Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K491 [30:37]
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37 [35:38]
Yevgeny Sudbin (piano)
Minnesota Orchestra/Osmo Vänskä
rec. June 2011 (Beethoven) and May-June 2012 (Mozart), Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, USA
BIS BIS-SACD-1978 [66:05]
“It’s weird”, I thought, before listening to
this album, “Mozart’s Concerto No. 24 and Beethoven’s
Concerto No. 3 are very similar, but you rarely see them together
on an album.” Then I listened and realized why: they are,
in fact, so similar that playing them back-to-back creates a risk
of burnout, even in performances as good as these.
They’re both in C minor. Their opening themes sound a little
alike. They both trade in grand heroism, with plush slow movements
and turbulent finales. Listening to them together, you get the
very strong impression that Beethoven was keeping close to his
source.
Yevgeny Sudbin helps this along by turning up the dial a little
bit in the Mozart, and dialing a little back in the Beethoven.
The cadenzas, which he wrote himself, provide the standout moments:
the first Mozart cadenza is overtly Beethovenian, including, at
12:40, a deliberate quote of the opening melody from Beethoven’s
third concerto. The Mozart finale’s cadenza includes a short
(abortive?) fugue of Sudbin’s own devising, which is surprising
and a little harsh, while the first-movement cadenza in the Beethoven
concerto contains the most breathtaking playing on the whole CD.
The Minnesota Orchestra under Osmo Vänskä are perfect,
almost too much so, reminding me of my criticism of these forces’
symphony cycle: that it sounds like Beethoven played by well-engineered
robots. That cycle had many fans who will love this. I can say,
though, that the woodwinds - particularly clarinets - make beautiful
sounds in the Mozart larghetto, full of Viennese elegance.
Some critics have noted that Sudbin makes the simplest passages
(runs, trills) into the greatest pleasures. This is true. His
playing is so precisely voiced, and so crystal-clear, that it’s
hard not to be enthralled by passages which, to other pianists,
are the busy work. This alone would make the recording a standout.
The cadenzas add interest, and most of you will probably like
the coupling and orchestra more than I did. Recommended in the
expectation that time will increase my appreciation for the musicianship
here.
Brian Reinhart
Previous review: Stephen
Greenbank (March 2014 Recording of the Month)
Masterwork Index: Beethoven concerto 3 ~~ Mozart concerto 24
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