Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
Impromptus D.935; No.3 in B flat major (1828) [10:00]
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Piano Sonata in F major, Op. 10 No. 2 (1796-8) [10:43]
Piano Sonata in B flat major, Op. 106 “Für das Hammerklavier”
(1817-18) [41:25]
Wilhelm Backhaus (piano)
rec. 24 September 1959, live, Beethovenhalle, Bonn
ICA CLASSICS ICAC5055 [62:35]
Not for the first time, one encounters 75 year old Wilhelm Backhaus
on tremendous form in recital, here at the Beethovenhalle in
Bonn in September 1959. His concert begins with Schubert’s
Impromptu No.3 in B flat major from the D.935 set. There is
such facility and tonal lustre here, and a dappled, songful
lightness propelled by the deftest of left hand rhythms. He
is at pains to explore, but not to overplay, the harmonic directions
of the music, and his reading is meanwhile full of lyrical affirmation
and delightful tonal resources. When required he employs dynamism
tinged with élan. The concert could scarcely have begun
in a more richly affectionate way.
Backhaus then contrasted two Beethoven sonatas, pitting the
F major Op.10 No.2 ‘against’ - if one can put it
that way - the Hammerklavier. In the former sonata he wittily
points up the ’wrong key’ element embedded, whilst
not overlooking the charming but also somewhat thoughtfully
disquieting aspects of the central Allegretto; its more
pregnantly curious paragraphs are deftly adjudicated. The finale
is properly spirited.
In the great acres of the Hammerklavier, one finds Backhaus
as committed and sagacious as ever. He recorded the sonata for
his Decca mono LP cycle at the beginning of the decade but it
was the only work that he failed to re-record for the later
stereo cycle. The very start is deceptive. Its seeming lumpy
quality is soon dispelled by sonic drive and technically powerful
engagement. Backhaus’s famed sense of logical divination
is at a premium here, as he lays bare the motivic shards of
the music as it advances. His Scherzo is dramatic, voiced with
considerable intensity and clarity. His technique remained formidable,
as he was to show a full decade later in the last year of his
life (see review)
when he performed four Beethoven sonatas in a single recital
in Berlin. The slow movement of the Hammerklavier is considered,
nuanced, frequently of great depth and tonal beauty, and wholly
at the service of a performance of spiritual and expressive
nobility.
This is a distinguished release, extremely well recorded, and
well documented. It should be listened to alongside Backhaus’s
earlier studio mono Hammerklavier and Op.10 No.2, because
whilst his conception didn’t materially alter, this live
recital reflects on that commercial legacy and offers a valuable
amplification of it.
Jonathan Woolf
A distinguished release, extremely well recorded and well documented.