Earlier volumes in
András Schiff's cycle of Beethoven's complete piano sonatas had their virtues: impeccable articulation, lucid textures, and balanced interpretations chief among them. But those virtues began to seem more and more like vices as the series went along. In this penultimate volume containing the first three of the six late sonatas,
Schiff sounds technically flawless but detached, texturally lucid but uninvolved, and interpretatively balanced but uncommitted. In the two-movement E minor Sonata, Op. 90, one wants dark melancholy in the opening movement and blessed consolation in the closing movement, but
Schiff's E minor sounds merely listless in the opening movement and restless in the closing movement. In the A major Sonata, Op. 101, one wants a combination of heartwarming lyricism and whimsy, but
Schiff delivers merely wan charm and dry wit. And in the enormous "Hammerklavier" Sonata, Op. 106, one wants a sense of the technically and interpretively impossible overcome through the full dedication of the pianist's heart, mind, and muscle, but while
Schiff's technique is beyond reproach, his playing is so objectively balanced that his interpretation seems to miss the piece's point.
Schiff's attempts to grow beyond his initial reputation as a Mozart and Schubert player are admirable, but Beethoven, or at least late Beethoven, does not appear to be a natural fit for his talents. ECM's digital sound is clear, yet evocative.