Hie-Yon Choi Plays Beethoven

[Todd]

Another new cycle just sort of popped up, and I just sort of had to give it a listen.  You know how it goes.  Hie-Yon Choi is new to me, though she ain't new to the piano game.  Quite the opposite.  Born in Incheon, Choi gave her first performance at the ripe old age of six years old, she won various awards and contests in her home country, and then she moved to Germany to study a bit more, including under Hans Leygraf, before topping off in Indiana under György Sebők.  She performed all thirty-two sonatas multiple times before committing the New Testament to SSD.  She's got the bona fides.  What does that translate to?  Well . . .

Piano sonata number one starts off conventionally, with a sensibly paced opening Allegro.  Perhaps more bite would be nice, but Choi's tone is most pleasant, clarity is quite fine, and dynamic contrasts are very nice.  Indeed, that is the main thing that jumps out.  Things sound a little hard at maximum volume, but that's OK.  In the somewhat taut Adagio, her pleasant tone, fine dynamics, and fine rubato add some personal flair without overdoing things.  A sensible Menuetto, and repeat-filled (yay!) Prestissimo with some spicy forte playing and drive cap off a nice first sonata.  The second sonata starts off with an Allegro vivace emphasizing the latter quite nicely, and has a vibrant, peppy feel.  It sounds youthful.  Things pull back in the Largo, though the overall tempo is just a smidge quick.  Just a smidge.  The pokey left-hand playing sounds swell, as does the exaggerated drama in the climax.  A playful Scherzo and groovy, punchy Rondo closes another nice sonata.  Op 2/3 starts with an Allegro con brio very heavy on brio, manifesting in what can be summarized as refined excitement.  The Adagio is taut to the point of (refined) tetchiness, and has nice, deep tolling bass notes.  (And some pedal thuds, too.)  A punchy, vibrant Scherzo gives way to a quick, light Allegro assai that glides along nicely.  A nice opening trio.

The download of the cycle is one folder with 102 tracks, so for ease of presentation, standard sonata groupings will be presented, so volume two, as it were, starts with 10/1.  (I didn't bother looking up the individual releases.)  Choi jumps on it, with super-speedy ascending arpeggios to launch the Allegro, and then she backs off nicely, and plays with ample flow.  The taut Adagio has a sense of urgency to it, and Choi also introduces a sense of playfulness to the mix.  Nice.  The Prestissimo is all fun energy, with some nearly jittery left hand playing sprinkled throughout.  Nice again.  10/2 is almost like an extension of the last movement, with swift and nimble and perky playing permeating the Allegro; a slightly taut, slightly urgent, deliciously lyrical second movement; and a plucky, repeat-included (yay!) Presto.  10/3 starts off with a light 'n' zippy Presto, twisting and turning, agilely swerving about, infused with so much energy that one might think the pianist had a 9 mg nicotine pouch hugging both right cheek and left while recording.  The Largo displays tension and tautness from the outset, and while the climax doesn't thunder, it at least has dramatic oomph.  The Menuetto moves along quite nicely, and the concluding Rondo, all light and pretty, prances along.  Nice one more time.

Weighty but not thundering chords open the Grave of Op 13, and a forward moving impulse, even in the first big pause, transitions to a somewhat restrained Allegro that bumps right up against the clunky barrier, without quite getting there.  The Adagio, again displaying Choi's penchant for slightly pressed slow movements, sings admirably, and transitions to a Rondo that sounds almost dreamy, or at least dreamy-meets-antsy.  It's nice, but not a top tier contender.  Op 14/1 is light and airy, with some right hand playing that at times sounds gentle, at others bright, and always appealing, with an effortless sense of lyricism pervading everything.  There's a soothing vibe to both the Allegretto and Rondo, with Choi keeping things light.  There is an overwhelming sense of pleasantness in the opening Allegro, and, well, both the Andante and Scherzo too.  The variations in the former sound nicely distinct and the groovy zip in the latter cannot be denied.  Op 22 follows, and given Choi's playing to this point, a solid hit was all but assured, and so it goes.  The Allegro con brio is light and quick and bubbly, and it moves forward relentlessly and delightfully.  Once again, Choi opts for a slightly brick approach to the slow movement, and if anything, the innate lyricism of the music sounds enhanced.  The middle section adds a dollop of tension to the mix, most effectively.  A quick and chipper Menuetto follows, all sparkling verve in the outer sections, and a bit more fiery in the trio.  The Rondo offers more forward moving energy, and some delightful, scampering left hand playing.  Expectations at least met on this one.

Op 26 starts off with a pleasant opening Andante theme and then moves to mostly zippy variations, which, while distinct, are not as widely variable as some other takes.  The Scherzo sounds zippier and peppier yet, while the funeral march sounds tonally fulsome and rather dramatic, though perhaps not really funereal.  But with clipped chords and punchy dynamics, it ain't no thing.  The Allegro sounds light and breezy, as though a burden has been lifted, making for a nice closer.  The opening movement of Op 27/1 sort of floats along for the first three sections, a musical butterfly, then cranks up the verve in the fourth section, which has some really nifty left hand playing, all clean and clear.  After reverting back to the theme, it then transitions to a punchy rounded Allegro molto e vivace, with a dark-ish sound and nifty drive and a beefy conclusion.  Choi keeps things slightly taut in the Adagio, which also manages to just glide along, and then the pianist lets loose, though under control, in the final movement which is almost all just bubbling energy and drive.  27/2 moves from a suitably moody Adagio sostenuto, moves to a plucky Allegretto, which sets up a zippy if dynamically somewhat constrained Presto agitato.  The Pastorale starts off in relaxed, pastoraly fashion, with Choi not rushing anything, sort of savoring the melody, or so it seems.  She revs up and ramps where needed, but she never really pushes too hard.  Choi offers a fine example of almost underplaying the Andante while still infusing the playing with some tension.  The Scherzo has verve and pluckiness if fine proportions, as well as some nice dynamic contrasts, while the Rondo displays a perfect blend of melodiousness and pluck. 

The critical Op 31 trio starts off with an extra nimble, plucky, dynamically contrasted Allegro vivace in the first of the trio.  There's also an inevitability to the forward momentum, with no slow passage too slow, no pause too elongated.  It's all verve.  It's, well, vivacious.  The Adagio grazioso, taken at a standard tempo, sounds light and playful, almost delicate at times, but also seriously unserious, before becoming unseriously serious, by which is meant the light and humorous writing takes on a faux serious mien maybe halfway in.  It's subtle, and it's nice.  And that prancing left hand playing in the final third, oh, yeah.  The Rondo keeps things light and peppy, but here Choi introduces some idiosyncratic dynamic contrasts, first thwacking out some playing in a unique, terse fashion, unlike anyone else's without being too much, and then she'll play some other more melodic music quite gently.  And the sped up coda, to the point of near-zaniness, can and should induce a grin.  Like me some intervention like this, mm-hmm.  Der Sturm starts with comparatively gentle rolled playing in the Largo and quickly transitions to a punchy Allegro with nice rubato and discreet and sometimes less discreet accents tossed in.  She's definitely more focused on energy and abstracted drama in her playing, and that's just fine.  The Adagio, while not particularly slow overall, benefits from dramatic pauses, nifty accelerandos, beefy (and probably purposely compressed) left hand playing, and studied freshness.  The concluding Allegretto starts off somewhat subdued, and returns to that style here and there, but it alternates with more passionate, punchy playing, creating a most satisfying conclusion and whole.  31/3 starts off in no hurry in the Allegro, and keeps it that way for the entire introduction, after which point Choi speeds up.  Her pep level in the faster passages is high, her dynamics and trills, too.  The way her playing undulates, in tempo and dynamics and emphases, makes the movement sound kind of meaty.  The Scherzo remains on the slightly reserved side in terms of tempo overall, and it favors the right hand most of the time, though the bass remains very clear, and the dynamic outbursts sound nice and big.  The Menuetto is all about the grazioso playing in the outer sections, sounding smooth and lovely, while the trio is slow and has powerful outbursts.  The Presto con fuoco, by contrast, is a swift perpetual motion machine, but retains musical fluidity throughout, with the dynamic swells quite ear catching.  Choi delivers a crackerjack Op 31, which is a very good thing.

The two Op 49 sonatas come off nicely, with the first slightly firm but also eminently tuneful and the second is stylistically almost identical, though more lyrical yet, particularly in the second movement.    In Op 53, a slower and gentler than expected, p rather than pp opening to the Allegro con brio that persists until just over four minutes in, when Choi finally, if briefly revs up.  She then lets up again for a couple minutes, then adds more oomph and drama, before once again reverting.  The build up to the coda has ample energy, while the coda itself is of the softer, gentler variety.  The Introduzione is slow, mostly gentle, and quite lovely, and on the introspective side, and that carries over to one of the gentlest openings to the concluding Rondo out there.  She takes her time building up the tension and speed and keeps dynamics under wraps most of the time.  When she does go for the gusto, she delivers rich, deep playing.  Overall, this reading can be viewed as poetic.  Op 54 starts with a somewhat subdued and quite attractive in the first theme, while she brings ample strength and speed to the second theme.  Intriguingly, the piano sound is both bass heavy and sounds somewhat dulled in the upper registers, sort of amplifying a rounded, aggressive effect.  The Allegretto sounds suitably swift, with constrained and compressed dynamics, allowing the pianist to deliver some fine clarity of voices, and the tone remains mostly rounded.  Some of the playing is surprisingly, and effectively, quite soft, some of the softest I've heard, adding a little somethin' somethin' to the music, as does the hyper, thrilling coda.  Op 57 starts off with a dark, rich, subdued sound, but the listener just kinda knows a wallop is coming, and sure enough it arrives quickly.  Choi alternates tension levels quite nicely, and with her rounded, never even close to harsh tone, offers refined beefiness.  The Andante con moto starts sounding simple and gentle, really hitting that piano e dolce instruction, and displays a sense of serenity in the first two variations.  The third ramps up in tension a bit, but sounds tonally lovely, while the final variation sounds calm and elevated until the very end.  Then Choi's off to the races.  She plays quickly, with swell dynamic contrasts, and constant sense of tension, occasional left hand rumbles, oodles of energy, and a killer coda.  Nice.

Choi treats Op 78 seriously, which is evident from the rich opening chords.  No lightweight work, this.  She layers on the cantabile playing and keeps the faster sections slightly subdued in terms of tempo but elevated somewhat in mien.  This is like a late period miniature more than a middle period work.  The second movement sounds much more chipper and fun, sort of acting as a musical antipode to the deeper opening.  Very nice.  Op 79 in contrast, sort of, starts off very quick, chipper, and fun.  She makes sure to deploy some weighty left hand playing, and she delivers a deliciously executed acciaccatura.  The Andante is a weighty, serious, dramatic interlude leading to a chipper, playful Vivace of no little verve and fun.  The first movement of 81/a has an upbeat, almost celebratory feel, and the left hand playing is pronounced and sort of boogies.  The second movement remains tense and sounds forlorn or searching, with some sumptuous right hand playing and tunefulness.  The final movement starts with a vigorous flurry, and moves to unyielding forward drive and a full-on sense of celebration.  It's one of the best versions of the sonata recorded in many moons.  Op 90 starts with suitably hard hitting playing and Choi deploys a lengthy, pregnant pause after the opening, then moves into extra-tense playing.  Her digital dexterity is most striking, as is the drama.  The second movement is all about serene lyricism, Schubertian in one sense, but blending in late LvB transcendence.  This block of the four small, late(-ish) sonatas is top notch, start to finish.

Choi starts the proper late period sonatas off with an Op 101 that waits not even one note before establishing a proper transcendent sound.  Perhaps it could be more lively, but it would be hard to imagine something with more innermost sensibility.  Clear and lovely and almost ethereal, it works quite nicely, indeed.  The march has a suitably marchy rhythm and striking dynamic contrasts and sometimes edgy accents.  Cooler, more serene playing pervades the Adagio, which again goes right back to transcendence, and after some sublime transitional trills, the closing Allegro sounds nicely paced, clear, and almost idealized, with uncommonly "pure" fugal playing, almost invoking and easily surpassing baroque stylings infused not with classical or even romantic sensibilities, but rather with timelessness.  A fine start to the late works.  Before continuing on with the late stuff, the cycle circles back to Op 7.  The cycle presents the two biggest sonatas back-to-back, making for some potentially thrilling marathon listening.  The Allegro molto e con brio, oh yeah, it's got gobs o' brio start to finish, wide dynamic swings, sweet dotted rhythms, everything a growing body needs for maximum enjoyment.  The Largo, more an Adagio, is chock full of dramatic dynamic gestures, and a terseness, at least until the back half, when it slows down and adds more straight up drama.  The outer sections of the of the Allegro bop along gently enough, with a nice, rumbly trio filled with attractive left hand playing to offset things.  The Rondo starts off slowly, beautifully, and most graciously, but it gives way to more urgent, more strident playing quickly enough, before settling back.  It's a nice touch to throw this sonata in with the late works, offering an excellent chance to compare and contrast, provided one listens in track order.  The mighty Op 106 starts off with weighty playing of more or less run of the mill tempo – it's 11'07" – and what goes missing in terms of speed, Choi essentially makes up for with quasi-orchestral scale, and some speedier passages.  The Scherzo is tauter and edgier, but cut from the same cloth.  The Adagio comes in at about sixteen and a half minutes, and Choi makes it immediately apparent that her take is austere and desolate – no reason to dilly dally in that regard – and she maintains tension and desolation throughout.  The final movement starts off tense and quickish for a Largo, and then moves to playing that sounds quicker than its timing would suggest, with fine if not world-beating clarity.  Forward drive cannot be faulted.  It's hard to fault the beefy overall sound, either. 

The final trio of sonatas start off with an Op 109 where the Vivace ma non troppo, while vigorous, is more about ethereal beauty and gliding playing than mere vigor.  It is elevated playing.  The Adagio section even more so.  The single tracking of the first two movements means that the listener gets to just sit and listen as the clean, clear, very vigorous Prestissimo immediately emerges.  It sounds both rushed and urgent, all while remaining elevated.  The opening Andante theme sounds lovely and elevated, sometimes just a tad quick, but always transcendent.  The first variation keeps the same feel, while the second speeds up considerably, offering pointed playing, while the third variation is all about speed and power and considerable clarity, more middle period than late.  The fourth variation is a bit quicker than normal, while the fifth really plays up the contrapuntal writing.  The final variation, again remaining taut, starts off quite lovely, but then Choi opts to go all out in terms of speed and energy on the build up to the serene coda.  High grade stuff.  Lovely cantabile playing greets the listener's ears in the opening of Op 110, and there's serenity and simplicity and transcendence saturating the playing throughout.  The Allegro molto starts quietly and the transitions seamlessly to some loud, yet eminently smooth playing, and bounces back and forth through the movement.  The first arioso of the last movement is all elevated beauty, lovely enough to rival the loveliest (eg, Lucchesini), and hints of mystery, via expert use of silence, is on full display.  Nary an unattractive note is to be heard, even when Choi turns up the volume.  Clarity is very fine, as well.  The transition to the second arioso sounds dark and lovely, while the arioso itself is more urgent, more searching.  The repeated chords, rich and heavy, build up to a satisfying volume – though one may hope for more – while the inverted fugue has some lovely pedal haze to open it, with mystery again the watchword.  Choi transitions to quick playing in short order, and carries it right through to the dramatic coda.  In Op 111, the Maestoso opening is swift, with pauses mostly eliminated for effect, with the only possible quibble being that Choi doesn't deploy enough edgy playing, with everything sounding very nice.  The beefy left hand playing that opens the Allegro, and the zippy overall tempo offers an energetic if not imposing take.  The Arietta opens in lovely but comparatively plain fashion, with no great ethereal or transcendent feel.  That is saved for the second half, which sounds properly late-LvBy yet tense.  The first variation keeps on with this approach, with the second ratcheting up the tension further.  The third is more about speed and energy than a boogie woogie rhythm.  The tension doesn't abate in most of the subsequent playing, with Choi delivering some of the fastest "little stars" around.  Finally, when the first of the chains of trills arrives, Choi backs off a bit, though the trills themselves are often quick, and then Choi ramps back up.  Finally, in the coda, she slows down, adopts quiet playing to rival Yamane, and offers glimpses of Elysium.  While not a Top Ten choice for the work, it is distinctive and makes for a fine closer.

Them Koreans has already taken over modern Mozart interpretation and now are doing the same with Beethoven.  With five complete* cycles by Korean pianists – the majority of them women, which is unique globally – the geographically diminutive hermit kingdom now averages better than even German speaking lands, and that's with HJ Lim included.  Removing Lim from the mix, they are almost untouchable qualitatively.  One waits with no little anticipation to hear what YES may deliver, and this set rekindles hopes that Dong-Min Lim records the rest of the sonatas for 2027.  (Fingers and toes crossed.)  Choi herself ends up in the second tier, with individual takes of no little accomplishment.  Everything works well, at the very least, and usually much more than that.  With surprises like this popping up, one wants more.  An unexpected treat, this. 



* Yeah, I know, HJ Lim excluded the Op 49 sonatas, but I count her anyway.