Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
12 variations on ‘See the conqu’ring hero comes’ in G, WoO45 [12:17]
Cello Sonata No.1 in F, Op.5/1 (1796) [23:45]
Cello Sonata No.2 in g minor, Op.5/2 (1796) [28:05]
12 Variations on ‚Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen‘ in F, Op.66 [9:40]
Cello Sonata No.3 in A, Op.69 (1808) [25:46]
7 Variations on ‚Bei Männern welche Liebe fühlen‘ in E-flat, WoO46 [9:17]
Cello Sonata No.4 in C, Op.102/1 (1815) [15:09]
Cello Sonata No.5 in D, Op.102/2 (1815) [20:24]
Nicolas Altstaedt (violoncello Giovanni Battista Guadagnini (1711-1786),
Piacenza 1749)
Alexander Lonquich (fortepiano by Conrad Graf, Vienna c.1826/27)
rec. July 2019 Teldex Studio, Berlin. DDD.
Reviewed as lossless press preview.
ALPHA 577
[74:03 + 70:58]
Beethoven’s Cello Sonatas span almost the whole of his career and Alpha
have helpfully laid them out for us here in chronological order. It’s the
second set to be released recently from the Outhere group: earlier this
year we had one on modern instruments from Ori and Omri Epstein on Linn
(CKD627 –
review). David Dunsmore thought those performances competent and enjoyable and,
like him, though I enjoyed hearing the performances, would be tempted to
look elsewhere for my Desert Island –
Spring 2020/1B.
The new Alpha is more distinctive in that the music is played on
instruments of the time, so there’s less direct competition. Even so, the
alternative from Steven Isserlis (cello) and Robert Levin (fortepiano) is
first-rate, with more awards than you could shake the proverbial stick at
(Hyperion CDA67981/2). Albert Lam was so impressed that I’m surprised that
I didn’t add a ‘Download of the Month’ accolade when I edited his review in
DL News 2014/3.
Having, inexplicably, missed it at the time, I downloaded the Isserlis –
Levin from
hyperion-records.co.uk
in 24-bit sound. At £25.50, that’s slightly more expensive than the CDs
(£20 from the same link), with 16-bit offered at £16.99.
Mark Zimmer found much to enjoy in the Alpha performances, but thought the
Graf fortepiano sometimes too prominent in the balance –
review.
As if to prove that such matters are often subjective, another review
suggests that the Graf provides an ideal balance with the cello which a
modern piano wouldn’t, while yet another noted the ‘slightly unstable
partnership of equals’, but thought that exactly suited Beethoven’s
intentions. De gustibus … but I couldn’t resist the challenge to
listen for myself, which gave me an excellent excuse to return to the
Hyperion set for comparison.
There’s general agreement that the performances on both recordings are good
or very good, so I decided to test drive one sonata from each of the three
periods of Beethoven’s career from both recordings. The only variable which
I couldn’t control in the process was that my press copy of the Alpha came
in 16-bit CD-quality sound, while the Hyperion was a high-def 24-bit
download.
Sonata No.1 comes from very early in Beethoven’s career. Even thus early,
he was breaking out of the Haydn – Mozart mould; it was the third of the
piano trios, Op.1, that caused the rift with his mentor Haydn. Both Op.5
sonatas are in two movements, with an adagio sostenuto preface.
Both recordings track the two parts of the first movements separately.
There’s little disagreement in the case of No.1, but there is less accord
in the case of No.2, with Isserlis and Levin taking the opening section slightly
faster than Altstaedt and Lonquitch. Beethoven asks for this section to be adagio sostenuto ed espressivo, and, indeed, it’s much longer and
more intense than the same section of No.1. But does it need to be quite as
extended as it is on Alpha? The Brendels, father and son, would certainly
agree; on their highly-regarded recording of the complete sonatas, they
take almost exactly the same time as Altstaedt and Lonquitch (Philips
4753792, 2 CDs for the price of one).
András Schiff and Miklós Perényi, on the other hand, on another fine set on
modern instruments, see the opening section in much the same, rather
speedier, light as Isserlis and Levin (ECM New Series 4724012). Both
approaches sound convincing when heard separately, but in direct comparison I’m
inclined to prefer the Hyperion – the performance meets all three
requirements of the tempi indication, yet it sounds just a little lighter, a tad
more lyrical.
In the rondo allegro finale, it’s Isserlis and Levin who take the
slightly longer route. This time, it’s the Brendels who are in broad
agreement with them, with Schiff and Perény concurring with Altstaedt and
Lonquitch in choosing a faster timing. And, this time, it’s the rather more
upbeat Alpha recording that catches my fancy slightly more.
The Op.69 Sonata comes from the same period as the Razumovsky quartets,
that middle period when the germ of the late-period quartets and piano
sonatas was beginning to be apparent. It’s obvious from both performances
that this is music on a higher level and Isserlis and Levin give all the
movements their due weight. It’s just a few seconds difference in each
movement, but it does make their Hyperion performance sound slightly more as if the
composer has something important to say. Once again, however, it’s only
detailed comparison that brings out the difference, and there’s still all
to play for as we move onto the last two sonatas.
In Beethoven’s late works it’s usually the slow movement that makes the
greatest effect and the composer often gives the most detailed indications
of how it should be played. In Op.102/2, it’s labelled Adagio con molto sentimento d’affetto and, while both pairs of
performers are largely in agreement about the outer movements of this work,
the Hyperion team take the slow movement considerably faster than the Alpha
performers. The divergence of opinion is again reflected in other top
performances of these sonatas; in fact, the Brendels are slower than
Altstaedt and Lonquitch, while Schiff and Perényi take the movement
considerably faster than any recording that I know.
I had to listen to their recording on ECM to make sure that I hadn’t
mis-read the timing of 6:34; I hadn’t, yet miraculously the performers
caress the music and manage not to seem to hurry it unduly. Heard straight
afterwards, Altstaedt and Lonquitch sound almost dozy, but that’s the
danger of making these snap comparisons, and the reason why I’m often
cautious about the Building a Library method. Heard with both the extremes
in mind, the differences between the Hyperion and Alpha recordings of this
movement sound much less than the numbers suggest.
The Hyperion recording has one final trick up its sleeve in the form of the
composer’s own arrangement of the 14-minute Horn Sonata in F, Op.17, which
extends the playing time of the set to 2:38:55. It’s hardly a great work,
but, being by Beethoven, it could hardly be a Schusterfleck, and
it makes an appropriate sign-off to an enjoyable and recommendable
recording. It’s Beethoven with a smile, to match the free-wheeling account
of the Handel Variations which opens the Alpha recording.
I mentioned that it was a little unfair to compare the Alpha in 16-bit
sound with the Hyperion in 24-bit but, truth to tell, though the Hyperion
sounds a little brighter, there’s little to criticise in the Alpha
recording. I didn’t notice the imbalance that my colleague mentions.
Overall, both sound very good.
Which version to choose? If I incline towards the Hyperion, that’s partly
because the style of cello playing seems a little closer to what Beethoven
would have heard, while there’s little to distinguish between the two
fortepianos – neither is likely to put off any but the most obdurate haters
of the instrument, though both sound dry until the ear (quickly) adjusts.
Then there’s the bonus of the transcription of the Horn Sonata – one of the
less odd oddities that Beethoven 250 has been throwing up. Otherwise, both
recordings meet the need for a good period-instrument performance and do so
very well.
Brian Wilson
Previous review:
Mark S Zimmer
