Beth Levin's Beethoven sonatas suffer from unfortunate drawbacks.
These include very poor sound quality which is weirdly and almost
artificially reverberant at climaxes. The piano is so unflatteringly
portrayed that I thought it was a period instrument. The occasional
technical slips may be because the disc was recorded in one day and
interpretive decisions I'm not always fond of. For examples of the latter,
turn to the start of No. 30 (Op. 109), which on first listen I thought soft
and graceful - but then decided was prettified. Then again there are the
variations of that same sonata, where at about 9:00 there's a sudden lurch
forward in tempo that can't be explained. After 12:00 there are some
wince-inducing finger-slips.
Although the transition between Sonatas Nos. 30 and 31 is handled
with a beautiful touch, vindicating the “A Single Breath” title
of the disc, I have qualms about the way Levin seems to put on the brakes
whenever momentum threatens to build. The final fugue is the exception, a
grand conclusion, which would probably sound good in concert but not in a
reverberant environment which is a bit like if the piano keys were dropping
into a swimming pool.
The final sonata's first movement is again plagued with errors,
without the kind of distinction or insight that makes some technically shaky
artists worth hearing. The exposition repeat is omitted. The finale is good,
in fact the next-best-played movement on the disc (behind the finale of 31),
although the highest trills nearly pierced my eardrums because of the faulty
recording.
I don't know why these performances were released on CD, and especially not
with
such unpleasant sound. With so many better recordings of the sonatas
clamouring
for your attention, this is one of those albums that need not have been
made.
Instead spend your money on
Penelope
Crawford's recording of the same three sonatas, which is also fairly
recent
and which I would choose over the likes of Richter, Goode, Barenboim, or
Pollini.
Brian Reinhart
Masterwork Index:
Beethoven
sonatas 30-32
