24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Word of Caution, and a Very High Recommendation, November 25, 2006
This review is from: Beethoven - The Complete Piano Sonatas - Tatiana Nikolayeva (Audio CD)
Before mentioning any of the music here, one should note that the CD image included here claims to be the 9 disc set, while the editorial review mentions only Disc 1. I did not buy my copy from Amazon, and I can only assume that this is indeed the full 9 disc collection. If you are in doubt, however, it can't be a bad idea to call Amazon to check.
Second, something to note is that all of the performances here are live, and were recorded over a four month period. Specifically: Sonatas Nos. 1,2,3,4 were recorded on the 10th of January 1984 * Sonatas Nos. 5,6,7,8 were recorded on the 11th of January 1984 * Sonatas Nos. 9,10,11,12 were recorded on the 18th of January 1984 * Sonatas Nos. 13,14,15,16 were recorded on the 25th of January 1984 * Sonatas Nos. 17,18,19,20,21 were recorded on the 22nd of January 1984 * Sonatas Nos. 22,23,24,25,26 were recorded on the 4th of March 1984 * Sonatas Nos. 27,28,29 were recorded on the 7th of March 1984 * Sonatas Nos. 30,31 were recorded on the 11th of April 1984 * and Sonata No. 32 was recorded on the 11th of March 1984.
As a result, there is some variability in the recording quality (notably in the sound of the piano, though overall it is very good), applause at the end of each sonata, and, of course, the inevitable coughs from the audience. Counterbalancing this is the immediacy and "on-the-fly" musical creation of live playing. If you are interested only in a uniform, "studio-clean" recording with potential second takes, then this might not be the disc for you. Nevertheless, even then there are exceptionally good reasons for getting this pressing.
The main strength of the collection, of course, is Nikolaeva's playing. Best known for her magisterial readings of Bach, one might certainly attempt to quibble over whether or not she can be that good with respect to Beethoven as well. In point of fact, to play a comparison game with other full cycle recordings, or even individual performances by other acknowledged masters, misses the point somewhat. The sheer fact of the matter is that one can only be glad that Nikolaeva has graced the world with this total set.
There is not just far too much music, but far too much music making, here to review individually. Comprising more than 10 hours in all (making for only $9 per disc), what is continuously apparent throughout is the intense pianism Nikolaeva exhibits. For one, her training in contrapuntal music makes the the accents and melodies ring out with a particular brilliant sharpness, but it is even more frequently that her musical sensibility causes music to come flaring out of the speakers with more joy and life than one has ever heard from Beethoven before.
And in fact the more or less "four sonatas recorded per night" on each disc creates a certain wholeness to each night of performance that is a plus on each disc. It is difficult to put one's finger on this exactly, but the sense is almost as if Nikolaeva is aware, not only of each interpretation that she brings to each sonata, but also each one in the company of those that accompany it that night. This is something one does not get with any other full cycle recording that I am aware of.
The joys of the organization of the recording aside, it seems necessary to at least make some specific observations of the playing itself. And if I select the rightly world-famous Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor ("Moonlight"), it is solely for the sake of its general familiarity to most listeners of Beethoven.
Since Beethoven explicitly dictates tempos, one encounters far less variability than with Bach. 99% of the time, Nikolaeva sticks with such tempo indications, varying ever so slightly for effect.
Thus, the evocative first movement (marked "sostenuto") is, indeed, sustained by Nikolaeva. She maintains an evenness throughout the movement that is rarely encountered. By evenness I mean the dynamic range is compressed, without losing expressiveness or being monotonous, and even the singing melody line is a bit more muted than one usually finds. The effect of this is a more sustained (I don't mean that as a pun) mood than is typically found with this movement. Instead of being a journey, as it were, the movement is more like a mood--or to be even more precise, like the reflection of the moon on the surface of a rippling lake in the middle of the night. It's a very deft, very evocative reading of an almost infinitely recorded piece.
As a result, the bright, bouncy middle movement pops out with even more joie de vivre than is typical as well. Throughout this very short, but not slight, piece, Nikolaeva blends together crisp staccatos and smooth phrasing. Here also one finds particularly that note of Nikolaevan genius, joyfulness. All throughout the collection, it is as if in the most neglected and obscure portions of Beethoven's sonatas that she brings the most light. Thus, this is a particularly shining reading of that piece perched precariously between two compositional giants.
The third movement enters attacca, sweeping (more than roaring) up out of the brightness of the last movement. After the initial arpeggios, Nikolaeva shows her hand, and opts for a slightly down-tempo reading of the next measures, with a touch of rubato to emphasize the passage. At first listen, it sounds almost as if she is just working her way through it, but as the movement progresses, the logic of it becomes clearer and clearer (most of all in the repeat). The transition to the second theme is exceptionally smoothly handled, and the deftness of touch throughout is not just spot on, but a sheer physical delight to listen to. Subtle shifts abound as well throughout the repeat, making it a genuine revisitation, and not just a repetition. In the passage with the skittery theme in minor thirds, the left hand is handled with exquisite deftness, as is the opening of the development section. Also in the development, a very distinct separation is affected between the left hand and the right hand, so that the right hand is almost floating, completely detached, like a cloud above the deep melody. A rather amazing pianistic moment. And when the recapitulation starts, Nikolaeva makes the contrasting moods come through with a sense of narrative or theatricality that I have not found in other readings of this movement. It is as if, like a brilliant playwright, she truly mines the material that has gone before to make, and remake, statements implicit in the piece. Or again, the accelerando at the beginning of the coda has genuine, breath-taking excitement to it--followed by another careful mood shift, that brings out the final passages with, again, more musical interest than I usually find.
It is this exquisitely, cunningly attuned pianistic sense that makes Nikolaeva's readings of each sonata ultimately so satisfying (lighting up entirely, for instance, the second movement of Sonata No. 15, which can sometimes become dulled down into something like a mere etude, through a crystal-crispness of playing and slight tempo increase). One hears the cliche frequently enough about technique in the service of true pianistic sensibility--this is no cliché with Nikolaeva. One might say that a better reading of this or that sonata may be located out there--that is why we are fortunate to have so many recordings of this great music. Meanwhile, Nikolaeva brings so much joy, both musical and emotive, to the music that the price for this full set seems entirely a bargain.
If you have no other full sonata cycle, rest assured that as your first, it will not be a mistake. This is as good of a place to start as any, if not more so. And if you already have a full cycle, the pianism alone of Nikolaeva makes it worth purchasing.
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