Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Violin Sonata No 9 in A, Op 47 Kreutzer (1802-03)
Violin Sonata No 10 in G, Op 96 (1812)
Daniel Stepner (violin), Peter Takács (piano)
rec. 2023, Furura Productions, Roslindale, USA
Centaur CRC 4118 [64]
Last year I reviewed two releases featuring the pianist Peter Takács, who is a professor of piano at Oberlin College, Ohio. The first was a reissue of his complete cycle of the Beethoven Piano Sonatas, and this was followed by a review of a new release of the composer’s Complete Cello Sonatas with cellist Robert deMaine. Mr Takács now joins forces with veteran violinist Daniel Stepner for Beethoven’s final two Violin Sonatas. I’m not sure whether this is the start of a new cycle or a one off. What I am certain of, however, is that Takács is one of the finest Beethoven interpreters around. He seems to have made the composer something of a speciality. Violinist Daniel Stepner, who studied with Steven Staryk in Chicago and Nadia Boulanger in France, is the Artistic Director of the Aston Magna Festival and Foundation. He is also Professor Emeritus at Brandeis University, where he was first violinist of the Lydian String Quartet from 1987-2016.
The Kreutzer benefits from a full-bloodied and rugged account, with sufficient combustion. The players succeed in the way the opening movement’s Adagio sostenuto anticipates the turbulent intensity and passion that follows. Every emotion surfaces with febrile intensity – combat, fury, wit and ardent lyricism. The central movement is well-paced and magically realized, with the variations imaginatively characterized. In the final movement there’s sufficient energy and drive. It’s dispatched with bite and gusto.
The Violin Sonata No.10 in G major Op.96 is very different in character to Op.47. Pastoral in character, it reveals the lyrical side of Beethoven’s musical personality. Yehudi Menuhin, in a conversation with Glenn Gould, prior to a performance of this work, made the pertinent remark that his teacher Georges Enescu referred to Op 96 as ‘the real spring, the venerable and the pure spring’. Stepner and Takács capture the spirit of the work to perfection with an intoxicating blend of eloquence and ardent tenderness. The glorious slow movement is halcyon and serene, and the finale is a pure delight in its sunny radiance. The players attend to perfectly calibrated dynamics and impeccable finesse in tempo and touch
The Centaur engineers have come up trumps with regard to the exceptionally fine sound and balance they have achieved. The piano is a beautifully sounding instrument – exceptionally so. The robustness of the violin tone is ideally aligned with the imposing piano sound. I’m grateful to Daniel Stepner who has contributed the detailed liner notes.
Stephen Greenbank
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