Here is Volume 3 of
Ronald Brautigam’s fascinating fortepiano
survey of the Beethoven Sonatas. It
follows straight on from the previous
disc and the recording information reveals
that these pieces were in fact recorded
in the same 2004 session. For anyone
collecting the series, this simply means
that recording quality is the same excellent
standard, the superb instrument is the
same and Brautigam’s pianism is equally
enthralling.
I gave the previous
disc a very warm welcome, as much for
the sound of Paul McNulty’s Walther-copy
piano as anything. Here again I was
struck afresh by the beautiful bell-like
quality of the upper register, the even
middle and powerful bass, all superbly
exploited by Brautigam. These are once
more thoroughly exciting, utterly musical
performances that make you hear this
music afresh but not in a sensationalist
or gimmicky way. Tempos are generally
fresh and lively, with slow movements
moving on more than we are perhaps used
to but never sounding rushed or hard
driven. Having said that, the lyrical
first movement of the E flat opens in
a quite relaxed fashion, maybe not quite
as con brio as, say, Barenboim
(EMI) but full of inner vigour and élan.
It’s the sort of performance that is
beautifully proportioned and even makes
one bring to mind the somewhat apocryphal
title ‘Die Verliebte’, especially the
strong emotional pull of the slow movement.
I was slightly dismissive
of Andras Schiff’s recent ECM disc of
the three Op.10 sonatas, finding too
many distortions in the phrase lines
that might have impressed in concert
but irritated on repeated listening.
Brautigam plays things admirably straight,
simply using the tensions and contrasts
that are there in the music and playing
them for all they are worth. That’s
not to say he’s ever prosaic and the
crystalline fingerwork and explosive
attacks are all there, tempered by a
graceful approach to slow movements.
These are nearly all generally quicker
than ‘conventional’ performances and
this is the area where some may part
company with my view. The largo of the
D major is just about twice the speed
of Barenboim but to my ears it never
feels breathless. It is also here where
the delicate sheen of the fortepiano
comes into its own, the harmonies emerging
with a transparency that is enchanting.
The little Haydnesque F major is beautifully
despatched and I’m sure the lighter
touch on the instrument helps Brautigam
achieve the near-impossible sounding
tempo, a true presto, of the
finale, once again making us imagine
the young Beethoven sat improvising
and stunning his audience.
This is another highly
successful issue, maintaining the high
standards set by the previous discs.
Of course it will not –and should not
- displace your favourite ‘modern’ piano
versions, but will sit comfortably alongside
them as a fresh new take on these evergreen
masterpieces, rather as Harnoncourt
or Gardiner should sit alongside Karajan
or Klemperer in the symphonies. For
me, Richard Goode remains supreme in
this area, his wonderfully ‘straight’
playing ideal for the library shelves.
I’ve also mentioned Barenboim’s first
admirable cycle for EMI, now at a ludicrously
low price and containing some very thought-provoking
ideas, especially in the later sonatas.
BIS’s liner note is as entertaining
as the playing, drawing at one point
an amusing analogy between Beethoven
and his aristocratic audience and Princess
Diana and Elton John, something worth
pondering on. If you’re collecting this
cycle you can continue with confidence.
Tony Haywood
for
details
Ronald Brautigam (fortepiano) 
