Beethoven: Piano Sonatas No 5, 11, 12, 26 - Jonathan Biss (2012)
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas No 5, 11, 12, 26 - Jonathan Biss (2012)
EAC Rip | Flac (Tracks + cue + log) | 1 CD | Full Scans | 224 MB
Genre: Classical | Label: Onyx | Catalog Number: 4082
EAC Rip | Flac (Tracks + cue + log) | 1 CD | Full Scans | 224 MB
Genre: Classical | Label: Onyx | Catalog Number: 4082
This is the first in a nine-disc series of Beethoven’s complete Piano Sonatas that Jonathan Biss plans to record over as many years. That does seem excessively leisurely, however great a testimony it is to Biss’s seriousness and dedication. I would like to be around when he gets to the end of his pilgrimage, for this is a marvellously promising beginning by one of the most thoughtful and technically accomplished pianists of the younger generation.
Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer: Jonathan Biss
Reviews: Jonathan Biss’s Beethoven album on EMI was glowingly reviewed by Colin Clarke in Fanfare 31:4. Having acquired my own copy of it, I, too, was so impressed with the pianist’s playing that I asked to review this new release in what is shaping up to be a complete cycle. On that point, there needs to be a clarification. This new Onyx CD is labeled “Piano Sonatas Vol. 1,” which, from the company’s point of view, I suppose it is. But, as indicated, Biss already recorded four of the sonatas—Nos. 8, 15, 27, and 30—for EMI and thus far, at least, that CD is still in circulation. So, whether he will get around to rerecording those four sonatas for a future Onyx volume or Onyx will eventually acquire the rights to the EMI disc and recycle it on its own label remains to be seen.
C Minor was not a key Beethoven turned to as often as one might think; there are only around 15 opus numbers listed in that key, the majority of them clustered among the earlier works predating 1810 and culminating in the Fifth Symphony (1808) and Choral Fantasia (1809). Nor do all of the composer’s C-Minor works necessarily express the angst, tragedy, and dramatic urgency associated with his Sturm und Drang MO.
The C-Minor Sonata, op. 10/1, with which Biss opens his program, is an example. Completed in 1797, the piece has an almost capricious quality about it with its quirky dotted rhythms, gazelle-like interval leaps, and sudden stops and lurches forward. If the key were major, it would probably sound whimsical, but in minor it sounds a bit furtive. Biss doesn’t overplay his hand by stirring up more of a tempest than is warranted; instead, he adopts a moderate tempo and relatively light touch for the Allegro con brio, bringing out its clandestine character. His Adagio molto is pensive and beautifully sustained, and his Prestissimo, again with feathery touch, gives ample evidence that Biss can play very fast when he wants to.
For all its charms, the B?-Major Sonata, op. 22, would appear to be the Cinderella among Beethoven’s piano sonatas—i.e., the one that’s held in least regard if number of recordings is a measure of popularity. Biss, who provides his own program notes, maintains that both the Sonata No. 11 and its immediate successor, No. 12, the “Funeral March” Sonata, are unjustly neglected and hardly ever heard other than in the context of a complete cycle. In both works, Biss displays considerable agility in bringing Beethoven’s feathery bass lines to the fore in the Allegros and a real flair for poetic expression in the slow movements.
Consistent with his playing in the earlier sonatas, Biss applies his light touch to the “Les Adieux” Sonata as well, but when I say “light touch,” allow me to explain what I mean. It’s not that he’s incapable of producing a true forte or that there’s a lack of dynamic gradation. Rather, his tone never sounds forced; it’s as if he’s gliding effortlessly over the keys without ever exerting an excess of downward pressure. The resulting sound is sufficiently loud when called for, but it doesn’t have quite the full-bodied bulkiness one might expect from the Steinway concert grand Biss is playing. My sense is that he’s aware of what this music would have sounded like on the pianos of Beethoven’s day and is consciously trying to emulate that sound.
This then is not Beethoven pumped up on steroids and played in an aggressive hell-bent-for-leather manner. Biss’s Beethoven is classically, even patricianly poised, and the sound is crystalline and transparent. These are stylish, handsome readings that are sure to wear well over many repeated hearings.
Tracklisting:
1. Sonata for Piano no 5 in C minor, Op. 10 no 1 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer: Jonathan Biss (Piano)
Period: Classical
Written: 1795-1797; Vienna, Austria
2. Sonata for Piano no 26 in E flat major, Op. 81a "Les Adieux" by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer: Jonathan Biss (Piano)
Period: Classical
Written: 1809-1810; Vienna, Austria
3. Sonata for Piano no 12 in A flat major, Op. 26 "Funeral March" by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer: Jonathan Biss (Piano)
Period: Classical
Written: 1800-1801; Vienna, Austria
4. Sonata for Piano no 11 in B flat major, Op. 22 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer: Jonathan Biss (Piano)
Period: Classical
Written: 1800; Vienna, Austria
Exact Audio Copy V1.0 beta 3 from 29. August 2011
EAC extraction logfile from 26. October 2012, 12:32
Jonathan Biss / Beethoven Piano Sonatas #5, 11, 12, 26
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==== Log checksum 639AC1D63D4D292E5B3405FB8C6B860CEB71A558C094BFA14A78559D70A59036 ====
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Jonathan Biss / Beethoven Piano Sonatas #5, 11, 12, 26
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==== Log checksum 639AC1D63D4D292E5B3405FB8C6B860CEB71A558C094BFA14A78559D70A59036 ====
Thanks to the original releaser