Beethoven - Piano Sonatas
Opp.13, 27/2, 31/2 & 57
Artur Pizarro
Linn CKD 209

Release date March 2003

After a period of inactivity in the recording studio (due to the collapse of Collins Classics), Artur Pizarro has produced a distinguished record of popular Beethoven sonatas. This is the first release in a series for Linn Records; future CDs will include music by Schumann and Rachmaninov. The first thing that strikes one about his new Beethoven album is the sound of his chosen instrument, a Blüthner, whose slim, slightly citric treble and light bass seem ideal for Beethoven. Linn’s engineering – the recording was made in Potton Hall in Suffolk - is stunningly realistic. The rapid decay of Pizarro’s instrument allows for greater clarity than one often finds in such passages as bars 243-271 in the Tempest’s finale; earlier in this piece he catches the vocal quality of the writing. Pizarro drives the finales of all four sonatas hard – the final movement of the Tempest is taken rather faster than the Allegretto marking might suggest – but not implausibly so. During the course of a generally impressive performance of the Appassionata sonata, his big technique allows him to accelerate to a demonic Presto from a fast basic tempo in the finale. This fine album earns its place in a crowded market; I’d very much like to hear more Beethoven from Pizarro.

Reviewed by Sandy Matheson