SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Beethoven: Till Fellner (piano). Wigmore Hall, 23.6.2009 (CC)


Austrian-born pianist Till Fellner packed out the Wigmore Hall for a programme of four Beethoven piano sonatas. Putting the three sonatas Op. 10 together led to a first half that lasted over an hour, but such was the freshness of Fellner’s interpretations that the time sped by. Fellner is clearly an intelligent musician (he numbers Alfred Brendel amongst his teachers). Unlike the majority of pianists, he judged the Wigmore acoustic perfectly, avoiding over-pedalling and projecting his tone to the very back of the hall without forcing. Daring to put the “Hammerklavier” in the second half, too, showed real guts.

Youth is on Fellner’s side (he was born in 1972), and this was reflected perhaps in the impetuous speeds for the Presto and Prestissimo movements. The performances of Op. 10 were uniformly lively. His technique is outstanding; there was little sense of strain at any point, quite an achievement given the technical demands (particularly of the “Hammerklavier”).

Perhaps the first movement of Op. 10 No. 2, the F-major, was not entirely Spring-fresh (although that aspect did improve as the movement progressed), but Fellner made amends with a superb Allegretto second movement which contained magical syncopations and a beautifully articulated finale. The C-minor dynamism of Op. 10 No. 1 was rightfully acknowledged – accents bit, and the tempo of the first movement (marked “Molto allegro e con brio”) was very, very fast indeed, contrasting with a markedly interior Adagio molto.

The D-major, Op. 10 No. 3 is by far the largest of the Op. 10 set and the one that points furthest forward, particularly in the first and second movements. Fellner’s sterling articulation in the first movement enabled him to project the utmost fluency, but it was the famous “Largo e mesto” that found him at his most inspired. The piano tone was magnificently warm, yet the desolation was palpable, especially when the bass took the theme. The “Menuetto” emerged naturally out of the darkness of the slow movement’s final repeated low D naturals. If Fellner seems unwilling to project humour as yet, this remained a warm, assured account.

Fellner’s stamina must be superhuman, to be able to follow all that with the mighty “Hammerklavier”. He split the famous opening gesture between the hands, a shame as it is the very danger of this opening that adds much frisson to the experience. But there was plenty to enjoy. Fellner seemed to enjoy the very beauty of the sound he produced, his articulation clarifying a number of passages, particularly in the development section. Rarely have I heard the Scherzo played with such technical ease (Gilels springs to mind), and he negotiated the Adagio sostenuto’s vast span with consummate concentration. The short break before the finale came as a surprise, but what we heard when it arrived was a performance born of a superior intellect. Fellner seemed to revel in Beethoven’s contrapuntal games, deliberately including delicacy into the finale’s heady mix. Fellner’s Bach is rightly praised, and his background with that composer clearly stood him in good stead.

A remarkable recital from a pianist who promises much. Fellner is to play and record the Beethoven Concertos in Montreal with Dutoit. Watch this space.

Colin Clarke


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