A complete set of
Haydn
's piano sonatas, complete with other almost entirely obscure short piano pieces, may have seemed an odd and unwieldy career move for pianist
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet
, but he has more than amply justified his choice. His detailed readings of sonatas from all parts of
's life (all played on the piano) have given the lie to a general perception that just a few of them are worthwhile. Listeners sampling the set could do worse than jump in at the end here.
Bavouzet
has saved both
's first and last sonatas for this album, which is short on representatives of his middle period, but the release has all of the virtues of the set in general.
is careful and precise without losing the humor that is almost always present in
's music. He finds originality in the early pieces. Actually, the piece denoted the
Piano Sonata No. 14
here is likely to have been the first one, not the
Piano Sonata No. 1
, but all of
's performances of the early works catch
's very early appreciation of the possibilities of register. Those possibilities come into full flower with the
Theme and Variations in C major, Hob. 17/5
, of 1790, a profound and almost unknown work. There is no question that the last two
sonatas would have been works that the young
Beethoven
knew well and that influenced him mightily, but
avoids leaning into their proto-Romantic qualities; his interpretations, here as elsewhere in the set, are of a piece despite the great stylistic changes they cover.
Chandos
' sound from Potton Hall continues to be ideal, and one cannot help feeling a little sadness that
's 11-year journey through
is over. ~ James Manheim