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Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonatas, Op. 2
Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonatas, Op. 2 in Bloomington, MN
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Pianists essaying performances on historical keyboard instruments may try to approximate as closely as possible what a composer would have known at the time a work was written. But this is not always the right approach, and with
Beethoven
, who was notoriously dissatisfied with his pianos, it's particularly suspect. Pianist
Roberto Prosseda
takes a different approach here, playing a Viennese Graf fortepiano from 1820, about 25 years after
composed the three
Op. 2 piano sonatas
heard here, and it's reasonable to suppose that the fortepiano here comes closer to
's sound ideal than did his actual pianos. No doubt the question can be debated, but what matters, and what
Prosseda
handles well here, is the relationship between the instrument and the performance. As
himself puts it: "The reason why I chose to record the
Sonatas, Op. 2
on this particular fortepiano therefore relates to the way I myself interpret them, based on the instrument I have under my hands."
uses his fortepiano to distance
from his models in
Haydn
and
Mozart
, even as he admits the relevance of those models. He seems to revel in what
's audiences would have found startling, giving sharp, clear articulation to the "Mannheim rocket" figure that begins the
Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2, No. 1
, for example. His 1820 piano can make the notes of this sound like brilliant little pinpricks. Along with this comes a destabilization of the Classical phrase structure; where
can emphasize something irregular in the rhythm, he does so. Sample the first movement of the
Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2, No. 3
, which seems very far from
. In
's perspective, the slow movements emerge a deeper feeling of repose than usual. The finale of this sonata is delightfully bumptious. This recording would not have succeeded as well as it does without the work of
Challenge Classics
' engineers; the sonorities of the fortepiano are of critical importance, and they are captured in full color in a Swiss studio. There's much to absorb here, but also much that's enjoyable on first hearing, and
has certainly achieved his task of justifying yet another recording of
's first three sonatas. There's no indication as to whether he's planning to record some more, but here's hoping he does. ~ James Manheim
Beethoven
, who was notoriously dissatisfied with his pianos, it's particularly suspect. Pianist
Roberto Prosseda
takes a different approach here, playing a Viennese Graf fortepiano from 1820, about 25 years after
composed the three
Op. 2 piano sonatas
heard here, and it's reasonable to suppose that the fortepiano here comes closer to
's sound ideal than did his actual pianos. No doubt the question can be debated, but what matters, and what
Prosseda
handles well here, is the relationship between the instrument and the performance. As
himself puts it: "The reason why I chose to record the
Sonatas, Op. 2
on this particular fortepiano therefore relates to the way I myself interpret them, based on the instrument I have under my hands."
uses his fortepiano to distance
from his models in
Haydn
and
Mozart
, even as he admits the relevance of those models. He seems to revel in what
's audiences would have found startling, giving sharp, clear articulation to the "Mannheim rocket" figure that begins the
Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2, No. 1
, for example. His 1820 piano can make the notes of this sound like brilliant little pinpricks. Along with this comes a destabilization of the Classical phrase structure; where
can emphasize something irregular in the rhythm, he does so. Sample the first movement of the
Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2, No. 3
, which seems very far from
. In
's perspective, the slow movements emerge a deeper feeling of repose than usual. The finale of this sonata is delightfully bumptious. This recording would not have succeeded as well as it does without the work of
Challenge Classics
' engineers; the sonorities of the fortepiano are of critical importance, and they are captured in full color in a Swiss studio. There's much to absorb here, but also much that's enjoyable on first hearing, and
has certainly achieved his task of justifying yet another recording of
's first three sonatas. There's no indication as to whether he's planning to record some more, but here's hoping he does. ~ James Manheim
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