Ludwig van Beethoven
Sonata for Piano and Violin No.6 in A major, op.30/1
Media Review / Comparison
2011-12-26 — Original posting (on Blogger)
2013-07-15 — New standard layout applied
2014-10-31 — Re-posting as is (WordPress)
2016-06-23 — Brushed up for better readability
Table of Contents
Introduction
This is another note on the recordings of Beethoven’s sonatas for piano & violin in my music collection, about the sonata in A major, op.30/1 — references to the CDs are given at the bottom of the respective section, or in one of the related postings, or see the summary on the postings covering Beethoven’s Sonatas for Piano & Violin.
Below you find my comments on the recordings that I have for the Sonata for Piano and Violin No.6 in A major op.30/1 by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827). Here’s a short list of the recordings in this comparison, in alphabetic order:
- Renaud Capuçon & Frank Braley (2009)
- Isabelle Faust & Alexander Melnikov (2008)
- Arthur Grumiaux & Clara Haskil (1956)
- Gidon Kremer & Martha Argerich (1994)
- Yehudi Menuhin & Wilhelm Kempff (1970)
- David Oistrakh & Lev Oborin (1962)
- Itzhak Perlman & Vladimir Ashkenazy (1975)
The Movements
The movements in this sonata are
- Allegro (3/4)
- Adagio molto espressivo (2/4)
- Allegretto con Variazioni: Thema, Var. I – IV (alla breve, 2/2) — Var. V (minore, alla breve, 2/2) —
Var. VI: Allegro, ma non tanto (maggiore, 6/8)
The (measured) metronome numbers are approximate values only.
Comments on the Interpretations
Yehudi Menuhin, Wilhelm Kempff (1970)
Beethoven, The Complete Violin Sonatas, Vol.II: Sonatas opp.30, 47, 96
Yehudi Menuhin, Wilhelm Kempff
DG 459 436-2 (stereo, 2 CD); ℗ 1970
Yehudi Menuhin and Wilhelm Kempff (1970) — This is the second part of their recording of all works for piano and violin by Beethoven, done in 1970, as part of the Beethoven Edition by DG, in celebration of Beethoven’s 200th birthday. For general comments see op.12/1.
Comments on the Performance
- 7’49”; 1/4 = 130
Not much expression; technically just about OK - 8’54”; 1/8 = 50
Played in 4/8 rather than 2/4 — and even though it’s played in 1/8, it’s still extremely slow, the melody totally overstretched and static; the expression should be on the melody, not in the accompaniment! - 9’04”; 1/2 = 76 (Theme)
Too slow, feels like an Andante. The best part is variation 1.
| Recommendation: | No. |
| Rating: | 2.0 (2 / 2 / 2) |
David Oistrakh, Lev Oborin (1962)
Beethoven: The Sonatas for Piano and Violin (opp. 12, 23, 24, 30, 47, 96)
Philips 468 406-2 (stereo, 4 CD); ℗ 2001
David Oistrakh and Lev Oborin (1962) — for general comments see op.12/1
Comments on the Performance
- 6’12” (exposition not repeated); 1/4 = 120
Feels like an Andante — too slow, static. - 7’40”; 1/8 = 64
Played in 2/4, but still very slow (the slow tempo is emphasized by the quarter beat); the piano is not very poetic. - 8’14”; 1/2 = 78 (Theme)
Too slow, just like Menuhin (though technically better in the violin): mostly feels like an Andante, and where one hears allegretto, it’s because they play 4/4 rather than alla breve. Variation 6 is maybe allegretto, but not allegro.
| Recommendation: | No. |
| Rating: | 2.7 (3 / 3 / 2) |
Arthur Grumiaux, Clara Haskil (1957)
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas, Complete (opp. 12, 23, 24, 30, 47, 96)
Brilliant Classics 93329 (mono, 3 CD); licensed from Decca
Arthur Grumiaux and Clara Haskil (1957) — for general comments see op.12/1
Comments on the Performance
- 5’29” (exposition not repeated); 1/4 = 138
Expression? Rushed details / figurations. - 7’01”; 1/8 = 66
This is now played as 2/4 (unlike Menuhin and Perlman), we are getting closer to a melody — but why on earth does the violin sometimes sound like a chainsaw (sorry about that, could not resist!). Sure, I could turn down the volume — but then it becomes a sonata for violin solo! The “old recording” can’t serve as excuse — Busch and Serkin have proven otherwise in their much older recording (see op.12/3 and op.24)! - 7’41”; 1/2 = 88 (Theme)
Finally a movement where Clara Haskil can show her qualities — well done! Especially good are variations 1 and 3.
| Recommendation: | Not really, except for the last movement, which is OK. |
| Rating: | 3 (3 / 2 / 4) |
Itzhak Perlman, Vladimir Ashkenazy (1975)
Beethoven: The Violin Sonatas, Complete (opp. 12, 23, 24, 30, 47, 96)
Itzhak Perlman, Vladimir Ashkenazy
Decca 421 453-2 (stereo, 4 CD); ℗ 1974 / © 1988
Itzhak Perlman and Vladimir Ashkenazy (1975) — for general comments see op.12/1
Comments on the Performance
- 7’55”; 1/4 = 126
The tempo is better than with Oistrakh — a slow Allegro, maybe, expressive, close to sumptuous, but also calm, serene sections. - 8’22”; 1/8 = 54
Played as 4/8, not 2/4 and very slow, almost as slow as Menuhin — though the piano has more expression. Still, the melody is totally overstretched and hardly recognizable as such. - 8’07”; 1/2 = 82 (Theme)
Emotionally relatively flat; the tempo is better (than with Menuhin and Oistrakh), but the performance is often fairly mechanical.
| Recommendation: | Just OK |
| Rating: | 3.3 (4 / 3 / 3) |
Renaud Capuçon, Frank Braley (2009)
Beethoven: Complete Sonatas for Violin & Piano (opp. 12, 23, 24, 30, 47, 96)
Virgin Classics LV 7873 (stereo, 3 CD); ℗ / © 2010
Renaud Capuçon and Frank Braley (2009) — for general comments see op.12/1
Comments on the Performance
- 7’47”; 1/4 = 130
Less sumptuous than Perlman, nicely elaborated; in the violin maybe technically not always 100% controlled. - 6’28”; 1/8 = 72
Good tempo, very expressive and melodic, but the vibrato is a bit too strong, especially on long notes. - 7’48”; 1/2 = 86 (Theme)
A good interpretation, with minor deficiencies, e.g.;: in the last variation, some of the 3/8 groups in the pianist’s left hand are oddly irregular.
| Recommendation: | OK |
| Rating: | 3.9 (4 / 4 / 3.6) |
Gidon Kremer, Martha Argerich (1994)
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 6 – 8 (op. 30)
DG 445 652-2 (stereo); ℗ / © 1994
Gidon Kremer and Martha Argerich (1994) — the third CD in their complete recording of the Beethoven violin sonatas was done in 1994, seven years after the preceding volume, now at the age of 47 and 53, respectively. For general information on the first CD see op.12/1, and for general remarks on the second CD see op.23.
Comments on the Performance
- 7’49”; 1/4 = 132
Expressive, nice agogics also within phrases, multi-layered, nicely elaborated; the range of expressions is much wider than with any of the interpretations above! - 6’43”; 1/8 = 68
Expressive, dynamic, but somewhat overcharged / overloaded with emotion (see below!). - 7’40”; 1/2 = 88 (Theme)
A lively, vivid interpretation, showing off Martha Argerich’s constant presence / alertness. Interesting: Kremer’s ultra-short arpeggi in variation 4 — almost as short as pizzicati!
| Recommendation: | Yes |
| Rating: | 4.7 (5 / 4 / 5) |
Isabelle Faust, Alexander Melnikov (2008)
Beethoven: Complete Sonatas for Piano & Violin (opp. 12, 23, 24, 30, 47, 96)
Isabelle Faust, Alexander Melnikov
Harmonia mundi HMC 902025.27 (stereo, 3 CD + 1 CD/DVD); ℗ 2009
Isabelle Faust and Alexander Melnikov (2008) — for general comments see op.12/1
Comments on the Performance
- 6’57”; 1/4 = 156
An Allegro, at last, not a serene Allegretto: substantially faster than the others, yet under control, very lively agogics, perfectly coordinated — amazing how Isabelle Faust can take back the volume, down to a mere whispering — and still she remains perfectly audible, the tone of course very clear, and without vibrato in such moments; another piece where one constantly discovers new aspects and details! - 6’47”; 1/8 = 72
Less is more — welcome to a different world! There is no need to load this movement with rubato and vibrato — the espressivo comes from the melody, and the apparently “simple” recipe for this movement is to let the melody sing: it’s such a beautiful song — beautiful, yet simple (almost a folk song), and it has all the emotion and expression in it: longing, loneliness, love, beauty; trying to emphasize this with vibrato etc. kills the melody and the expression! (Reminds me of the story where Joseph Joachim once criticized a violinist for his vibrato, stating that this is merely a substitute for emotions!). The minimal amount of vibrato and the simplicity in Isabelle Faust’s playing beat all other interpretations — and she is joined by Alexander Melnikov: he can make the piano sing — a perfect match for the violin in this movement! - 7’55”; 1/2 = 88 (Theme)
Hard to beat: a “monolithic” interpretation throughout all variations, extremely well tuned / coordinated, with lively agogics, transparent. Interesting in variation 4: here, the first arpeggi are very light, “airy”, subsequent sets of arpeggi are of growing strength and intensity, up to the f / ff towards the end of that section.
| Recommendation: | YES! |
| Rating: | 5.0 (5 / 5 / 5) |
Addendum
If you are not an active pianist or violinist, you might want to follow this music using a pocket score — these typically come in two volumes:
- Sonatas op.12/1 – 3, op.23, op.24 —Find pocket score (Kalmus) on amazon.com (#ad) —
- Sonatas op.30/1 – 3, op.47, op.96 —Find pocket score (Kalmus) on amazon.com (#ad) —
While musicians, of course, prefer a full size score edition, such as Henle’s, also in two volumes:
- Sonatas op.12/1 – 3, op.23, op.24 —Find full score (Henle) on amazon.com (#ad) —
- Sonatas op.30/1 – 3, op.47, op.96 —Find full score (Henle) on amazon.com (#ad) —
