Customer Reviews

Beethoven: The Piano Sonatas, Volume 1: Opp. 2 & 7

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If I may, with due respect, I completely disagree with the previous reviewer. Schiff was not uncomfortable with Beethoven, but being a self-effacing young man and a perfectionist, he only waited to mature and be worthy to play the sonatas. He is now embarking on the long awaited complete set that surely will be a landmark.
Andras Schiff is a pianist to reckon with whose career is on the rise. Sold out concert halls in Europe prove this. I think it was worth the wait for him to get into Beethoven.
These 4 early sonatas are tremendous interpretations: full of joy, excitement, vigour, imagination and virtuosity even wit and humour.His technique is perfect and his palette is lucid and crisp, perhaps less fluidly romantic as Richard Goode, but this is a more classic
approach influenced by Haydn. In fact Sonata Op.2 no. 1 is dedicated to Haydn. Op. 2 No.3 is a stunningly memorable virtuoso performance.
The monumental sonata Op.7 is a giant step forward at this early phase and Schiff's perfomance is the pinnacle of this set.Just think of the wonderfully introspective interpretation of the Largo or the Scherzo with its disturbing, tremulous Minore section. A masterly performance.

Stop and go phrasing, muddled textures ? Statements like these
should be supported by precise examples otherwise the "critic"
loses his credibility.

I sincerely recommend this recording and look forward to the follow-ups.

I have not been a fan of Andras Schiff's in the past. In general, I've found his Mozart and Schubert performances to be fussy and precious, despite their elegance and surface polish. Beethoven does not seem tempermentally the right fit for Schiff, so I was particularly guarded about exploring these new discs. But I have to say if this first volume is indicative of what's to come, this will be a magnificent Beethoven sonata cycle.

Although these performances are as well groomed as any of Schiff's past performances, his style has adopted a bit bolder and more dramatic profile. His playing is more forcefully articulated (in the past, I've had a hard time with his dainty pecking at notes), and his tempi are more measured but also natural sounding, and less sheerly fleet.

In short, Schiff brings a welcome touch of drama to these early sonatas, while not sacrificing the scrupulous care and lyricism that is his signature. And what glorious music this is! These sonatas have such extraordinary richness and complexity despite their being youthful works. Schiff takes all repeats. I found the set very well recorded too, though I see other reviewers have reservations on that front. Highly recommended.

I love Andras Schiff's playing Mozart and Bach but I always wonder how could he adjust his style to Beethoven. (I have not heard his concertos recording with Haitink) Yes, his Beethoven Sonata is slightly slower than some pianists (well... I probably would rather say 'more flexibility' in terms of tempo) and far less percussive, but not less dramatic. Because of his unique sound and interpretation, I felt very refreshing listening to them. In an era that most pianists sound so similarly, it's fun to have people that could offer individuality and freshness to the old warhorse.

4 stars only because of a mediocre recording quality. (5 stars for interpretation, 3 stars for muddy sound)

A few years ago I caused considerable consternation in the mind of estimable audio critic Peter Aczel when I opined in the pages of The $ensible Sound that Mahler was a greater composer of symphonies than Beethoven. I still believe that, but when the question is instead, "who is the greater composer?" there is no doubt that Beethoven comes out on top. Symphonies, concerti, sonatas, quartets--it is simply astounding that one human being could write so many towering masterpieces in so many different musical forms.

What we have here is the first in what is projected to be an eight-volume release of the complete Piano Sonatas performed by Andras Schiff. These volumes will present the sonatas in temporal order, and based on the virtues of this first release, I am really looking forward to auditioning each new set as it comes out.
These early works are entertaining and fulfilling, and Schiff presents them with both lyricism and power. Sound quality is excellent; you can close your eyes and imagine yourself at a wonderful recital. This is truly an exciting release, both for what it is and for what it heralds.

Firstly, I think it is quite wonderful that these recordings bring out so many different views and reactions. I really enjoy these recordings, but they are not faultless (obviously!). I wouldn't describe his phrasing as stop/go, but he does have some moments of slightly odd phrasing. Muddled - definitely not. I do find that he plays the piano quite hard and it does become overly percussive in fortissimo parts especially in the first movement of the Appassionata (Volume VI). Whether the recording technique is partially to blame for this, is a valid question.

Something else, although probably quite insignificant in the larger scheme of things, is the opening of the 6th sonata (op. 10/2) in which the two opening chords are VERY poorly balanced and bottom heavy. The music does not call for this and it should not have made the final edit. In that same movement there is also some ornamentation that I really cannot recall from the edition I used to study this sonata.

This cycle is probably going to cause as much controversy as the Mutter/Orkis recordings of the Violin Sonatas, but let it be known: Schiff's recordings are something to be reckoned with and something wonderfully new and a bit out of the ordinary!

Andras Schiff is not known as a great Beethoven interpreter. In interviews, he has stated a discomfort with Beethovenian rhetoric. Listening to this disc, it's not hard to understand why Schiff has largely avoided Beethoven on record.

The performances throughout these discs are weighed down by red light/green light, stop and go phrasing, ponderous tempos, and a muddiness which has no justification. Many of the more virtuoso elements are drowned in Schiff's over-zealous gravitas. Shallow, these works are definitely not. But, it's reasonable to wonder if Schiff is trying to interpret these sonatas, written by a virtuoso pianist who was then the hot new ticket in Vienna, in the same light as Op. 111.

Wilhelm Kempff in his seventies showed more vigor and wit in the opening movement of Op. 2, No. 3, not to mention Murray Perahia's more sober virtuosity. Either pianist, and many more, give more enlightenment to a young upstart's early displays of mastery.