op 101 ends the volume, and I expected well executed but not deep, but Roscoe ups his game, establishing a transcendental soundworld in the opening movement and plays in a steady, sort of dreamy state.  The Allegro assai predictably has punch and drive and comes off very well, while the Adagio, ma non troppo finds Roscoe upping his game further from the opener, playing with some very gentle nuance and lovely quietude, the type one might want in Debussy.  The traits combined in a concluding Allegro, with primary emphasis on energy and drive, to good effect.  Not one of the greatest renditions, but extremely good, and a strong start to the late sonatas proper.

The final volume of the cycle starts off with Op 79, and Roscoe's style works well.  A zippy, snappy, bright Presto alla tedesca, with a decent acciaccatura segues to a tense, ever urgent sounding Andante, and ends with a plucky Vivace.  A nice little opener.  Op 90 follows.  Roscoe keeps the opening movement swift and energetic, uses dynamic contrasts to excellent effect, but how much Empfindung is present is certainly debatable.  Some may hear more than me.  The second movement flows along in lovely and mostly subdued manner, making for a nice enough overall take on the work.  The big kahuna closes the disc, Op 106.  Roscoe's Allegro is conventionally timed at 10'55", but he plays with enough forward drive and sharp accents to keep things interesting, which he does again in the Scherzo.  The great Adagio is not impacted by Roscoe's not exactly hyper-expressive tendencies, though it never achieves a sense of desolation.  It does have some nifty left hand playing that takes on a relentless, droning sound in some passages.  The Largo of the concluding movement is played tautly, and the Allegro and Fugue and pretty much as expected, played quickly, with nice dynamics, some growling bass, and very nice clarity, if not always as clear as some other sonatas up to this point.  All of the performances on this disc work well enough, but for me none are really great. 

Going back to volume three to finish off the cycle, starting with Op 78.  This sonata can take on heft and depth with some interpreters, but Roscoe plays  it more or less straight, with taut tempi and clean playing.  Nothing exceptional and certainly nothing objectionable.  He starts the first of the final trio with an opening movement that sounds crisp, clear, shorn of emotional excess and transcendental sound.  The Prestissimo sounds fast 'n' furious and exciting.  In the final movement, Roscoe brings some of the late LvB transcendence he did in 101, and as the theme unfolds, he sounds more serene, more beautiful.  The variations start off beautiful, but come the third, Roscoe lets rip, which then sets up the wonderful contrast with the fourth, which starts quicker than normal then almost imperceptibly slows and calms down until the final two emerge.  Roscoe does not achieve the same type of rarified, transcendent feel overall as my preferred versions, but his style sounds closer to middle period style, which can and does work well, and not just here.  Op 110 starts with a decently singing Moderato cantabile molto espressivo, though as with earlier sonatas, the level of expression may not satisfy.  What does satisfy is the brisk yet flowing sound of the playing, while not resorting to too smooth legato.  The Allegro molto finds Roscoe playing quick 'n' punchy again, to excellent effect.  In the final movement, both ariosos sound attractive if not elevated, and the fugues display nice clarity and forward motion.  Roscoe also does a predictably good job with the repeated chords transitioning from the second arioso to the inverted fugue.  I came to Op 111 expecting a hard hitting first movement, and I got it.  The Maestoso may not sound dark or foreboding or whatever, but the sforzandi sound fine, and the Allegro aggressively scampers along, like a caffeinated and peevish Scarbo.  The second movement starts with a calm Arietta that slows and calms more in the second half before transitioning to the first two variations  that sound satisfactorily transcendental.  Roscoe plays the boogie woogie variation with ample boogie and fully satisfactory woogie.  The "little stars" sound nice, but lack mystery or special beauty, though Roscoe's dynamic gradations, with the right hand playing going super quiet, is a nice touch.  The chains of trills are nicely dispatched, but do not evoke anything transcendental, and in the coda, rather than arriving in Elysian Fields, one simply hears the end of a well-played but not moving version of the work.  The critical final trio certainly have highlights but are not top thirty choices.

Martin Roscoe's cycle lands solidly in the third tier, somewhat anonymously blending in with a giant blob of other pianists who have delivered occasionally excellent and mostly good performances of the thirty-two.  I would not be able to identify his playing in blind listening when compared to the majority of other cycles.  The set is solid enough that if one wants a straight ahead take, this would do, and a newcomer could do (much) worse than to start with this cycle. 

Sound quality is good, but not at all SOTA.