Artur Pizarro - Beethoven: Last Three Piano Sonatas

No. 30 in E: Opus 109
No 31 in A flat: Opus 110
No 32 in C minor: Opus 111

LINN CKD 225 [SACD 62 mins]

Artur Schnabel - BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 5

No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2, "Moonlight"
No. 15 in D major, Op. 28, "Pastorale"
No. 16 in G major, Op. 31, No. 1

Mark Obert-Thorn, producer and audio restoration engineer

Naxos Historical 8.110759

Artur Pizarro , winner of the 1990 Leeds International Piano Competition, is resuming his Beethoven sonata cycle at St John's, Smith Square this month, playing five mid-period sonatas on 16 October, when this CD will be launched. His remaining recitals will also be recorded for broadcasting on Radio 3. Is it another recorded cycle in the making?

In my first experience, there was a wide gulf between the live experience and the recorded sounds, notably because of the church acoustic; good for some musics, but unfavourable for the piano. Certainly the live performances sounded better on the BBC broadcasts; I have quandaries about returning to St John's for more Beethoven sonatas.

Equally important is the question of instrument, about which I have recently had increasingly ambivalent feelings. At St John's, Pizarro plays a Steinway. For the Linn recordings, the choice of a Blüthner grand model 1 has been decisive, (q.v. my welcome for Pizarro's recording of four popular "named" sonatas). I endorse the record company's claim that the Blüthner 'allows Artur's attuned sense of lyricism and romantic line to flourish'.

These performances of the three late sonatas too have a fine, confident sweep and display Pizarro's easy, fluent virtuosity. Op 109 has an intimacy and dynamic reticence which I liked, and the studio recording and careful pedalling ensure clarity.

I am increasingly chary of judging recording quality; CDs sound so different on my several players and set-ups and the listener nowadays has a lot of control. Yesterday Sean Rafferty on BBC R3's In Tune shared with listeners his confusion about SACD - it would be helpful if this latest wonder could be provided for reviewers to test and help readers decide whether the additional expenditure for "Stereo Hybrid SACD" is justified.

The SACD format is problematic and, mysteriously, Linn's will not play on my new computer (which has an excellent sound system and plays CDs & DVDs) despite the best efforts of my computer guru. You should be able to access three representative movements of this CD on Linn's website at http://www.linnrecords.com/listen/listen_window.asp?RecordingID=266 . There is excellent coverage of Pizarro and his Beethoven project on the BBC Website at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/classical/pizarro_biog.shtml.

Most of us have to enjoy our CDs on a variety of equipments we may have accumulated over the years, even those of us who endeavour to withstand the constant blandishments to upgrade. For musicians, the willow-the-wisp of perfect sound quality is the last of the parameters that troubles us. However, let me reassure you, it sounded splendid on my hi-fi system with small speakers in the kitchen, likewise via my DVD player through the five speakers connected with the TV receiver. Possibly best of all was the sound on an ancient little Technics portable CD player with the cheapest of earphones.

Meanwhile, in the same week I received, for revisiting and review, another volume of the historic Schnabel series, as refurbished with judicious wizardry by Mark Obert-Thorn; those performances on 78s originally impressed on my brain and memory for life. What never fails to amaze is that adjustment to the not-too-sanitised sound of these CD re-releases takes no more than half a minute before you ignore the background noise. Better than rehearsing their excellence (and Pizarro knows them inside out) just listen; they can be heard on line by searching new releases - historical at http://www.naxos.com/naxos/uk/naxos_uk.htm.