Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-Flat, Op. 106 "Hammerklavier"; Piano Sonata No. 3 in C, Op. 3, No. 2. Marc-André Hamelin, pianist. Hyperion CDA68456.
Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata is so big and multi-faceted that most recordings of it seem only to excel in a small number of aspects, if they excel in any. I could count almost on one hand the performances I feel are consistently superlative. I say so partially to mollify my opinion here that this latest release from Marc-André Hamelin isn't among them. It's one thing to be able to bring off such a notoriously difficult piece at all; it's quite another to do it in distinguished fashion. Good Hammerklaviers are relatively plentiful; great ones remain uncommon.
Actually Hamelin's really is a good one, with much to commend it. Best of all is the strength and technique he brings. I know, I know...his reputation for technical supremacy is low-hanging critical fruit by now. But the more Hammerklaviers I've listened to, the more I've noticed when even just a little bit is lacking in the virtuosity department. There are many SLOW and RICKETY Hammerklaviers. (Not all of them stretch back to the early recording era!) This is music that really needs some muscle, particularly in the first movement and portions of the finale. Hamelin has muscle to spare; his Hammerklavier is anything but rickety.
Next, there needs to be a delicate touch, with appropriate poetry for deeply expressive passages like these:
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How a pianist renders such figures is a crucial ingredient. Many blur or race through them. Others play them at appropriate tempi or softness but lack the tone colors necessary for special interpretations. I have to say that Hamelin falls into the second category. He supplies the requisite sensitivity, with nice piano and sotto voce abilities. These have carried him splendidly through a great deal of repertoire, especially the neglected varieties that he has made a well-deserved name recording. But the Hammerklavier might be the most unforgiving solo piano challenge of all; it repeatedly shows who has (and doesn't have) what. To my ear Hamelin pays for his superhuman technique with limitations in tone color. Again, in most of the music he performs this is not a serious deficit. However with the Hammerklavier all I can do is admire some areas of his playing while wishing his sound were more magical in certain places.
This practically defines the slow movement. But here I'm going to give Hamelin compensatory credit for moving things along in a way that the listener can well apprehend the structure. Too many pianists languish in this part, which can get gelatinous in a hurry. It's a great test of imagination, but it's also a test of not letting the interpretation run away with itself. Thankfully, Hamelin charts a well-conceived path through this forest.
What can you say about the fugal finale that hasn't been said so many times before? It's a brutal challenge in almost every way. First and foremost it's a test of control – finger control, line control, dynamic control, expressive control, etc. What's amazing is how many pianists I would consider to be great in other contexts make a mess out of this grand closer. Rest assured, Hamelin is not one them. He convincingly wins every single control battle. But something extra is lacking. He dispatches fearsome technical and contrapuntal difficulties only to somehow make them sound anticlimactic. He exercises such expressive control that I'm missing the expression; there's not much of an animating spark. After a Hammerklavier that could be called "Herculean," I'm in the (ungrateful?) position of wishing it were somehow more. Not a comfortable feeling.
I'll end on a mostly positive note. I absolutely LOVE the Op. 3/2 C-Major Sonata pairing! (You can witness my high regard for this sonata in my rankings of all 32 Beethoven works in the genre,
here.) It directly recalls the appearance of the two sonatas together in Sviatoslav Richter's UK recital releases. This sonata is mainly bright and joyous music, with an adagio slow movement that I consider to be the equal (or more) of the famous
Moonlight Sonata opener. Hamelin's performance is maybe a tad on the heavy side, but he plays with suitable spirit throughout.
A solid offering, all in all. Beginners coming to these sonatas for the first time through this recording are going to be decently served. I predict that seasoned listeners probably won't make it their new favorite for either piece, but Hamelin is a popular figure who elicits a great deal of goodwill from classical music fans. So who knows?
Verdict: Recommended
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