Beethoven: Symphonie No. 6, 'Pastorale' - Valente: six to mi

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 4, 13, 22 and 19-20, Op. 49

When Anton Diabelli, wishing to promote himself as a publisher, commissioned many of the best-known composers of his time to write a variation on a theme composed by himself in 1819 in order to publish a score with all of them, he couldn't possibly imagine that the greatest of them all, Ludwig van Beethoven, was going to write not one, but thirty-three variations, probably encouraged by his wish to keep his name apart from his minor colleagues or, who knows, by his eagerness to undertake an in-depth search of the possibilities of a theme that, initially, he scornfully mocked for it's 'Schusterfleck' ('cobbler's patch'). In the end, in his Diabelli Variations Beethoven turned the banal (that tiny waltzlet serving as the starting point) into transcendent. From hardly nothing he built a whole which overwhelms us with it's greatness. It's a work full of paradoxes, winks, double meanings, but it's also a contested work, not easily understandable, complex and experimental. Planned as a building with superimposed layers, seemingly heterogeneous and without an apparent connecting thread, it looks the perfect testing ground for a creative artist - like Uri Caine. In his hands you forget the quasi-monotonal character of the piece, and we remain drawn and surprised by it's continuous feinting.

Beethoven: Grand Trio, Op. 38 & Piano Quartet, Op. 16

Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata - written 'in the style of a concerto' - has long been considered one of the great challenges in the chamber music repertoire. Here a recently discovered transcription by the composer's pupil and friend Carl Czerny receives its world premiere recording by the distinguished partnership of Raphael Wallfisch and John York. Coupled with Beethoven's own transcription of his Horn Sonata and the rarely heard 'Eyeglass' Duet with Yuko Inoue, this Cd fulfils Cello Classics' remit to bring rare and neglected repertoire to the world stage.

BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonatas Nos. 28 and 29

This second volume completes the cycle of Beethoven quartets by the Belcea Quartet in concert and on disc. Recorded live in the superb concert hall conceived by Britten at Aldeburgh, this volume couples quartets from different periods, including the last two (opp.132 and 135) and the Grosse Fuge (op.133).

3 SONATES OP. 12 FOR PIANO AND

SONATES POUR PIANO

CONCERTO NO. 5 ?EMPEROR?

REVIEW:

It’s not surprising that Cyprien Katsaris comes up with the most ingenious piano programming notion for the Beethoven anniversary year. He presents a six-CD chronological survey that intersperses original Beethoven piano compositions with chamber, orchestral, and concerted repertoire transcribed for solo piano by Beethoven and others. In the process, the pianist digs up fascinating rarities like the “Kreutzer” sonata for violin and piano reduced for 10 very busy fingers, Louis Winkler’s reduction of the “Spring” sonata for two hands, a delightful keyboard transformation of the Op. 3 String Trio, string quartet movements transcribed by the likes of Saint-Saëns and Mussorgsky, and Richard Wagner’s “de-orchestration” of the Ninth symphony slow movement.

As usual with transcription repertoire, Katsaris tosses off these pieces with maximum flair and minimum effort. Yet I also find his approach to so-called “non-hyphenated” Beethoven stimulating and often original. Once past the sober front he poses in the C minor Variations’ main theme, Katsaris flies out of the starting gate with Variation 1, but eventually gives way to normality after a handful of variations transpire. The pianist takes special care with the dynamic gradations in the Op. 14 No. 2 Andante’s detached chords, while his freshly minted voicings and points of emphasis in the “Moonlight” sonata never pull focus from the composer’s intentions. His angular phrasing in the Op. 33’s second Bagatelle imparts an extra kick to Beethoven’s sforzandos, and the cycle’s final Presto piece amounts to a master class in generating tension and excitement at the softest dynamic levels.

In this context, I would have expected a more dramatic and explosive Op. 111 sonata than the relatively contained and respectful rendition offered here, or a terser, harder-hitting Op. 78 finale. On the other hand, Katsaris truly lets go in the Op. 77 Fantasia’s bravura episodes, underlining the music’s apparent origins in improvisation. I encourage piano buffs and transcription mavens to join Katsaris in veering off of the conventional Beethoven path. Succinctly informative annotations from the pianist grace this fascinating and delightful release.

– ClassicsToday (Jed Distler)

MOONLIGHT SERENADE

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 5

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 9

Beethoven: Complete Works for Cello and Piano