Beethoven: Piano Sonatas No. 8 'Pathétique', No. 21 'Waldstein' and No. 32 (2015)

Boris Giltburg Performs Beethoven Piano Sonatas

Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas remain my favorite music. Boris Giltburg's new CD of three Beethoven sonatas reminded me of how the music has grown on me with the years and of why it continues to inspire. Giltburg (b. 1984) was born in Russia but has lived in Israel most of his life. In 2013, he won first prize in the Queen Elizabeth Competition after successes in several earlier competitions. Giltburg has been recording since 2006, but in 2014 he signed a recording contract with Naxos. I enjoyed greatly his first Naxos recording of solo piano music of Robert Schumann, and I enjoyed this, his second CD, of Beethoven even more. Naxos kindly send me review copies of both CDs.

The CD includes three widely-spaced sonatas each in the key of C: the early Sonata Pathetique in C minor, op. 13, the middle-period "Waldstein" sonata in C major, opus 53, and the 32 and last sonata in C minor, opus 111. Giltburg's readings inspired my own long and far less successful efforts to play Beethoven. I have practiced both the Pathetique and the Waldstein. This summer, I attended an intensive piano workshop and the subject of opus 111 came up with one of my teachers. I expressed the highly sensible view that this playing this sonata was forever beyond me. The teacher replied that the better attitude was "not yet".

With music that is often recorded and familiar to experienced music lovers, a successful recording should be faithful to the composer's intent and still sound fresh and new. Giltburg creates a beautiful sound on the piano. clear, light, and unforced. His performances show a great deal of thought about interpreting each work together with strong emotional commitment. These qualities also are expressed in Giltburg's liner notes to the CD. The readings have a great deal of lilt. The dynamic range is wide but Giltburg tends more towards piano than towards double forte. In contrast with the way some players still approach Beethoven, there is little bombast.

Giltburg takes the opening Grave of the Sonata Pathetique at a slightly faster tempo than it often receives. While his playing is dramatic, he does not bang the opening chord or the introduction. He captures instead a feeling of sadness and tragedy. The ensuing first movement is taken at a very rapid pace with sharp, angular tragic lines. Giltburg is at his best on this CD in slow movements, and the well-known slow movement of the Sonata Pathetique has a beautiful singing, consolatory tone. In the finale, Giltburg returns to the serious, tragic tone of the opening movement, unlike some readings which give this movement a lighter mood.

The Waldstein Sonata also receives a lyrical reading from Giltburg which still captures the spacious, heroic character of the music. The opening movement pulsates with forward drive and rhythm but the overall impression was still one of lyricism. The slow second movement (or introduction to the finale) is deeply reflective while the Rondo finale is fluid and singing in its theme and many episodes. Giltburg shows his mastery of the many technical demands of this score and is able to concentrate on interpretation.

The opus 111 sonata features a slow opening followed by a rapid movement with both similarities to and differences from the Sonata Pathetique. I enjoyed Giltburg's playing of the contrapuntal sections of this movement together with the beautiful quiet playing at the end of the movement. The highlight of the entire CD is Giltburg's performance of the long arietta with variations which concludes the work. Giltburg plays the opening song with a deep simplicity and rises to emotional heights in the course of the work. One of the middle variations often is taken in an early jazz manner. While this is a legitimate way to play the music, Giltburg handles it differently and makes the syncopated variation a thing of beauty. The music grows in intensity with the long fluttering double trills and the quiet return of the theme at the end. The movement makes a fitting end to Beethoven's piano sonatas and to this CD.

I found this CD a special performance of Beethoven. Listeners who love Beethoven's piano sonatas will enjoy Giltburg's performances. Those listeners new to the sonatas will be moved by this beautiful playing of three seminal piano works composed during different stages of Beethoven's life.

Total Time: 69:10

Robin Friedman