This new Fidelio, tautly and atmospherically conducted, solidly cast throughout, with exceptionally fluent and expressive work in the two leading roles, has a great deal to recommend it - not just as a low-priced alternative but as a possible first Fidelio in a collection...Michael Halász leads his excellent orchestra and chorus in an alert, propulsive rendition that addresses the theatrical and emotional values of each scene. He also seems to elicit top-grade performances from everyone in the cast...Inge Nielsen rises as impressively to the demands of Leonore...the grave nobility, dramatic thrust, easy flexibility and wide range demanded by these roles seem a perfect fit for her skills. If she hasn't the weighty grandeur of some classic Leonores of the past, her bright clarity offers its own substantial reward. Gösta Winbergh matches her level, combining vocal poise, tonal beauty and emotional dignity to create one of the best Florestans recorded. - Opera News

REVIEW:

Altmeyer's exchanges with Jerusalem's stalwart Florestan are highly charged and the dialogue catches fire as never before. Siegmund Nimsgern's villain keeps temperatures boiling.

– BBC Music Magazine

Beethoven: Fidelio, Op. 72

Beethoven's Sonatas Probably the best known of Beethoven's sonatas are the Pathetique, Moonlight and Appassionata. Only the first name was given by the composer. The Moonlight Sonata has it's name from the inspiration of the poet Rellstab (whose verses were to be set to music by Schubert). Writing in 1832 he likened the sonata to the wild scenery bordering Lake Lucerne, seen from a boat by moonlight. The French romantic composer Berlioz, on the other hand, preferred to see sunlight in the sonata, and other writers have been equally imaginative. Sonata No.8 in C Minor, Op. 13 "Pathetique" The Sonata pathetique was written in 1798 and 1799, and was published in the latter year with a dedication to Prince Lichnowsky, the nobleman who had travelled to the court of Berlin with Mozart in 1789. The work, Opus 13, is in C Minor, and is described as a "Grande" Sonata, music suitable for public performance by the composer, who was at this time one of the most distinguished keyboard-players in Vienna. Sonata No.14 in C Sharp Minor 'quasi una fantasia' Op. 27, No.2 "Moonlight" The Moonlight Sonata is more properly described by it's title Sonata quasi una fantasia, Opus 27 No.1, in the key of C Sharp Minor. The imaginative writer Arnold Schering, already referred to, found a literary parallel with Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, but others have chosen to find in the sonata romantic notions of a different kind. It was completed in 1801, and dedicated, at the last minute, to Countess Giulietta Guicciardi, a young pupil of Beethoven. Sonata No.23 in F Minor, Op. 57 "Appassionata" Sonata in F Minor, Opus 57, the Appassionata, was considered by Beethoven to be among his best piano sonatas. It's nick-name, although not chosen by the com- poser, is an apt one, although Schering's parallel with Shakespeare's MacBeth may appeal to us less. Dedicated to the Countess of Brunswick, the sonata was completed in 1805 and published two years later.

Lortie established his credentials as a Beethoven interpreter at the 1984 Leeds International Piano Competition with a richly poetic account of the G major Concerto, but has so far refrained from committing any of the piano music to disc. Let me say straight away that these are, to my mind, performances of some stature and depth that can hold their own with any of those listed above—and given their distinction, that is praise indeed? His account of the Eroica Variations is spacious and magisterial, virile yet sensitive, and the wide range of dynamic nuance and keyboard colour is there to illumine Beethoven's textures and not highlight the artist's pianism. He succeeds in communicating the power of Beethoven's imagination: the part-writing in the fugue emerges with a masterly clarity, and is beautifully weighted and balanced.

Lortie gives us an equally unhurried and thoughtful account of the Op. 34 Variations, which is by no means as well represented on disc. Naturally couplings will affect choice: Gilels on DG gives us two sonatas—the D major, Op. 10 No. 3 and the E flat, Op. 31 No. 3; Brendel (Philips) the Op. 126 Bagatelles, and the Ecossaises, WoO83, and Katsaris who is rather synthetically recorded on Teldec, offers the Liszt transcription of the Fifth Symphony. The Chandos recording, made at The Maltings, Snape is of the highest quality; natural, present and with plenty of air round the aural image, every bit as good as (if not better than) some of its rivals.

-- Robert Layton, Gramophone [10/1990]

The art of variation lies at the heart of much music, including that of Beethoven, who practised this demanding technique as both performer and composer at many stages throughout his career. For his ‘Eroica’ Variations Beethoven used a theme originally written for his ballet music from The Creatures of Prometheus which he later incorporated into his Third Symphony. Other variations, whether based on the music of his contemporaries or of his own invention, such as the famous Turkish March from The Ruins of Athens, provide considerable insights to Beethoven’s much vaunted virtuosity and profound creativity. The Korean pianist Ian Yungwook Yoo is the recipient of many prizes including the 2007 Beethoven Competition in Bonn and the 1998 Santander International Piano Competition.

On this release, John O'Conor features what he does best, Beethoven. O'Conor is known by some as a pianist who is carrying on the legacy of Wilhelm Kampff, having recorded the complete Beethoven Sonatas and Concertos. "This artist has the kind of flawless touch that makes an audience gasp" - Washington Post

"John O'Conor's 2016 release for Steinway & Sons offers a spontaneous and fluid performance that ranges in expression from humorous and mercurial in the early variations, to profound and awe-inspiring from the midpoint on, and he displays a fine balance between vigorous virtuosity and sublime restraint. Steinway & Sons provide clean and crisp sound, so all the details and nuances in O'Conor's sensitive playing are easily heard. Highly recommended, especially for fans of this amazing piece." - AllMusic Review

Beethoven: Piano Variations

Das glorreiche Augenblick has had a uniformly bad press ever since the nineteenth century. It was written for the representatives of the European powers who assembled at Vienna in November 1814 to settle the future of the continent after the defeat of Napoleon. It was only to separate in total consternation when Napoleon escaped from Elba and returned to France. The piece was first performed at the same concert as the première of the Battle Symphony, an occasional piece written to celebrate Wellington’s victory over the French armies at Vittoria. The received opinion is that it was as bad a work as that dreadful piece of opportunistic jingoism. As such it has never featured much in the recording studio, and its previous outings have been restricted to complete collections of Beethoven’s works.
 
The performance enshrined on this recording, when given in London, seemed to change the critics’ views somewhat. Firstly, the text was given in a revised version which deleted some of the more sycophantic tributes to the various crowned heads whose representatives attended the première. It substituted more pan-humanist sentiments which better reflected Beethoven’s own personal beliefs. Some might object to this, but in all honesty anything which brings music like this back into circulation is to be welcomed. The purely occasional original text is as awful as all such ‘crawling’ inevitably is.
 
Secondly, this is a late Beethovenian work, and dates from the same period that he was revising Fidelio in the form in which we currently know it. No such work can be totally worthless - although one might make an exception in the case of the Battle Symphony. In fact the music is much better than one has any reasonable hope to expect, even though the choral hymns in praise of Vienna - so written in the original German, not as Wien - may try the patience somewhat. Indeed, the choral writing is not the best thing about this cantata, although it is undeniably exciting.
 
Thirdly, the performance is given with real conviction that if the work is not a masterpiece it is far from worthy of the total neglect it has received since the assembled royalty in Vienna gave it their self-congratulatory seal of approval. The soloists are all absolutely superb. Claire Rutter barnstorms her way through her aria - which features a starry contribution from Clio Gould in the obbligato violin solo. Matilde Wallevik brings us to attention with a clarion introduction to her aria as a ‘prophetess’, even though the aria which follows is rather more conventional. This voice is a major addition to the rank of heroic mezzo-sopranos. Peter Hoare and Stephen Gadd have rather less to do, but do what they are given very well. The four voices combine very happily in the quartet which precedes the final chorus. The combined choirs in that final chorus really whip up a storm accompanied by a battery of ‘Turkish’ percussion which in some ways anticipates the similar passage in the final movement of the Choral Symphony. The orchestra under the energetic baton of Hilary Davan Wetton really sound as if they enjoy discovering this music – as indeed they should. The real parallels are with the finale of Fidelio, which Beethoven was revising at the time – not quite as good, but not far below that level either.
 
The Choral Fantasia is a much more familiar work, and has been frequently employed as a ‘fill-up’ when an additional Beethoven work is needed to complete collections of the piano concertos as well as various choral works. It has been denigrated as a pale draft for the material which Beethoven would employ to such glorious effect in the Choral Symphony, as well as for its uneasy combination of soloists, chorus and orchestra with a virtuoso piano part. It is, however, a worthwhile piece in its own right, and the performance here is pretty good without being overblown. Leon McCawley does everything he can with the opening for solo piano, probably the nearest we are ever likely to come to hearing Beethoven’s improvisations which won him such acclaim during his lifetime.
 
In summary, the work for which the listener should hear this CD is the almost totally unknown cantata - Beethoven at his mature best. Congratulations are due to Naxos for including both text and translation in the insert booklet – as stated, the original words have been altered so it might not be possible to obtain the revised version from the internet – as well as on the Naxos website. The recording quality is absolutely superb even in the tricky balances of the Choral Fantasia, well balanced and clear in the Royal Philharmonic’s own concert hall.
 
-- Paul Corfield Godfrey, MusicWeb International

Beethoven: The Creatures of Prometheus

Amidst the innumerable recordings made, Panenka’s singular take on Beethoven stands out and astonishes owing to the sheer exuberance of articulation, purity of style and lucidity of tone.

Classical Music

Beethoven's trios make up a significant portion of his instrumental music, not least due to the fact that the three so-called "Lichnowsky" Trios of 1795 were his opus 1, representing the official beginning of his oeuvre. With them, Beethoven asserted a comprehensive and unmistakable artistic aspiration, aiming at a consolidation of symphonic and concertante elements and a compression of the form by planned thematic, rhythmic and harmonic organisation. The juxtaposition of the first Trio, Op. 1,1, in E flat major, and the last Trio, the "Archduke", Op. 97, premièred in 1814, on the one hand reveals the enormous degree in subjectivisation and creative might which Beethoven had gained during the course of the intervening two decades, and on the other hand brings to mind the numerous significant parallels showing the extent to which Beethoven detached the piano trio from its original function as courtly or bourgeois entertainment, awarding it the highest measure of artistic autonomy. - Audite

After a successful start to the Swiss Piano Trio's new, complete Beethoven Piano Trios edition, Audite now presents the next volume in the series, continuing the concept of the stimulating contrast between the early and later Trios. Since it's foundation in 1998 the Swiss Piano Trio has gained a remarkable reputation both among experts and audiences as an ensemble of extraordinary homogeneity, technical perfection and great expressiveness. The artistic activities of the ensemble have been well and memorably documented on recordings as well as via concert, radio and television appearances.

This release features a live concert recording from St Petersburg. Beethoven composed a total of eight works for cello and piano, whose sheer joy and ingenuity are hard to beat and are wonderfully captured in this live recording. The French cellist Marc Coppey and Peter Laul, his St Petersburg partner at the piano, perform these works with great character and energy, creating an impeccable, sparkling sound in the popular variations and substantial sonatas. Even in a live situation, the technical perfection of the performers is impressive. As a venue for their "Beethoven marathon", they opted for the Small Hall of the St Petersburg Philharmonia: its historical ambience, steeped in tradition, and the supremely attentive audience create atmosphere as well as inspiration. Both are features of this recording, setting it apart from other complete recordings of these popular works, most of which are studio recordings. The hall's resident Steinway and the recording equipment from the former Melodya studios complete the Saint Petersburg ensemble.

REVIEW:

Coppey and Laul put forward a highly effective case for this great music. Their sound is well balanced, the recording much more satisfying. There seems very little audience noise and no applause, and the players are technically remarkable. These two musicians play together as one, and their sensitivity for when to pause and how to make the most of Beethoven’s music is just as I would wish to play it myself. In a word, these are outstanding interpretations of some of the greatest cello music.

– American Record Guide