Album

Earl Wild, born in 1915, has continued giving concerts and making recordings into his tenth decade. These Beethoven sonata recordings, made in 1994 (the Piano Sonata in B flat major, Op. 106, or "Hammerklavier") and 1984 (the Piano Sonata No. 18 in E flat, Op. 31/3) aren't products of quite such an advanced age, but they're impressive enough, especially in the case of the fearsome "Hammerklavier." This sonata, like the finale of the Symphony No. 9, has the component of near-unperformability as part of its aesthetic makeup. But it's hard to hear any compromises being made by the big-boned, powerful Wild. Wild's teachers were students of students of Liszt's, and his Beethoven is Lisztian Beethoven, with a brilliant upper register set off against booming chords in the left hand and dramatic contrasts drawn throughout. Wild's interpretations of both sonatas are distinctive. In the opening movement of the "Hammerklavier" he makes much of the silences that punctuate the über-heroic thematic material. His slow movement in the same sonata is more of a Romantic character piece than the tortured, quasi-vocal plaint it is in most readings; it's a shame to lose the on-the-edge-of-song quality that recurs in several late Beethoven slow movements, but Wild's reading does fit in well with his thrilling finale—a muscular, Romantic conquest of a gigantic and very difficult fugue. Wild's Op. 31/3 is likewise muscular; its Scherzo second movement and Presto con fuoco finale are exciting reading, with powerful rhythmic elements and, again, a strong focus on the left hand. The opening Allegro is once again unorthodox; Wild is quick, playful, and a bit nervous where most pianists are quiet and lyrical. The sonic lurch between the two sonatas (recorded at different places and times) is disconcerting, and the notes by Christopher Weiss, though quite informative, needed a proofreading job ("his disc devoted entirely too virtuoso piano transcriptions"). In all, however, this is Beethoven in the grand manner; it would be well worth hearing from a pianist half Wild's age.

© James Manheim, Rovi

CD 1
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.29 in Bb, Op.106 ('Hammerklavier') Work Recorded 1994 41:35 Earl Wild Piano
1	1.Allegro	10:20			$1.99
2	2.Scherzo: Assai vivace	2:28			$0.99
3	3.Adagio sostenuto	17:22			$2.99
4	4.Largo. Allegro risoluto	11:25			$1.99
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.18 in Eb, Op.31, No.3 ('The Hunt') Work Recorded 1984 24:16 Earl Wild Piano
5	1.Allegro	10:20			$1.99
6	2.Scherzo: Allegro vivace	5:05			$0.99
7	3.Menuetto: Moderato e grazioso	4:27			$0.99
8	4.Presto con fuoco	4:24			$0.99