This release appeared in few additions, physical and digital. For this review, I listen to a set with two audio CDs, containing Beethoven’s Piano Sonata Op. 2 No. 3, the Bagatelles Op. 119 and the two opuses 118-119 by Brahms. All recordings made on few live concerts. The set also comes with a DVD from a single 2017 piano recital Grigory Sokolov gave in Turin, which included Mozart’s Sonata K. 545, Fantasy and Sonata in C Minor, K. 475/457, and Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas Op. 90 and 111.
Those familiar with Sokolov’s unique sound quality and the tendency for quirkinesses in tempo choices won’t be surprised. There seems to be an attempt to unify the short piece cycles by choosing consist tempi, even if taken as a case by case, few seem unreasonable. And so, the first of the Op. 119 Bagatelles by Beethoven is lovely, but the second is too slow for comfort, with an over-emphasized organ point.
Here lies the big contradiction in Sokolov’s music-making. For me, he is most impressive when playing slowly, though that may cause him to choose a measured tempo even when not called for. Take, for example, the opening of Beethoven’s third Piano Sonata, Op. 2 – after the opening phrase, one of the best examples of the composer’s early attempts at creating suspense, Sokolov slows down for no apparent reason and without compensating for the “stealing”, as Schnabel does so remarkably. On the other hand, I was completely taken with his treatment of the Adagio, where his seductive sound is in full display and never feels sluggish. As a whole, this performance of the Sonata is in desperate need of Humor.
Things get more persuasive in Brahms’ Op. 118-119. Sokolov’s sharp treble picks up additional overtones to be better realized, reminiscent of his wonderful recording of the four Ballades Op. 10 in the early 1990s. I was also vaguely reminded of Ivo Pogorelich’s album of Brahms’ short piano pieces, though Sokolov has more attractive wight to his sound. It’s a shame, once again, that the coda of the final Rhapsody of 119, so exciting in Perahia and Angelich’s performances, is so heavy-handed that the results are plainly bombastic.
Related Classical Music Reviews
- Review: Beethoven – Complete Bagatelles – Paul Lewis, Piano
- Review: Brahms – Piano Concerto No. 2, Handel Variations – Lars Vogt
- Review: Mozart – Complete Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1 – Peter Donohoe
The DVD is a much more consistent and enjoyable experience. With a program that consists of only two composers, Sokolov is mesmerizing, and the clever camera work will be very rewarding indeed for pianists. The production gives a glimpse into the sound production of the pianist – his sophisticated pedal work and his diversity of touch, which incorporates special fingers and arms positioning. Again, the Mozart Fantasy and the Sonata K.457’s third movement are on the slow side, and some of the dynamics are extreme, including fortissimos all-mighty not really appropriate for the music. But the overall experience feels singular, even on repeated listening.
The best performance in the DVD is the often-overlooked Piano Sonata No. 27 (Op. 90). The broad first movement and the slightly rushed second sound wholly convincing, and it’s truly revelatory to hear how Sokolov separates the bass, middle-register and treble in the second movement. I wish I could be more enthusiastic about the last Piano Sonata, Op. 111, which Sokolov is determined to make into a dead-serious, holy important affair with a final Arietta that lasts over 24 minutes (most pianists play it under 20). The first movement, surprisingly, includes some technical missteps and memory lapses.
The recordings are of variable quality; the best audio engineering can be heard on the DVD, though even here, the recording is nothing spectacular. Every new album by Sokolov is something of an event, and kudos to Deutsche Grammophon for releasing concert recordings of repertoire he hasn’t recorded before. Some of the encores are not new to the Sokolov discography, but possess particular charm, as if Sokolov is more loosed as the official program came to an end. When all is said and done, even at his most idiosyncratic, Sokolov is a pianist that’s hard to take your eyes and ears away from.
“Sokolov Plays Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart“
CD:
Beethoven – Piano Sonatas No. 3, Op. 2 No. 3, Bagatelles Op. 119
Brahms – Piano Pieces, Op. 118-119
DVD:
Mozart – Piano Sonata K.545, Fantasia & Sonata K.475 & 457
Beethoven – Piano Sonata No. 27, Op. 90, No. 32, Op. 111
With encores by Schubert, Rameau, Brahms, Rachmaninov, Chopin, Debussy, Schumann.
Deutsche Grammophon, CD/DVD 2894836570
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