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The Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major, Op. 106 ("Hammerklavier"), of Beethoven and the Piano Sonata in B minor of Liszt had great stature through much of the 19th century as landmarks of virtuoso repertory. The elegant notes to this 2025 BIS label release by John D. Wilson stress the virtuoso aspect, with a nice description from Berlioz of Liszt's landmark performance of the "Hammerklavier" in 1836. Pianist Haochen Zhang, however, diverges sharply from the virtuoso tradition in his performances, which tend toward the smooth and, in the little Scherzo in the Beethoven, the witty. One might wonder about this, given that Beethoven stressed the difficulty the "Hammerklavier" would pose for pianists 50 years into the future. Of course, Liszt was about nothing if not virtuosity. Yet Zhang has to receive a lot of credit for making these works, especially the "Hammerklavier," sound smooth and laid-back, and he has the chops to pull it off. Many passages have a unique flavor in their shading, and Zhang gets a big assist from BIS engineers working in the Reitstadel in Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, Germany. This former riding school, now turned concert hall, has been used on audiophile labels, and here, it works like a charm in bringing out the utter mystery of the introduction to Beethoven's fugal finale. Zhang's approach may, in fact, work better in the Beethoven, where there remain some questions about what Beethoven meant with his warnings than in Liszt's big sonata, where one feels the absence of commanding gestures. There is, however, a positive X factor for the sheer originality of Zhang's approach and in its realization by BIS. Sample and hear!
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer - PUBLIC DOMAIN, MusicPublisher - Haochen Zhang, MainArtist - Robert Suff, ExecutiveProducer - Thore Brinkmann, ImmersiveMixingEngineer, ImmersiveMasteringEngineer, ImmersiveAudioEngineer - Ingo Petry, Producer, MixingEngineer, SoundEngineer, SoundEditor
2025 BIS 2025 BIS
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer - PUBLIC DOMAIN, MusicPublisher - Haochen Zhang, MainArtist - Robert Suff, ExecutiveProducer - Thore Brinkmann, ImmersiveMixingEngineer, ImmersiveMasteringEngineer, ImmersiveAudioEngineer - Ingo Petry, Producer, MixingEngineer, SoundEngineer, SoundEditor
2025 BIS 2025 BIS
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer - PUBLIC DOMAIN, MusicPublisher - Haochen Zhang, MainArtist - Robert Suff, ExecutiveProducer - Thore Brinkmann, ImmersiveMixingEngineer, ImmersiveMasteringEngineer, ImmersiveAudioEngineer - Ingo Petry, Producer, MixingEngineer, SoundEngineer, SoundEditor
2025 BIS 2025 BIS
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer - PUBLIC DOMAIN, MusicPublisher - Haochen Zhang, MainArtist - Robert Suff, ExecutiveProducer - Thore Brinkmann, ImmersiveMixingEngineer, ImmersiveMasteringEngineer, ImmersiveAudioEngineer - Ingo Petry, Producer, MixingEngineer, SoundEngineer, SoundEditor
2025 BIS 2025 BIS
Piano Sonata in B Minor, S. 178 (Franz Liszt)
Franz Liszt, Composer - PUBLIC DOMAIN, MusicPublisher - Haochen Zhang, MainArtist - Robert Suff, ExecutiveProducer - Thore Brinkmann, ImmersiveMixingEngineer, ImmersiveMasteringEngineer, ImmersiveAudioEngineer - Ingo Petry, Producer, MixingEngineer, SoundEngineer, SoundEditor
2025 BIS 2025 BIS
Franz Liszt, Composer - PUBLIC DOMAIN, MusicPublisher - Haochen Zhang, MainArtist - Robert Suff, ExecutiveProducer - Thore Brinkmann, ImmersiveMixingEngineer, ImmersiveMasteringEngineer, ImmersiveAudioEngineer - Ingo Petry, Producer, MixingEngineer, SoundEngineer, SoundEditor
2025 BIS 2025 BIS
Franz Liszt, Composer - PUBLIC DOMAIN, MusicPublisher - Haochen Zhang, MainArtist - Robert Suff, ExecutiveProducer - Thore Brinkmann, ImmersiveMixingEngineer, ImmersiveMasteringEngineer, ImmersiveAudioEngineer - Ingo Petry, Producer, MixingEngineer, SoundEngineer, SoundEditor
2025 BIS 2025 BIS
Album review
The Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major, Op. 106 ("Hammerklavier"), of Beethoven and the Piano Sonata in B minor of Liszt had great stature through much of the 19th century as landmarks of virtuoso repertory. The elegant notes to this 2025 BIS label release by John D. Wilson stress the virtuoso aspect, with a nice description from Berlioz of Liszt's landmark performance of the "Hammerklavier" in 1836. Pianist Haochen Zhang, however, diverges sharply from the virtuoso tradition in his performances, which tend toward the smooth and, in the little Scherzo in the Beethoven, the witty. One might wonder about this, given that Beethoven stressed the difficulty the "Hammerklavier" would pose for pianists 50 years into the future. Of course, Liszt was about nothing if not virtuosity. Yet Zhang has to receive a lot of credit for making these works, especially the "Hammerklavier," sound smooth and laid-back, and he has the chops to pull it off. Many passages have a unique flavor in their shading, and Zhang gets a big assist from BIS engineers working in the Reitstadel in Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, Germany. This former riding school, now turned concert hall, has been used on audiophile labels, and here, it works like a charm in bringing out the utter mystery of the introduction to Beethoven's fugal finale. Zhang's approach may, in fact, work better in the Beethoven, where there remain some questions about what Beethoven meant with his warnings than in Liszt's big sonata, where one feels the absence of commanding gestures. There is, however, a positive X factor for the sheer originality of Zhang's approach and in its realization by BIS. Sample and hear!
© James Manheim /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 7 track(s)
- Total length: 01:15:24
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artists: Haochen Zhang
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: BIS
- Genre: Classical
2025 BIS 2025 BIS
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