Reflecting Beethoven

Albumbeschreibung

In no way can we say Herbert Schuch hasn’t given Pathétique an original structure. The German pianist pays particular attention to a lot of what made a young Beethoven, in his time, such a unique figure. Attention to articulations, attacks, keyboard registrations which gradually increase in size as well as the musician’s careful attention to harmonic balance, as can easily be heard on the development of Adagio cantabile, where Beethoven sprinkles some ascending motifs into the left hand. Nor is the final Rondo vain or flashy. Schuch truly keeps in mind the improvisational spirit of Mozart and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's Fantasies: a real sense of storytelling, as well as a theatrical knowledge and knack for surprise that bursts out alongside an even more acute exploration of the keyboard; a very “pianoforte” spirit and discipline that is all too rare today.

Herbert Schuch continues his journey with two other sonatas from the Opus 31, Beethoven’s revolutionary and experimental opus (1801-1802). The final movement of the Sixteenth Sonata is the striking Rondo. Allegretto. Here, he joyfully and meticulously details all the motifs in double crochets that scatter the keyboard continually until they reach the most extreme registers. The crochets are a little prompt so as to facilitate the tempos needed to maintain a moderated allure. Herbert Schuch loosens the tension a little, unleashing with it a calm light, tinted with an intransigent determination onto the new keyboard cosmogony that is so typical with Beethovenian piano. Amazing. The Tempest is ethereal and features all the landmarks - such as the slightly arid section in this striking recital which has this ability to stimulate an incredible sense of questioning and sensitivity. With his all-out approach, Herbert Schuch proposes three extremely beautiful contemporary works which resonate perfectly with Beethoven, including the exciting Coups de Dés en Écho by Henri Pousseur (1929-2009)! © Pierre-Yves Lascar/Qobuz