Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Piano Sonata No 30. Op. 109 in E major [19:14]
Piano Sonata No 31. Op. 110 in A flat major [20:22]
Piano Sonata No 32. Op. 111 in C minor [26:22]
Alexei Lubimov (pianoforte, Alois Graff, 1828)
rec. 14-15 July 2009, United Mennonite Church, Haarlem, The Netherlands
ZIG-ZAG TERRITOIRES ZZT110103 [65:58]
We are now officially spoiled for choice in period-pianoforte performances
of Ludwig van Beethoven’s last three sonatas. Ronald Brautigam on BIS,
Paul Komen on Globe, and now Alexei Lubimov on Zig-Zag are a distinguished
trio. Their performances are all very good, and all in very different ways.
To begin with Lubimov: this is a highly individual account, and if I was a
little disappointed in some places, it was only because Lubimov’s glowing
Schubert readings set the bar so high. His pacing is a little eccentric in
the slow first movement of Op. 109 and the hesitating allegro molto
of Op 110, and the syncopated “fast” variation in the last sonata’s
arietta sadly falls flat. Elsewhere, though, he does very well; the poet with
a great ear for rubato is in evidence at the beginning of the A flat sonata’s
adagio, and in the luminous final variations of Op 109, the fortepiano singing
despite its short sustained notes.
The other two readings available sit at opposite ends of a spectrum in which
Lubimov might be seen as the moderate figure. Paul Komen has a gorgeous-sounding
Graf piano with a dark, rich night-time timbre, slightly less pearly than
Lubimov’s and a little tinkly in the top registers. He doesn’t
hesitate to take advantage in Op. 111, the final arietta of which expands
out to 18 minutes, but his quick movements never lack bite - indeed he’s
faster everywhere else than Lubimov. Fast is not to say insensitive: Op. 109
begins with delicately voiced rolls of notes - this is how it’s done!
- and some of its final variations (as at 5:30) are magically sung. The fugue
in Op. 110 feels rather fast - but then, Beethoven did mark a tempo jolt from
adagio to allegro. Komen takes him literally. His Op. 111 is one of my reference
versions on any instrument: the first movement strikes a balance between relentless
middle-period sturm und drang and moments of calming repose. The arietta
is a transcendent reading, with delightful snap and energy when called for
and a simply divine touch, lighter than you’d think possible on pianoforte,
after 11:00.
Ronald Brautigam’s traversal, on a modern Paul McNulty instrument after
an 1819 Graf, enjoys a piano which is both clear and light in action and warm
in tone - only a bit more percussive than Komen’s. Brautigam sails through
the fast movements with aplomb and virtuoso technique; his style is to compensate
for the instrument’s less powerful sustain by playing quickly but lightly.
The opening movement of Op. 109 is a little miracle, as is the powerful close
of Op. 110, in both of which the cascades of notes never blur. The Op. 109
variations are just 11 minutes in duration, Op. 111’s not even 15, to
Lubimov’s 12:39 and 17, and in truth the whole final sonata does feel
a bit too fast. It’s not rushed, indeed it feels quite natural, but
the arietta is not ideally contemplative and the first movement is unrelenting
in its fierceness.
I would say, then, that what we have here are three distinguished competitors
indeed. Alexei Lubimov takes a very honorable bronze: his eccentricities at
certain junctures, like the first bar of Op. 109, are minor blemishes on a
poetic, very individual achievement. Brautigam does make a superb impression
in Op. 109, and Komen is consistently my favorite interpreter of the three,
but there are moments in Lubimov’s readings which are to be treasured.
I’ll be glad to keep it on the shelf, especially with nigh-ideal acoustics,
not as boomy as one might expect from the church venue but also not close
enough to capture the clicks of the instrument’s actions.
Zig-Zag have unnecessarily introduced a fly in the ointment with their odd
tracking; the Op. 110 sonata is split across four tracks, helpfully, but the
Op. 109 is compressed into just two, the shorter opening movements stuck together.
What’s that for? Why the inconsistency? This doesn’t actually
impact the playing on any equipment I know of, but it does leave my obsessive-compulsive
side a little displeased.
As I’ve finished writing this review, another disc has arrived for review
- another set of Opp. 109-111, on another Graf fortepiano, played by Penelope
Crawford. The original suggestion that we are now spoiled for choice is now
even more true. Paul Komen on Globe might still be my top choice here, but
for the fortepiano devotee there are now four excellent artists, on four good
instruments, and all of them are well worth hearing. Watch this space.
Brian Reinhart
Some idiosyncrasies, some magic; bottom line, a very nice disc.