[continued from previous message]
delightful Allegro ma non troppo played super-fast. (Id love to
hear Yukio play Chopins Third Scherzo!) The Opp 119 and 126 sets of Bagatelles both come off quite nicely, as well. The Op 34
Variations are played reasonably quickly and strongly and make for
a fine diversion, the Op 76 Variations are superb, and the Op 77
Fantasy, while okay, I guess, isnt quite fantastic enough for me.
(Rudolf Serkin rather handily outpaces the newcomer, but thats to
be expected.) The Eroica Variations are fine indeed. Each of the
short variations holds ones rapt attention, and the concluding
fugue is superb, if perhaps a bit brittle sounding at times. The
two Op 51 Rondos are superbly and beautifully played and deserve
more air time, and the Op 89 Polonaise, while not of Chopin
quality, is nonetheless good. The ever delightful Rage over a Lost
Penny is played in pure virtuoso fashion and thrills in so far as
it can. That leaves the Diabelli Variations. While I have few if
any recordings of the other works, Im more familiar with this work.
Yokoyama suffers the same shortcomings here as in some of the late
sonatas. At times, he seems as though at sea. Hes not inside the
music and it shows. Some of his playing is technically dazzling,
but he hasnt much to say. For a modern recording with some insight,
Piotr Anderszewski delivers the goods, and my standard bearer still
remains Rudolf Serkin, and quite comfortably at that. (Must be the
cricket accompaniment.) There are some fine things in all of these
works though. Of course, its the sonatas that matter most, but a
little extra something is nice.
Overall, I'm glad I bought the set, and at the BRO price it should
be considered by anyone interested in hearing a different slant on
Beethoven. Hell, even at the Tower price it's worth it. But it
ain't the best out there.
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