A Beethoven Odyssey: Volume 8 (CD Review)

by Bill Heck

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 13, 16, 18, and 22. James Brawn, piano. MSR Classics MS 1472

It’s been over ten years since James Brawn’s “A Beethoven Odyssey” series began. Like the rest of us, Brawn is ten years older, but it’s a pleasure to know – by the evidence of this volume – that we have the same artist, with fingers as supple as ever and musical sensibilities very much intact.

Note that Volume 8 is the second of the most recent pair of releases in the series. If you’ve not read our review of Volume 7, please do so now for some helpful background. I’ll wait.

I have to admit that, after spending time with Volume 7, which includes the majestic last three sonatas (30, 31, and 32), it's a little difficult to come back down to earth and review the “mere” middle period works here, numbers 13, 16, 18, and 22. But then the word “mere” is inappropriate when speaking of any of Beethoven’s creations; these are lovely works, perhaps less demanding of either the artist or the listener, but also more approachable than the final triumvirate. They also offer fascinating glimpses of Beethoven’s musical progression.

Number 13

The liner notes for this release quote a Beethoven letter from 1801: “I’m not satisfied with what I’ve composed up to now. From now on I intend to embark on a new path.” In sonata 13 (Op. 27, no. 1) – not to be confused with its opus mate number 14 (no. 2), the famous "Moonlight" – we see that Beethoven is indeed heading off in a new direction. The movements are not in the usual order for a sonata, as the opening movement is a slow one, and they are played straight through without pauses. (Putting the slow movement first happens again in the “Moonlight”.)  Even within movements, tempos and moods change radically, seemingly without warning at times. One of the joys of listening to Brawn’s playing is that these changes and differences seem perfectly natural in the moment; although lively and expressive, the playing does not call attention to itself.

Beethoven circa 1801

Number 16

We next hear an odd pair: sonata 16 in G (Op. 31, no. 1) and 18 (Op. 31, non. 3). By the time of these compositions, in 1802, Beethoven was fully on his "new path", moving beyond restrictors of classical composition. But even more: at about this time, Beethoven wrote what has become known as the Heiligenstadt Testament, an extraordinary document in which Beethoven begins with the tone of despair befitting a suicide note but ends up saying that “…only Art held me back…”, that he could not leave this world without producing the music of which he was capable.

And yet we have number 16, hardly a lament of despair! The first movement is filled with twists and turns, metaphorically not signs of danger but more like the joyful careening of an amusement park ride. The second movement seems to recall a more formal, backward looking charm, while the third ends with a flourish indeed. At least to me, none of this seems particularly “deep” (by Beethovenian standards), but it is lovely all the same, and Brawn plays it gracefully.

Number 18

Sonata 18 is a romp all the way through, with no slow movement at all. Perhaps the nickname "The Hunt" was bestowed (by someone other than Beethoven) because it reminds the listener of the energy of that pastime; other sources say that the name came from the resemblance of one passage to a sound of a horn commonly used in hunts. Although this is a "jocular" work (a word from the liner notes), shadows do occasionally cross the sunny landscape, hinting at unseen depths.

As for the playing, the first thing that one hopes for is enough energy to keep things going all the way through, and Brawn certainly brings that. As usual, moreover, he makes it all sound quite natural, giving the music space to breathe but never losing the momentum. I particularly enjoyed the two fast movements: the second (Scherzo, but in two beats rather than three) and fourth (Presto con fuoco, i.e., quickly, with fire). In both, especially in the second, the term "rollicking" came to mind; Beethoven and Brawn carry us along with the vivacity of the music.

Number 22

As we arrive at the final work on the disk, sonata 22, I'm trying to think of a word to describe the first movement. It starts conventionally enough, a short motive being handed off here and there, then more energetically - and then the whole thing grinds almost to a halt only to restart in the same overall plan, but with more ornamentation; this happens a few times. Some commentators have seen this movement as a parody of "uncreative composers ", and I can buy that! The second movement is built on similar ground: Beethoven takes us up through octaves with a rather simple scale, then down the same way, then shifts the same pattern to multiple keys, then we do it all over again with sort of a rocking motive, all at high speed, making for a virtuosic workout for the pianist. Physics tells us that there can be no perpetual motion machine but if there could be, this would be it. (I hesitate to say it, but I even hear precursors of minimalism in stretches in which the music changes only subtlety.) Overall, there's considerable humor here but, given that it's Beethoven, it's not merely a musical joke. Brawn gives us a convincingly energetic and, yes, humorous reading, an appropriate ending for a most enjoyable album.

Overall, I’ll simply summarize what John Puccio and I have said about previous albums in this series: playing that consistently just sounds right, combined with exemplary recorded sound. What’s not to like?