If you have always found pianist
Alfred Brendel technically irreproachable but interpretively irredeemable, you owe it to yourself to check out this disc of
Beethoven sonatas recorded in the early '90s. His technique remains irreproachable -- listen to his staggeringly virtuosic performances of the closing movements of the "Moonlight" and the "Appassionata" for proof -- but what makes these performances truly great are his interpretations. While
Brendel's two previous recordings of
Beethoven's sonatas had all the emotional dedication of a man waiting for a bus, these performances sing like Orpheus in the underworld. Through expert use of the sustain pedal,
Brendel makes the melodies of the "Moonlight"'s opening movement soar gently above undulating arpeggios. Through judicious use of legato, he makes the chordal melodies of the "Pathétique"'s central movement float gracefully across supple bar lines. Through expert voicing, he makes the sonorities in the "Appassionata"'s central movement sound like a prayer sung by a choir. And through who knows what miraculous combination of rhythm and tempo, he makes the closing movement of the "Les Adieux" erupt in joy. Although partisans of
Rubinstein or
Horowitz's performances may still prefer their favorites,
Brendel's performances re as deep and heartfelt as theirs -- and far more technically polished. Philips' digital piano sound is as clear as air and as real as wind.