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| TRACKLIST |
| 1. Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 "Moonlight" Adagio sostenuto . .06:12 2. Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 "Moonlight" Allegretto . . . . .02:39 3. Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 "Moonlight" Presto agitato . . .06:44 4. Sonata No. 26 in E-Flat, Op. 81a "Les Adieux" Adagio; Allegro . . . . . . . .07:41 5. Sonata No. 26 in E-Flat, Op. 81a "Les Adieux" Andante espressivo. . . . . . .03:23 6. Sonata No. 26 in E-Flat, Op. 81a "Les Adieux" Vivacissimamente. . . . . . . .05:40 7. Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 "Pathetique" Allegro di molto e con brio. . .08:48 8. Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 "Pathetique" Adagio cantabile . . . . . . . .05:41 9. Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 "Pathetique" Rondo: Allegro . . . . . . . . .04:49 10. Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57 "Appassionata" Allegro assai . . . . . . . .09:29 11. Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57 "Appassionata" Andante con moto. . . . . . .06:32 12. Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57 "Appassionata" Allegro ma non troppo . . . .07:57 |
Strong, Committed Performances, February 15, 2006
By Hank Drake (Cleveland, OH United States)
Rubinstein knew all 32 of Beethoven's Sonatas by heart, but in public and on record, limited himself to the most popular half dozen or so. The four Sonatas on this CD--originally recorded at RCA Italiana Studios in the early 1960s--were, with the five Concertos, the core of Rubinstein's Beethoven repertoire.
Rubinstein's approach to the Pathetique is characteristic of his Beethoven playing: Tempos are sensible, avoiding extremes of speed or slowness; phrasing is devoid of artifice; pedaling is sparser than Beethoven's written indications, but many of Beethoven's contemporaries claim Beethoven over-pedaled; repeats are generally taken. Some purists will object to the way Rubinstein plays some of the grace notes and ornaments in the first movement, but there has been no conclusive evidence either way on the "correct" manner to handle them (Beethoven probably didn't care anyway).
This CD contains Rubinstein's only recording of the inescapable Moonlight Sonata. He performed it in public several times during the 1962-1963 season, and then dropped it from his repertoire. The first movement is played simply, even a little dryly, as is the second movement. But Rubinstein lets loose in the Finale, bringing the work to a stunning close. Nobody else could hit a piano that hard and still create such a beautiful sound.
The Appassionata was a favorite of Rubinstein's. He featured it in his earliest concert performances, played it almost to the end of his career, and recorded it three times. This recording is more successful than the previous two (the first was almost comically slapdash). Max Wilcox, the producer of the original recording, has noted that this was one of the few times Rubinstein became hampered in the recording studio, and many takes were required before Rubinstein was satisfied. But one could never guess that from listening to the resulting performance, it is totally organic and betrays no hint of being spliced together.
The Les Adieu Sonata rounds out the album, bringing a joyous conclusion to a wonderful recording.
RCA's SACD remastering has not radically altered the sound picture, but there is a greater sense of space around the piano. The packaging recreates the original cover art and liner notes.
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