Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 5 in C Minor (Bavouzet, Biss, Kovacevich)

Описание: Forgive me if any of the following sounds backhanded—admittedly, this is my least favourite piano sonata of Beet’s, and pehaps the only sonata of his I dislike. Controversial opinion notwithstanding, I think this work still has merit as an educational resource. To me, it sounds like a caricature—not of the classical sonata form, as we’ve seen in some of these other early works, but of Beethoven’s own style. It can be brash and unrestrained, but this lack of subtlety (at least compared to, say, the Op. 2 sonatas or the Op. 7) lends itself quite well to analysis. Re: “a caricature […] of Beethoven’s own style,” it demonstrates a mastery of form much like the Op. 2 No. 1, a propensity for theatrics like the Pathetique, and a love of simplicity (see the Adagio) which is ubiquitous throughout Beethoven. After all, there’s a reason this sonata is often given to piano students as “Baby’s first Beethoven Sonata”.

For all my scathing criticism of this sonata, it has a pretty second movement.

Bavouzet:
0:00 – 1st mvt
5:30 – 2nd mvt
13:30 – 3rd mvt

Biss:
17:46 – 1st mvt
23:00 – 2nd mvt
30:21 – 3rd mvt

Kovacevich:
34:31 – 1st mvt
39:18 – 2nd mvt
47:11 – 3rd mvt

Bavouzet’s and Biss’s are very similar, stylistically speaking. Biss is a bit more attentive to detail and a bit more sharp, whereas Bavouzet maintains a much rounder, almost “Levitian” tone throughout. Kovacevich is different from them both with a recording that, as you’d expect from Kov, brims with dynamic contrast and ferocity.