Classical CD Reviews
BEETHOVEN: Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57 “Appassionata” - Lambert Orkis (BRIDGE)
Pianist Orkis plays the work on two different fortepianos and one modern piano for comparison
Published on June 03, 2005
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BEETHOVEN: Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57 “Appassionata” -
Lambert Orkis, fortepianos and piano - Bridge 9169 76:25
(Distrib. Albany)***:
Perhaps more musicological than musical, this curious CD presents us the same pianist in three interpretations of the same piece, Beethoven’s well-familiar Appassionata Sonata. We have come a long way from my initial recording of this emotionally powerful work, with its Neapolitan harmonies and explosive outbursts of emotion: Edwin Fischer on old RCA 78 rpm records. The two fortepianos used in this recording--by Thomas and Barbara Wolf after instruments by Nannette Streicher (1814-1820); and R.J. Regier, after Viennese instruments around 1830--capture the sonority of period instruments that were themselves undergoing rapid development and modification. The tonal qualities and responses of each instrument manages to imbue to the music its own character and sonic density.
The one piano used in this recording is a Bosendorfer Imperial Concert Grand, with a much heavier action and a fuller sonority than its delicate cousins. The light action of the fortepianos only convinces one that Beethoven felt confined by its limitations in power and expression, and the Appassionata was intended to transcend, even obliterate, such restrictions. Of the three performances, I confess to favoring the modern sound of the Boesendorfer, which is truly a Herculean rendition of a mighty piece of music. The lyrical theme and variations of the second movement, no less than in the emotional throes of the first and last movements, enjoy a breadth and serenity of expression that rival anything we have in Richter, Serkin, and Casadesus. As I have indicated elsewhere, my own response to period instruments is guarded, since the lightness of the action and the tinny ping in the registration does not gladden my ears. True, the lighter action increases one’s sense of nervous and brittle tension, but I lose the music to the relative shallowness of the textures. You decide, if you wish to purchase a disc whose comparative intricacies of expression may attract more music majors than music lovers. The notes, by Orkis and the respective makers of the fortepianos, are quite informative given one's bent for authenticity.
--Gary Lemco
Perhaps more musicological than musical, this curious CD presents us the same pianist in three interpretations of the same piece, Beethoven’s well-familiar Appassionata Sonata. We have come a long way from my initial recording of this emotionally powerful work, with its Neapolitan harmonies and explosive outbursts of emotion: Edwin Fischer on old RCA 78 rpm records. The two fortepianos used in this recording--by Thomas and Barbara Wolf after instruments by Nannette Streicher (1814-1820); and R.J. Regier, after Viennese instruments around 1830--capture the sonority of period instruments that were themselves undergoing rapid development and modification. The tonal qualities and responses of each instrument manages to imbue to the music its own character and sonic density.
The one piano used in this recording is a Bosendorfer Imperial Concert Grand, with a much heavier action and a fuller sonority than its delicate cousins. The light action of the fortepianos only convinces one that Beethoven felt confined by its limitations in power and expression, and the Appassionata was intended to transcend, even obliterate, such restrictions. Of the three performances, I confess to favoring the modern sound of the Boesendorfer, which is truly a Herculean rendition of a mighty piece of music. The lyrical theme and variations of the second movement, no less than in the emotional throes of the first and last movements, enjoy a breadth and serenity of expression that rival anything we have in Richter, Serkin, and Casadesus. As I have indicated elsewhere, my own response to period instruments is guarded, since the lightness of the action and the tinny ping in the registration does not gladden my ears. True, the lighter action increases one’s sense of nervous and brittle tension, but I lose the music to the relative shallowness of the textures. You decide, if you wish to purchase a disc whose comparative intricacies of expression may attract more music majors than music lovers. The notes, by Orkis and the respective makers of the fortepianos, are quite informative given one's bent for authenticity.
--Gary Lemco
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