Yaeko Yamane Plays Beethoven

[Todd]

Until a matter of only weeks ago, I'd never even seen the name Yaeko Yamane, let alone heard any of her recordings, but since she recorded a complete Beethoven piano sonata cycle, I knew I'd become familiar with some of her playing.  I could dig up precious little information about Ms Yamane, but from her press bio, it seems she graduated from the Conservatoire National Superior de Music de Paris in 1953, after studying under Lazare Lévy before pursuing additional studies in various European locales.  She then won a prize or two.  She first performed the complete Beethoven sonata cycle in the 1970s, and has remained busy since.  A quick perusal of Japanese CD huts shows that she has recorded her share of other standard rep, too.  This Beethoven sonata cycle was recorded between 1993 and 1997 and was released on the ADAM label.  It is of the super-complete variety, including the standard 32 sonatas, the Op 6 sonata for four hands – though I can't determine who the second pianist is – along with the WoO 47 and 51 sonatas and the WoO 50 and Anh 5-1 and 5-2 sonatinas.  The sonatas proper are presented in order of composition, so Op 49 comes immediately after Op 2 on disc. 

That's all fine and dandy, but what about the playing?  Well, I started with disc number one, which has the first three sonatas.  Turns out she plays pretty well.  Her playing in these early sonatas is clear, with nice independence of hands letting some little details shine through.  Her rubato is tasteful, but it is willful, and this becomes more noticeable later on.  Her tone is beautiful.  Her pedaling perfumes the music, sometimes generously.  She avoids clangy staccato.  She does not play with a huge dynamic range, but she can belt out some notes when needed, as evidenced in 2/3.  While capable of playing the music well, she does not seem to have the most perfect of techniques, a la Michael Korstick.  Her playing displays an elegant, light touch that betrays a French influence.  This results in a nice Op 2 trio.  The first is vigorous, with an intense but not overdone closing movement.  The second sonata is fun and light.  The third is sprightly and tastefully virtuosic.

Op 49 are lovely, charming, almost precious (in a good way), with, for some reason, the second movement of both possessing some miniscule hesitations that add even more charm yet.  Ms Yamane possesses that lovely ability to play diminuendo as good as or better that crescendo.  Op 7 is energetic to open, but also finds Yamane playing more willfully, and she uses the una corda pedal a whole lot when playing some usually loud left hand chords.  The Largo is quite beautiful, perhaps too beautiful, and I must say the espressione doesn't seem that gran, while the third movement is fun and charming in the outer sections, but too muted and dynamically limited in the middle section.  Much the same can be said of the closing movement.  Yamane limits her dynamic range quite a bit.  How much is playing, how much the piano, and how much the recording, I can't say.  While not a world matcher, it is unique, and I will revisit it.  10/1 opens with swift arpeggio, and with a bit more dynamic range, though it doesn't thunder in the way of some other recordings.  The second movement is light to the point of being delicate at times in the outer sections, but it glides along elegantly for the most part, and a few passages have a bit more intensity.  The closing movement is generally on the quick side, but there are passages where Yamane seems less than secure, but then she'll play a succeeding passage that sounds even more complex more cleanly.  I have to assume she recorded exactly what she wanted.  10/2 must bit a bit light and fun to be ideal or close to ideal, and Yamane does not disappoint here.  The outer movements are a joy, and rhythmically snappy, and the inner a bit more serious without being serious. 

10/3 opens with a vibrant Presto, with some personal rubato thrown in, and moves into a nicely dramatic Largo, which here enjoys clean playing and a suitably wide dynamic range, and then moves into a rhythmically snappy Menuetto and Rondo, which have a few passages of an almost Russell Sherman or Eric Heidsieck level of rubato at times.  Most satisfying, I must say.  The closely miked Op 13 opens with some beefy chords, complete with nice sustains, before moving onto a nicely paced Allegro, complete with rumbly bass, and a nice, classical mien and not a little personal rubato and sforzando thrown in.  The slow movement is a bit dark and cool, but it is punctured by some powerful playing in the middle, which is a bit out of left field, and the closing movement is similar to the opener in style and sounds just swell.  14/1 is generally light, charming, and attractive, with some curiously serious playing in the last movement.  14/2 is a charmer, with a fluid, lyrical Allegro, a delightful, swift Andante with notable clarity throughout and a fun march style in places, and a Scherzo that could wipe a frown off the face of even the gloomiest listener. 

Disc four opens with an Op 22 possessed of a sprightly tempo and rhythmic vitality that sounds just about right, and enough left hand heft to make the piece pleasantly beefy, and a nicely judged dynamic range.  The Adagio sounds almost more like an Andante or even Allegretto, and remains surprisingly taut throughout, and Yamane's lovely tone just helps things along.  Much the same holds true with a swift and strong Menuetto.  The concluding Rondo flows nicely and has a more relaxed feel in the outer sections than the preceding two movements.  All told, this is an exceptionally fine Op 22, one of the best new recordings I've heard in a while, and, yes, it is better than Jean Efflam Bavouzet's new recording.  Op 26 opens with a set of beautifully contrasted  variations, moves to a Scherzo of contained vibrance, then to a funeral march of not a little heft and solemnity, before ending with a slightly (and I mean slightly) slow (maybe even slow-ish) Allegro that nonetheless sounds just right.  Op 27/1 is played in a dynamically contained (but not constrained) way, and has some clipped phrasing in parts, especially to start, and alternates between a joyful, youthful exuberance in the faster parts, and a more thoughtful, but not deeply burdened, reflectiveness in the slower paying.  Yamane also appears to deploy the una corda pedal here and there for short term effect.  Op 27/2, while nice enough to open, isn't as hazy as I prefer, though the second movement is nice, with the finale lacking enough force, and the bass notes, while hefty, lack attack most of the time, yet Yamane emphasizes some details in a unique way.  While I can't say this is a favorite version of this work, it is an intriguing one.

Disc five starts with Op 28, and Yamane plays swiftly, with a narrow but well judged dynamic range, an insistent but not too insistent dotted rhythm, and an overall just right feel in the opening movement.  The second movement offers plenty of flexibility in phrasing while maintaining a steady tempo and just a bit of tension in the outer sections, and a playful middle section.  The Scherzo and Rondo are both likewise just a bit tense, but both are tonally attractive and Yamane retains a snappy rhythmic sense throughout and offers hints of more intensity where needed.  This is an outstanding rendition of the sonata.  Now to the start of the ever important Op 31.  Ms Yamane starts 31/1 in a playful enough manner, putting a bit more emphasis into bass notes here and there, and distending a few chords, all while maintaining nice forward drive.  The comparatively quick Adagio is very much a grazioso sort, and Yamane's trills blur together a bit, though to nice effect, over pretty steady left hand playing, and she dashes off the middle section with great brio until the end, where she stiffens and slows the playing to good effect.  The Rondo is taken at a nice, nay, a just about perfect tempo, and is good, charming, lightweight fun.  31/2 is a bit different.  Yamane's tempo choices are pretty much conventional overall, but she generally plays it a bit light, and really rushes some chords and passages.  It would sound edgy or jittery but for the lovely tone.  It ends up sounding, well, anxious.  That's quite alright, as it turns out.  This occurs throughout the work.  It makes for a good listen, at times a compelling one, but I could have done with either more intensity overall, or a more measured take.  The only suitable thing to do, though, is to listen at least a few more times to determine how relatively good it is.

Disc six opens with 31/3, and Yamane imparts personality everywhere.  At times her playing is a creamy, blurred legato, sometimes slightly pointed staccato, with dynamics ranging from constrained to boisterous, for no good reason – though in this sonata, it's for very good reason – and some notes are accented out of the blue.  There's a sense of prankishness, though it also sounds studied and seasoned.  The Scherzo sounds somewhat stilted yet still manages to move forward effortlessly – I've not yet heard anything quite like it.  The Menuetto is disarmingly lovely and restrained in the outer sections and gently fun in the middle.  The Presto con fuoco glides along, with largely subdued, but clear, bass and more of Yamane's superb rhythmic sense.  The Waldstein starts off in subdued fashion, with Yamane deploying idiosyncratic rubato in the melodies.  The faster sections seemed more approximated than precise, though that also seems as though it's done for effect.  About midway through, Yamane slows things way down, and plays gently and in a fussy manner.  Why?  Well, whatever the reason, it's strangely compelling.  The slow movement again finds Yamane slowing down and playing gently for the most part, and it's quite effective, and the final concluding movement starts off slow and builds, with enough heft to satisfy where absolutely needed, but Yamane always finds places to play more gently than I'm accustomed to, but she also plays some chords in big, bold fashion.  For some reason, when listening, the best association I could make was with painting – some fine strokes yielding fine details offset big bold strokes filling the canvas.  Anyway, it's not necessarily a favorite, and I dare say many people may dislike it, but its unique traits make for some strangely compelling listening.  The first movement of Op 54 ends up blending together more than normal since Yamane doesn't play the faster portion with much intensity, but it works well, and the faster, but dynamically constrained second movement has enough energy and drive even though it never sounds especially potent. 

Yamane's Op 57 opens more intensely than I expected, and it generally stays that way through the first movement, though she never seems to completely let loose, and her occasional fussing with tempi, however briefly, seems superfluous, and her phrasing borders on clunky at the end of the first movement.  She does manage to keep an attractive tone at all times, though.  The Andante is generally tense, with some accented bass notes and minor tempo changes, and is quite effective, and the final movement is suitably stormy, even with at least one noticeable edit and strong but not perfect technique.  A satisfying version.  Op 78 is a speed demon of a performance, moving from an Allegretto of an Adagio to a Presto of an Allegro, and then to a perky Allegro vivace.  Op 79 is similar in style, with a vibrant opener, a slightly solemn and more than slightly lovely Andante, and a fun, vivacious Vivace.  Op 81/a sounds attractive overall and is generally conventional, but it sounds somewhat contrived, with almost undue focus on some details, especially in the last movement, but then, it's also intriguing to here.  Op 90 receives the highly interventionist treatment, I can't say that all of the idiosyncrasies work well here; both movements sound slightly disjointed. 

Disc eight starts in on the late sonatas, and in Op 101 the high frequencies sound somewhat dull throughout, and Yamane delivers a middle period sound world opening movement, with some odd accents and some minor tempo tinkering, and the march is somewhat too low key, without enough dynamic punch.  The Adagio starts to show glimmers of the late LvB sound I prefer, and then Yamane starts to come alive in the Allegro, complete with a wider dynamic range and effective rubato and nice clarity.  Overall, the concluding movement is quite good, but it can't make up for the less compelling earlier movements.  The Hammerklavier, recorded with more reverb than the other sonatas up to this point, no doubt to add scale to the sound, and displaying a sharper tone than normal, is taken at a slightly fast but still conventional speed – no Korstick style opening here.  Yamane does an excellent but not quite great job of presenting a big, bold conception.  The second movement is quite nice and moves forward with a contained yet swift momentum.  Yamane does not deliver huge dynamic contrasts, but somehow she makes it work.  The great Adagio is taken at a not too slow pace and remains tense throughout, and at times the playing assumes a feeling of subdued anguish.  The final movement starts off off with a somewhat swift and quite perfunctory Largo then moves into a fugue of greater energy and clarity and control than I was expecting, and Yamane keeps indulgences at bay most of the time.  It's really quite good.  So, in both of these sonatas, Yamane seems to save her best playing for the concluding movements, and as such both rate as interesting, 106 more than that, but neither are world beaters.

For Op 109, Yamane opens very slowly but quickly moves into very swift, somewhat dynamically limited playing, and then to a nicely paced and nicely dynamic Prestissimo.  She then plays the closing movement in a slightly too rushed fashion.  Her playing is certainly cantabile, but it seems forced and she seems at the very limit of her technique in the fastest sections.  110 fares better.  Swift again, and also lovely again, she doesn't push things so much in the opening movements.  The final movement has a nice sense of urgency imparted by the tempo choice, the fugue is clear and strong, though with a couple passages where Yamane seems to drift, and her tone becomes harder.  The repeated chords ascend in volume nicely, ending in a satisfying, hefty climax, and the inverted fugue displays all the positive traits of the original fugue, with none of the shortcomings.  Yamane startles somewhat in Op 111, opening with thundering, slightly metallic sounding chords, before lowering the volume a bit.  Her tempo choice in the Maestoso is brisk, and it stays brisk in the Allegro, and she plays the bass parts with satisfying heft.  Yamane doesn't even really slow down for the Arietta, though for the first time in the last three works she plays with some late LvB transcendence.  The variations all show a bit of nervous energy – more than a bit much of the time – and the boogie woogie variation is very tense, with emphasis on the beginnings of phrases.  Yamane plays the quietest, most subdued, indeed weakest trills I can recall hearing, and the ending of the sonata is almost blunt.  No glimpses of Elysian fields here.  It is unique to be sure, and Yamane does not end the sonatas proper on a comparative high note.

The final disc is given over to the WoO sonatas and other odds and ends, and it is all very well played, and largely devoid of excess mannerisms.  It makes me think that her Mozart would be superb. 

As to comparative assessments, well, last year I picked up Ichiro Nodaira's excellent, straight-forward cycle, and I made sure to do a couple direct comparisons between the two, and while stylistically quite different, they are close to equal qualitatively, though I'd give the edge to Nodaira.  Among the Japanese cycles I've heard, then, that puts Yamane in the middle of the pack, not quite rivaling Sonoda or Kikuchi, and roughly on par with Nodaira and Sako, and better than Nakamichi and Yokoyama.  Ms Yamane also invites comparisons to women pianists, and in that regard, she fares relatively better among the seven complete cycles I've heard from women.  Only Annie Fischer is better, and quite a bit at that. 

As to an overall assessment, something interesting about this set is that even when Yamane plays in a way I'm not overly fond of, I couldn't help but listen very closely to every little detail.  I always listen closely to Beethoven's sonatas, especially the first few times I hear a new recording, but this set made me want to listen more intently than normal.  Why did Yamane make the choices she did?  Why did she play this way or that?  And why is the result so often so good?  There is no doubt in my mind that some people would find her playing too prissy, too fussy, and too willful.  I can even imagine some people disliking her playing for often being too feminine, heavy as it is on elegance and charm and finesse and beauty.  (If my characterization of feminine attributes and playing offends some readers, so be it.)  Were I to compare Yamane to one pianist, I'd say she is closest in style, or perhaps more accurately spirit, to Eric Heidsieck, but less idiosyncratic, less perfectly polished, less dynamic, and less compelling, but still, she's got something unique to say and overall I like it.  But even that comparison is not apt, because in some ways she seems to meld together some traits of Eric Heidsieck and Wilhelm Kempff, with a dash of Andrea Lucchesini thrown in when it comes to her beautiful tone.  Ultimately, she does not rival those pianists, and in some works, especially the late works, she charts a course not quite like anyone else, but she is always interesting to listen to even when she is overshadowed by many others. 

Sound is very good to excellent, and generally quite close and dry.

[aquablob]

Thanks, as always.