Album

German pianist Gerhard Oppitz continues his Beethoven sonata cycle with two pieces that are almost sonatinas, combined with the giant of the Beethoven sonatas, the Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major ("Hammerklavier"). As has been the case throughout most of the cycle, Oppitz's interpretations are fresh and intriguing without being either groundbreaking or off-base. The Piano Sonata No. 22 in F major, Op. 54, and Piano Sonata No. 24 in F sharp minor, Op. 78, are conventionally given laid-back treatments to match their brevity, but Oppitz invests each with greater weight, finding bumptious humor in Op. 54 and laying on the pedal during the subtle first movement of Op. 78, turning it into a full-fledged piece of musical Romanticism. The "Hammerklavier" Sonata is one of those Beethoven works, like the finale of the Symphony No. 9, that are intentionally written slightly beyond the capabilities of human performers in spots, and Oppitz displays a fine sense of struggling with it and trying to bring out as much detail as possible. In places he succeeds; the little variations that get tacked onto successive appearances of the oddly chilly basic motive of the Scherzo are beautifully delineated. In other places there may be too much detail; one wonders why he becomes so interested in the inner voices of the tragic slow movement, losing the impact of the ghost-dance swinging syncopations that accompany the theme in its later incarnations. The series of false starts that begins the finale is done in a strangely uncertain way—which some might argue is the point of this freakish passage, but the beginning of the Allegro risoluto fugue lacks snap. The fugue itself, however, is crisp and tough. A major attraction of Oppitz's series is the near-audiophile sound quality, with an old riding stadium in the city of Neumarkt used to simulate a room somewhat less cavernous than a modern concert hall. Any listener interested in close questions of Beethoven interpretation will want to have this disc and others in the Oppitz cycle.

© James Manheim, All Music Guide

CD 1
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.22 in F, Op.54 Work Recorded 2005 11:14 Gerhard Oppitz Piano
1	1.In tempo d'un menuetto	5:51			$0.99
2	2.Allegretto	5:23			$0.99
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.24 in F#, Op.78 ('For Therese') Work Recorded 2005 9:54 Gerhard Oppitz Piano
3	1.Adagio cantabile. Allegro ma non troppo	6:59			$0.99
4	2.Allegro vivace	2:55			$0.99
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.29 in Bb, Op.106 ('Hammerklavier') Work Recorded 2006 46:47 Gerhard Oppitz Piano
5	1.Allegro	10:19			$1.99
6	2.Scherzo: Assai vivace	2:33			$0.99
7	3.Adagio sostenuto	21:55			$3.49
8	4.Largo. Allegro risoluto	12:00			$1.99