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NI 6407
In the Age of Debussy
Label Catalogue Number:
NI6407
NI6407
Running Time: 01:03:48
Release Date: January 2021
Originally recorded in 2019
Originally recorded in 2019
Genre:
Classical
Chamber
Classical
Chamber
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About
With the Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 7, published by Artaria “for harpsichord and piano” in 1797, Beethoven expands the scope of keyboard technique and structural proportions. Indeed, some of the passagework in the outer movements must have been prohibitive to most amateur pianists; and the length of the sonata, at the time, made it the longest work for piano ever published, and the second longest sonata Beethoven composed (the record goes to the Sonata in B-flat Major, Op. 106 “Hammerklavier”). Metric displacements and violent dynamic contrasts inform the opening movement, while the prayer-like Adagio is possibly one of the most extraordinary achievements of Beethoven’s youth. The Allegro that follows, light and playful, is interrupted by a stormy “minore” section that was most likely the inspiration for the first of Schubert’s Klavierstucke, D 946. The melodious but challenging Rondo closes the sonata, unexpectedly, in a murmur.
The two Sonatas, Op. 14 were published by Artaria as a set in 1799, and show a Beethoven less concerned with structural expansion and technical display. However, the iconoclastic spirit that informed earlier explorations in the genre is preserved, in particular in the way harmony and dialectics between thematic materials are developed. The first of the two works, in the key of E Major, was transcribed as a string quartet in the key of F major. Of note, the middle movement. The second sonata, technically perhaps slightly more ambitious than the first, features a lighthearted march followed by variants as a middle movement (at the very end, however, Beethoven startles us by placing a dramatic fortissimo chord), and a humorous Scherzo characterized by continuous metric displacements as a closing movement – all elements that must have been considered rather unusual at the time.
Maurizio Zaccaria continues his journey in the world of Beethoven's complete piano sonatas. His playing is characterized by unique readings and virtuosic flair, all perfectly in line with the sound and timbric resources of modern instruments.
The recording has been captured by sound engineer Alessandro Simonetto with 5 microphones - a pair of Bru¨el & Kjaer 4003, and three spots Neumann KM 140. The instrument used is a brand new Steinway grand D-274.
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Reviews
***** Coup de Cœur
Pascal Gresset - Classica magazine (France) - July/August 2022
“Wilson and Dumont know just how to put this music across and it shows every bit of the way. Splendid sound, judicious balance, and spontaneous pacing serve the program ideally…”
Todd Gorman – American Record Guide – September/October 2021
“The phrasing is thoughtful in all these arrangements of early 20th-century French work…” ***
Freya Parr – BBC Music magazine (Brief Notes section) – March 2021
“… Flutist Ransom Wilson and pianist François Dumont give splendid performances of all this music. The sound is well balanced. Roger Nichols wrote ideal programme notes, with concise but wholly relevant details of each work… I enjoyed all the music on this innovative CD. The three arrangements are interesting experiments, of interest to aficionados of Fauré’s and Debussy’s music. I felt that Bilitis for flute was a major addition to the repertoire…”
John France - MusicWeb-International.com - 18 January 2021
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