Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Stephen Bishop Kovacevich :: Beethoven: Favourite Piano Sonatas

A serious, individual pianist, but there are stretches of du

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 10/26/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It took twelve years for Stephen Kovacevich to complete the Beethoven sonta cycle from which this triple-CD set was drawn. Every step of the way was greeted by the Gramophone as a wonder and a marvel ("a dazzling, super-charged journey," "...it is hard not to be awed"). Can anyone possibly resist this bargain sampler? I can't give an ojective answer. I liked Kovacevich's early concerto recordings with Colin Davis, but his solo Beethoven goes hot and cold. In the "Moonlight" Sonata we get a listless, monocrhomatic first movement, a cautious Alegretto, and then a fire-eating finale. The "Pathetique" has a clangy, hard-struck first movement, followed by a smooth, rather flavorless account of the famous Andante that gives the sonata its name.



There's no doubt that Kovacevich, now 68 and California-born, although long associated with the London music scene, is serious about this music. He's assured and a concert veteran to his fingertips. For many, that may be enough. There are other self-effacing piansts who succeed in Beethoven -- Clifford Curzon and Murray Perahia come to mind -- and it's no surprise that the English find this an honorable tradition. But for me, nothing here is very memorable, just as nothing can be hotly disagreed with. Kovacevich's only irritating mannerism is the occasional startling thwack, prevalent in the "Appassionata" and "Waldstein" sonatas, when a simple forte would do. (I heard him in concert while he was making this cycle and found myself respectfully bored.) One major drawback, however, which was also true in the original releases, is EMI's hard, clangy piano sound -- very disagreeable for long stretches.



We live in an age where some old hands have become masters chiefly by surviving long enough. Kovacevich is a cut above that, so I can give two cheers for this release. My mind did tend to wander to other things as I was listening, however, like the fact that Kovacevich was Martha ARgerich's third husband. It took a moment to focus back on the music."