Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
A Beethoven Odyssey – Volume 8
Piano Sonata No. 13, in E flat major, Op. 27, No. 1 (‘Quasi una Fantasia’ (1800-01)
Piano Sonata No. 16, in G major, Op. 31, No. 1 (1801-02)
Piano Sonata No. 18, in E flat major, Op. 31, No. 3 (‘The Hunt’) (1801-02)
Piano Sonata No. 22, in F major, Op. 54 (1804)
James Brawn (piano)
rec. 2022, Potton Hall, Suffolk, UK
MSR Classics MS1472 [78]

I mentioned in my last review regarding this project that it was delayed for three years by the pandemic. The release I covered then contained splendid performances of Sonatas 30, 31 and 32, and now with volume 8, there remain only Nos. 28 and 29 to complete James Brawn’s Beethoven sonata cycle. In 2020 I reviewed Volume 6 which featured Nos. 4, 11 and 12 and it was given a ROTM. I had reviewed earlier volumes elsewhere, finding virtually all performances on them insightfully played and well worth one’s attention. Here again Brawn turns in impressive work.

In the first movement of No. 13, a Rondo in ABACA form (Andante; Allegro), Brawn delivers an elegant and fully convincing account of the A and B sections, and appropriately turns energetic and brawny in the C section midway through. There follows the brief Scherzo (Allegro molto e vivace), wherein Brawn is driven and forceful though never headlong in capturing the disruptive nature of the music. He plays the Trio section with a lighter touch and subtle dynamics, perfectly portraying the humor in the music. In the third movement (Adagio con espressione) he is stately and solemn but always divulges a fine sense for the emotional tenor of the score. Brawn unleashes a good measure of energy with his vigorous and playful approach in the Allegro vivace finale, also a rondo but in ABACABA form, the best of the four movements in my opinion. Here he effectively captures the joyful nature of this brilliant closing panel. The return of the Adagio’s main theme sounds like a brief sad reminiscence before the work eventually reaches a joyful conclusion. A fine performance of this sonata, with Brawn’s typically well judged tempos.

In No. 16’s opening movement (Allegro vivace), Brawn subtly contrasts elegance and muscularity, capturing all the humor of this delightful movement. The following Adagio grazioso, at twelve minutes here, is not only the longest movement in the work, but one of the longest sonata slow movements Beethoven ever wrote, surpassed only by those in Nos. 29 (‘Hammerklavier’) and 32. It is viewed as a somewhat unusual creation: many commentators hear it as a parody of sorts of Italian opera and it may well be. Brawn is slightly more expansive than is usual but nevertheless effectively captures the colorful character of the music. Brawn’s tempo in the Rondo finale (Allegretto) is also less lively than is customary, and thus some of the lightness and youthful verve come across a bit less effectively. Still, the music is played with Brawn’s fine sense for phrasing, especially in his subtle use of dynamics.

The Sonata No. 18 in E flat major carries a fifty year long little puzzle for some listeners. In his third Norton Lecture (1973) Leonard Bernstein analyzed the opening movement as a kind of pleading by one party to get another to agree to terms not completely acceptable to the latter. To Bernstein it was a back-and-forth negotiation of sorts, albeit a mostly friendly and witty one that ends up with agreement by both parties. The work opens with a hesitant fragmentary theme marked Allegro that suddenly loses momentum from chords held back by a ritard. In bar 7, where an a tempo marking restores the livelier pacing, the opening notes seem to get a playful answer in the upper register, an answer that might also be heard as the other half of the theme. Much of the movement has these subtle back-and-forth exchanges that finally lead to what is obviously a peaceful resolution between the contrasting elements (or parties). All that said, you may hear the music differently, though I think Bernstein was onto something in his interpretation.

I’m not sure how James Brawn sees this music, but his account of this movement is both elegant and brilliantly colorful, with well-judged dynamics and tempos. His way of contrasting the theme’s initial seriousness with its sudden turn toward a prankish demeanor deftly captures the idea of something mischievous going on in the theme’s dual character. In the humorous hustle and bustle manner of the ensuing Scherzo, marked Allegretto vivace, the music brims with energy in Brawn’s hands, and the sforzandos and sudden shifts in dynamics are handled with the utmost subtlety to capture every amusing twist and turn.

Brawn delivers a graceful and totally persuasive account of the third movement, a Menuetto and Trio marked Moderato e grazioso. He is very much on target too in the busy and frolicsome Presto con fuoco finale. Again, his dynamics and accenting here are subtly applied and while his tempo is a bit less fleet than in many other performances, his playing is nevertheless fully convincing.

In the brief two movement Sonata No. 22 Brawn again tends to be a bit more moderate in his tempos than is usual, though his pacing always sounds lively and fully suited to the lighter and witty character of the music. The finale (Allegretto – piu allegro) is especially well played as Brawn deftly handles the constantly shifting dynamics and brisk tempos. His ending is utterly thrilling in its dynamic race to the finish! Jeremy Hayes once again provides very informative notes and the sound reproduction of Brawn’s Steinway Hamburg D piano is vivid and well balanced.

Notable Beethoven sonata cyclists include Vladimir Ashkenazy, Daniel Barenboim, Alfred Brendel, Rudolf Buchbinder, Richard Goode, François-Frédéric Guy, Michael Korstick, Artur Schnabel and more than a few others. Because there are so many fine complete sets to choose from it is obviously very difficult to make comparisons. Take Alfred Brendel for example, who has recorded three cycles, and Daniel Barenboim, who’s done at least four. It’s a challenge even to determine which effort of theirs is their finest, let alone which cycles among the current plethora are the best. But I’ll offer this opinion: James Brawn has been consistently impressive throughout his series, and I can strongly recommend this CD and all the preceding ones. They are at least competitive with the better Beethoven sonata recordings and perhaps can stand with the very finest.

Robert Cummings

Help us financially by purchasing from