Viktoria Mullova (violin), Alasdair Beatson (fortepiano). Signum SIGCD706.
By Bill Heck
When I happened upon this recording, my ears immediately perked up: I had happily and favorably reviewed a disc of Beethoven sonatas performed by these same musicians (see https://classicalcandor.blogspot.com/2021/07/beethoven-violin-sonatas-4-5-and-7-cd.html), and so was eager to hear what they were up to with Schubert. Would they live up to that same high standard? Read on…
The works on this album are the Violin Sonata In A Major, D. 574 (Op. 162), apparently composed in 1817; the Fantasie In C Major, D. 934 (Op.159) from December of 1827; and the Rondo In B Minor, D. 895 (Op. 70) from late 1826. As many readers will know, Schubert composed at a furious rate, leaving many hundreds of works at his death in 1828 at just 31 years of age. Appreciation for his work was limited to small numbers of musically knowledgeable Viennese at the time of his death, but his works were quickly rediscovered and promoted by leading composers including Mendelssohn, Schumann, Liszt, Brahms, and more. I need hardly add that Schubert now is regarded as one of the supreme composers of the late classical to early romantic period – or of any other period.
Keeping track of all of his works, many (most?) of which were unpublished in his lifetime, is a gargantuan task. And difficult as that might be, just imagine keeping track of all the recordings of those many works. Which brings up the question: what night make the current album stand out?
Well, there’s the obvious point regarding the musicianship of the two performers. Moreover, unlike many earlier recordings of these works, these are “historically informed performances” (HIPs, and yes, that’s the real acronym), and indeed are played on period instruments. A period violin is nothing unusual, but Mullova’s instrument is strung with gut, which makes for a different sound than modern strings. Beatson plays a copy of a fortepiano from 1809, which most certainly has a different sound than a modern piano.
Now let's start with positives. The first word that comes to my mind in regard to the performances is “passionate", especially Mullova's playing, with the word "sprightly" not far behind. The performances, especially that of the early Sonata, make the music interesting and engaging, as it well should be. There is considerable dynamic range, something that does not always happen with some HIPs. However, I don't feel that this duo lives up to the standard set in the album that I mentioned above.
First, in regard to the playing, there are a few mannerisms that I find bothersome. For example, in some transitions between phrases where the fortepiano is alone, Beatson seems to rush the notes and, on occasion, not sound the last note or two quite clearly; listen, for instance, at about 1:00 and 2:15 in the first movement. A minor issue, but it does tend to interrupt the flow.
But my larger concerns have to do, in a broad sense, with the recorded sound. Unlike the Beethoven recording on the Onyx label, this one, on Signum, is in a much more reverberant environment. That acoustic “scene,” and perhaps the recording technique, emphasize what I hear as the clanginess and, if I can use the term, the “slowness” of the forte piano, to the point at which I am reminded of the sound of a piano in saloon scenes in old westerns. Moreover, the two instruments are placed oddly: the fortepiano seems to be far back in a more reverberant space than the violin, a discontinuity that I find disconcerting. Also, and particularly in the Sonata, when Mullova is playing more loudly, it sounds as though she is leaning into the microphone, which creates an unnatural increase in volume.
Compare all this to another fine recording of the Sonata by Manze and Egarr on Harmonia Mundi. This one also is an HIP and was recorded in a very reverberant space as well. While again the fortepiano has that same clangy quality, and even sounds a little congested in the lower registers, the spirit and dynamics make it through more clearly.
Similarly, in the Fantasie, it sounds as though the music is trying to escape the confines of the fortepiano. Is the recording the issue? Is Beatson's playing too stolid? Is the fortepiano insufficiently responsive? I don't know, but for me the music simply is not taking off. In contrast, in the excellent recording by Tomas Cotik and Tao Lin on Centaur--admittedly not on period instruments--the music sings; it clearly belongs to the romantic period.
No doubt there are others who will hear the fine playing on this album--and despite my reservations, there’s plenty of it--and think that I’m completely off base. But if you can give up the HIP angle, give a listen to the same works on the Cotik / Lin album and see what you think. Or if you really are looking for an HIP version, check out the Manze and Egarr album of Violin Sonatas, including the A Major.
BH
By Bill Heck
The works on this album are the Violin Sonata In A Major, D. 574 (Op. 162), apparently composed in 1817; the Fantasie In C Major, D. 934 (Op.159) from December of 1827; and the Rondo In B Minor, D. 895 (Op. 70) from late 1826. As many readers will know, Schubert composed at a furious rate, leaving many hundreds of works at his death in 1828 at just 31 years of age. Appreciation for his work was limited to small numbers of musically knowledgeable Viennese at the time of his death, but his works were quickly rediscovered and promoted by leading composers including Mendelssohn, Schumann, Liszt, Brahms, and more. I need hardly add that Schubert now is regarded as one of the supreme composers of the late classical to early romantic period – or of any other period.
Keeping track of all of his works, many (most?) of which were unpublished in his lifetime, is a gargantuan task. And difficult as that might be, just imagine keeping track of all the recordings of those many works. Which brings up the question: what night make the current album stand out?
Well, there’s the obvious point regarding the musicianship of the two performers. Moreover, unlike many earlier recordings of these works, these are “historically informed performances” (HIPs, and yes, that’s the real acronym), and indeed are played on period instruments. A period violin is nothing unusual, but Mullova’s instrument is strung with gut, which makes for a different sound than modern strings. Beatson plays a copy of a fortepiano from 1809, which most certainly has a different sound than a modern piano.
First, in regard to the playing, there are a few mannerisms that I find bothersome. For example, in some transitions between phrases where the fortepiano is alone, Beatson seems to rush the notes and, on occasion, not sound the last note or two quite clearly; listen, for instance, at about 1:00 and 2:15 in the first movement. A minor issue, but it does tend to interrupt the flow.
But my larger concerns have to do, in a broad sense, with the recorded sound. Unlike the Beethoven recording on the Onyx label, this one, on Signum, is in a much more reverberant environment. That acoustic “scene,” and perhaps the recording technique, emphasize what I hear as the clanginess and, if I can use the term, the “slowness” of the forte piano, to the point at which I am reminded of the sound of a piano in saloon scenes in old westerns. Moreover, the two instruments are placed oddly: the fortepiano seems to be far back in a more reverberant space than the violin, a discontinuity that I find disconcerting. Also, and particularly in the Sonata, when Mullova is playing more loudly, it sounds as though she is leaning into the microphone, which creates an unnatural increase in volume.
Compare all this to another fine recording of the Sonata by Manze and Egarr on Harmonia Mundi. This one also is an HIP and was recorded in a very reverberant space as well. While again the fortepiano has that same clangy quality, and even sounds a little congested in the lower registers, the spirit and dynamics make it through more clearly.
Similarly, in the Fantasie, it sounds as though the music is trying to escape the confines of the fortepiano. Is the recording the issue? Is Beatson's playing too stolid? Is the fortepiano insufficiently responsive? I don't know, but for me the music simply is not taking off. In contrast, in the excellent recording by Tomas Cotik and Tao Lin on Centaur--admittedly not on period instruments--the music sings; it clearly belongs to the romantic period.
No doubt there are others who will hear the fine playing on this album--and despite my reservations, there’s plenty of it--and think that I’m completely off base. But if you can give up the HIP angle, give a listen to the same works on the Cotik / Lin album and see what you think. Or if you really are looking for an HIP version, check out the Manze and Egarr album of Violin Sonatas, including the A Major.
BH
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