Duponts Interpretation ist historisch informiert, nimmt sich aber auch Freiheiten, die einem Kenner der Werke, wie er es ist, zugestanden werden können. Jeder Satz, jeder Takt ist ein Genuss; es ist herrlich erleben zu können, wie Dupont die Klanglichkeit der Orgel geradezu übersinnlich auskostet.

These are all arrangements. The arrangement of the Second Symphony was perhaps by Beethoven himself (but perhaps, as the Audite liner notes point out, by Ferdinand Ries). The Trio in E-flat was arranged from the String Quintet, Op. 4 and published as Op. 63. The piano concerto was arranged for piano and string quintet well after Beethoven’s time by Vincenz Lachner and published in 1881. Both of these releases are parts of larger series. The Shybayeva is the second of three that will include all five concertos in Lachner’s versions with string quintet (the symphony is a filler), and the Swiss disc is the seventh and last in their survey of the Beethoven trios. In fact I reviewed the first volume from the Swiss Trio (J/A 2015).

Back in 2015 I was particularly impressed with the pianism of Martin Lucas Staub; he was assertive and articulate, but never heavy. That judgement seems just as valid today as then, and with his partners violinist Angela Golubeva and cellist Joel Marosi (who has replaced Sebastian Singer) they play wonderful chamber music. I make this rather banal point because in the other recording I get a sense of a free-for-all, rather than a group of good friends getting together to make music. Hanna Shybayeva is a wonderful pianist, but she tears at the Second Symphony, trying, it would seem, to make the chamber version superior to the original. Strings from the Animato Quartet—violinist Floor Le Coultre and cellist Pieter de Koe—are fully on board with this all-out approach. Tempos are all faster than with the Swiss, and the music is undeniably exciting. Only in the slow movement did I feel the need for more repose.

The other pieces are fine as well. The Trio in E-flat is a nice, interesting piece, and somehow just as enjoyable as the original version (an early work for string quintet). On the other disc Shybayeva plays Beethoven’s First Concerto, and again it is quick and exciting, with a long challenging cadenza in I. The accompaniment from the Animato Quartet plus bass is satisfactory if your attention is mainly on the pianist, but sometimes the addition of bass made the music bottom-heavy. So we have two discs, both looking at Beethoven through the medium of arrangement. I endorse both, but you will have to judge whether you want these scaled-down versions rather than the real thing.

This is the final volume of these fantastic sonatas. They are also magnificently played by this Italian pianist, who has given us a threedisc series that grows in stature with repeated hearings.

It was a bold move on Schubert’s part to follow the long, concentrated, and deeply moving ‘Molto Moderato E Cantabile’ opening movement of Sonata D 894 with an ‘Andante’ slow movement. That it works is testament to the intensity of Schubert’s creativity. Lucchesini is a master of every gesture and produces a beguilingly crystalline tone without forcing his sound. The final two movements hold one’s attention with their natural flow of dynamics.

The same can be said for D 958. I was forced to listen again to the other CD of this series in my collection, and I decided that purchasing the remaining disc would be a must. The Steinway D sounds terrific, and it remains difficult to accept that this life-affirming music has only emerged from the shadows during my lifetime.

Venturinis Musik [...] ist [...] außerordentlich farbenfroh, lebendig und reich instrumentiert [...].
Das Ensemble la festa musicale unter Leitung von Anne Marie Harer und Mechthild Karkow musiziert Venturinis Musik schlicht mustergültig.

It’s nice to see an ensemble of the Mandelring Quartett’s musical integrity...

Con este tercer volumen concluye la serie de las últimas obras para piano de...

Esta versión, con la orquesta polaca y Marc Coppey, es de las mejores [...] porque la atmósfera inmediata, espontanea, de la música en vivo está muy presente. Me ha sorprendido Lawrence Foster perfectamente identificado con la orquesta de Katowice y sosteniendo ambos conciertos con una energía y una fuerza de primera batuta.

Voilà une toute grande version de cette partition que peu auront saisie avec un tel art de la suggestion.

Audite heeft alles in het werk gesteld om de opnamen zoveel mogelijk in hun oorspronkelijke staat te laten [...] Maar voor de overgrote meerderheid komt alles haarscherp duidelijk en met een opperste aan transparantie uit de luidsprekers en wordt ook nog eens onderstreept dat sommige mono-opnamen het winnen van nogal wat gladgepolijste en gekunstelde digitale remasterings. Overbodig te zeggen dat het verantwoordelijke technische team daarvoor het grootst denkbare compliment verdient.

Was an diesen Concerti des Geigers und Komponisten Francesco Venturini (ca. 1675-1745) am meisten fasziniert, sind ihr Farbenreichtum und ihr tänzerischer Grundimpuls. Für unterschiedliche Besetzungen verband Venturini, der am Hannoveraner Hof wirkte, italienische und französische Stilelemente zum „vermischten Geschmack“: Das norddeutsche Barockensemble Ia festa musicale lässt die fast vergessenen Concerti mit Präzision, Spielfreude und Neugierde auferstehen – drei Werke sind Ersteinspielungen. Die Entdeckungen erklingen in einer mitreißenden, lebendig aufgenommenen Interpretation – Barock, der rockt.