20th Century Piano Sonatas
Posted by Jay Batzner in CD Review, Jay Batzner, Naxos, Piano
20th Century Piano Sonatas
Allison Brewster Franzetti, piano
Naxos 8.570401
Alban Berg, Piano Sonata; Paul Hindemith, Piano Sonata No. 2; Arnold Schoenberg, Drei Klavierstücke; Karl Amadeus Hartmann, Piano Sonata ’27 April 1945.’
This disc presents four different solo piano works (mainly sonatas, with the exception of the Schoenberg) from Germanic composers during the first half of the 20th Century (again, we must excuse Schoenberg for writing his pieces in 1894). Don’t let the rather pedestrian title fool you, though. The music contained within has much more variety than one might think.
I must admit that I have a soft spot for darned near anything by Berg, especially works like the Piano Sonata. The performance on this disc plays up the impressionistic aspects of the piece instead of trying to force it into a strict and ruthlessly efficient Germanic sonata. Allison Brewster Franzetti’s performance is in line with good Debussy and Ravel interpretations and I think it works wonderfully.
The Hindemith Sonata No. 2 is light and playful with the angular-yet-tuneful stuff that one expects from a piece by Paul Hindemith. Ms. Brewster Franzetti’s interpretation accentuates the joyous and exuberant nature of Hindemith’s output with lots of bounce and sparkle.
The Schoenberg pieces a certainly a surprise to anyone expecting the op. 11 collection. These pieces are straight-up Romanticism and sound more like Brahms playing a lounge bar than any of the crunchy dissonant piano works with which you may be familiar. The performance is lush and warm with much tenderness.
I did not know the Hartmann work before this recording and I was struck by its power and life. The opening movement is dark and foreboding, followed by a sprite and somewhat strident scherzo. The funeral march is severe and forceful with a constant sense of yearning. The final “barn burner” ending (two versions are presented on this recording) contain and equal mix of morose and hopeful emotions. I’m not sure which of the two final versions I prefer, the second version replaces a sostenuto passage with a punchy toccata, and both versions work. The performance is effortless and convincing. This is a piece I’d like to hear more often.
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