Grigory Sokolov: Schubert, Beethoven, Rameau, Brahms
Franz Schubert, Impromptus D899
Franz Schubert, Three Piano Pieces D946
Ludwig van Beethoven, Sonata No. 29 in B flat major
(Hammerklavier)
Jean-Philippe Rameau, Les Tendres Plaintes
Jean-Philippe Rameau, Les Tourbillons
Jean-Philippe Rameau, Les Cyclopes
Jean-Philippe Rameau, La Follette
Jean-Philippe Rameau, Les Tendres Plaintes
Jean-Philippe Rameau, Les Sauvages
Johannes Brahms, Intermezzo in B flat minor op. 117 no. 2
Deutsche Grammophon 479 5426 (2 CDs)
Grigory Sokolov, the legendarily under-recorded genius of
the piano, is now slightly less under-recorded. At the time of writing this
double CD release of concert recordings from Warsaw and Salzburg brings the
recorded repertoire to a grand total of 14 CDs and one DVD – a remarkably small
tally for a pianist widely held to be one of the greatest living exponents of
the keyboard, who won the Tchaikovsky Competition fifty years ago in 1966 at
the age of 16. This set is the second release to emerge from Sokolov’s
exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon. I think it’s safe to assume that
the future holds a steady trickle of live performance releases. We should all
be grateful to DG for bringing an end to the lean years.
The meat of these discs are classic Sokolov repertoire –
late Beethoven and late Schubert. The Schubert pieces were recorded at Warsaw’s
Philharmonia Naradowa on May 12, 2013 and the Beethoven at the Salzburg
Festival on August 23 of the same year. The set is rounded by the six encores
played at the Salzburg concert – five of Rameau’s Pièces de Clavecin, and then
the second of Brahm’s Op. 117 Intermezzi.
The combination is surprisingly effective, and the encores
are certainly not “lollipops”. The nicely
crafted five Rameau pieces provide a delightful counterpoint to the intense
performances that precede them, and the beautifully played Brahms Intermezzo, a
resigned and autumnal piece, is an excellent capstone to the set, as it must
have been to the original concert at Salzburg.
Still, the recording will be justly celebrated for the
Schubert and Beethoven performances. One of Sokolov’s most distinctive strengths
at the piano (in addition, of course, to his technical mastery) is the depth
and intensity that he brings to slow movements. So he is ideally suited to the
melancholy lyricism of late Schubert. The D899 Impromptus are all very fine,
with No. 1 particularly standing out – at Sokolov’s hands it stretches to over
10 minutes, without any moments of longeur or impressions of self-indulgence. For
me, though, Sokolov is even more impressive in the Three Piano Pieces (D946),
which he succeeds in making as deeply expressive as the famous last three piano
sonatas.
The highlight of Melodiya’s 2014 release of Sokolov
performing Beethoven, Scriabin, and Arapov (which I reviewed here) was a
wonderful performance of Op. 111, Beethoven’s final piano sonata. That outstanding
performance is matched by the Hammerklavier presented here. The slow movement
in particular is spellbinding – better performances do not readily spring to
mind. And while the Adagio Sostenuto
is plainly the performance’s center of gravity, Sokolov maintains expressive
balance across the other three movements.
The sound quality is as good as one would expect from
Deutsche Grammophon (with a little audience noise for verisimilitude). My only reservation
is that the liner notes are breathlessly sycophantic. Hopefully future releases
from DG will have some analysis amid the hagiography. This is a relatively
minor quibble and these two discs are highly recommended to all music-lovers.
