Having thoroughly enjoyed Piotr Anderszewski’s recent recording
of three of Bach’s solo keyboard partitas, (Virgin 5455262) I
looked rather anxiously forward to hearing his interpretation
of this, my favorite of Beethoven’s piano concertos. Alas, I was
roundly disappointed.
Let’s
begin with the six little Bagatelles, Op. 126. There is no
doubt that Mr. Anderszsewski is a talented pianist. He has
technique to burn, and is most often very musical. Yet, in
these little pieces, his youthful exuberance gives way to
some pretty bad taste. The elegance of the classical period
is lost on this pianist as he thunders away in the loud passages
in what seems to be a misguided homage to Beethoven’s notorious
string breaking. One must remember that Beethoven didn’t have
a big Steinway that could withstand the force of a jackhammer,
let alone a pianist with great physical power. When he tones
it down in soft passages, his sound is quite charming indeed,
but the abrupt and overly robust outbursts of forte are
a rather jarring distraction.
The
same ills plague the performance of the concerto. Mr. Anderszewski
tends to pound the keyboard in loud passages, particularly
at the end of the first movement cadenza. As a conductor,
he fails to adequately shape phrases, rushing through moments
that are in need of a bit of repose. Most maddening is the
absolutely obnoxious timpanist, who, using what to these ears
are his hardest mallets, pounds away every time he is required
to play, sticking out above the orchestra in a way that is
most unmusical. Beethoven might have been deaf, but the rest
of us do not need to be beaten about the head and shoulders.
I
had a bit of hope for the second movement, which shows Beethoven
at his lyrical best, but was here too disappointed. It was
almost as if the musicians regarded this work, which is not
as technically challenging for skilled players as others,
as a blow-off, and merely phoned it in. For reactions to the
rondo, see the preceding paragraph.
With
the plethora of fine recordings of this music available, the
market has little room for new performances that are anything
less than stellar. This performance has been tried and found
wanting.
Kevin
Sutton
