In his debut solo album, pianist
Soheil Nasseri takes listeners on a tour of three sonatas that he classifies as works that pushed the technical and sonic limits of the instrument at the time of their composition. The CD opens with
Beethoven's Op. 7 Sonata in E flat major. This sonata is a curious choice, for while it clocks in at over 28 minutes -- an impressively long work considering its early composition -- it poses far fewer challenges than many of the later sonatas. The album continues with the Second Sonata of
Rachmaninoff.
Nasseri again chooses duration as a foundation for the album and performs the original 1913 version of the sonata, which is considerably longer than the more frequently performed revised version that
Rachmaninoff published in 1931. The album closes with the world-premiere recording of Sonata No. 0 by
Kaikhosru Sorabji, whose most peculiar trait seems to be the incredible length of his compositions, some of which last many hours. Sonata No. 0's single movement, however, lasts only about 25 minutes. Throughout these three performances,
Nasseri delivers on his mission to demonstrate the technical grandeur and colossal size of each of the sonatas. Where his playing is severely lacking, though, is in providing listeners with any significant amounts of excitement, passion, or musical fulfillment. Especially when choosing pieces of exceptional length, listeners would hope the performer would do something to maintain their interest for the duration of the piece besides just play the notes in a technically proficient manner.
Nasseri does none of this, and even the comparatively shorter movements of the
Beethoven sonata quickly become bland and uninteresting. By the time the
Sorabji sonata is reached on the last track, any interest and motivation to go on listening has long since faded.