Beethoven CD Reviews

Ludwig van Beethoven
The Thirty-two Sonatas
performed by
Robert Silverman
an OrpheumMasters 10-CD Box Set (KSP 830)

Seattle

The performances, spacious and thoughtful, represent the work of an artist who has thought out every phrase, who takes no obvious routes, and who is capable of not only the robust technical requirements but also realizing the music beneath the notes...The liner notes also contain remarkable essays by Silverman on Beethoven's sonatas in general and in particular -- information that illuminates these great sonatas in a completely new way.

...Seattle Times

London (U.K.)

It's always nice to have one's own convictions confirmed by an independent mind and spirit. Time and again in listening to this generally very distinguished set I found myself saying 'Yes, yes. Absolutely!' ... Silverman's batting average here is impressively high. Among other virtues is his readiness to treat each sonata as a self-contained entity, with its own unique character, pianistic profile and spiritual-cum-dramatic frame of reference. He takes a predominantly individual rather than a generic approach. Thus we are not presented here with 'Silverman's Beethoven', but with Silverman's this Beethoven and Silverman's that Beethoven. Silverman's superbly dramatic and integrated account of the Appassionata ranks among the finest I've heard. There are also repeated shafts of wit and humour throughout the set - even in such outwardly improbable places as the Hammerklavier (the semi-tonal clash of B and B flat in the Scherzo, for instance, is masterfully judged) and the fugue of Op 101. Whatever differences may arise in the mind of the listener, however, there is never the slightest doubt of Silverman's total commitment to every phrase he plays.

...Jeremy Siepmann, writing in Piano

New York

This is a recording that will stand the test of time. It's a window onto the mind of Beethoven, a performance that rivals any currently available and, to my way of thinking, stands head and shoulders above most. If you love Beethoven's piano music, you'll have to have this superb set.

That's the inner compulsion in this set -- to know the mind of this music's creator. Silverman captures it all, from the ethereal beauty of the Moonlight to the intensity of the Hammerklavier. And along the way, I found myself saying, over and over, yes, this must be what he meant. It gave me goosebumps -- it was like being given a glimpse over the Creator's shoulder as he shaped the firmament.

I already have the complete sonatas by Arrau, Brendel, Backhaus, Kempff, Nat and Schnabel -- and all offer wonderful performances, to be sure -- but I suspect that this Silverman set will be my first choice when I wish to hear this music from now on."

Wes Phillips, writing in Onhifi.com

Winnipeg

Silvermans Winnipeg concerts were distinguished, illuminating affairs, the elusive balance of careful consideration and spontaneity. A hallmark of his playing and as obligatory an ingredient to these great works as flour is to bread. Silverman's recorded accounts show the same care, insight, complete pianism and sense of each movement revealed as if a world unto itself. Narratives are set clearly and simply without the strain of forced rhetoric or pianistic effect for its own sake, Central, non-wayward Beethoven this is & the kind you want around to come back to for the renewal the Beethoven Sonatas so regularly invite. The constant here is architecture and geography. The whole is felt while in the part, inevitability rules, and taste directs.

...Winnipeg Free Press

Ottawa

Robert Silverman, one of the finest Canadian pianists of the last quarter century, has just released a 10-CD set of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas (Orpheum Masters KSP 830). This is important for several reasons. For starters, Canada's classical recording industry has generally been a minor presence on the international scene, and projects of this magnitude have been rare.

Silverman plays all of the sonatas without trying to dazzle the listener with radical reinvention. Yet his interpretations are individual and well considered. In the Moonlight, for example, one is struck, not so much by an evocation of a placid lake under the moon, as by Beethoven's deeper powers of harmonic subtlety. Although there is a robust romantic sensibility to his playing, Silverman avoids the kind of Lisztian or even Debussyan wispiness that many pianists overlay upon parts of the Tempest and other sonatas. It's not that Silverman lacks whimsy where that's appropriate, it's just that he often finds musical values that befit the music better.

Silverman's Appassionata is a fine example of his way of playing a work in a mainstream way, yet creating an uncommonly powerful statement with it. From the mysterious opening measures through the explosive allegro that follows to the fiery finale, this is an entirely gripping interpretation. Curiously, Silverman takes the finale at a measured pace and somehow generates more excitement than most faster versions. The theme-and-variations slow movement is especially satisfying with its sense of shape and convincingly melodic bass line. One of the advantages of having the complete sonatas is that you eventually listen to all 32 of them and make some fine discoveries along the way. In this set you are likely to take special pleasure in the Sonata in F, op. 54, particularly the Menuetto, which is full of spunk and character. The Sonata in E minor, op. 90 is notable for its solidly illuminating rendition of complex emotions and for its unassuming projection of the music's quiet nobility.

No set of the 32 could be recommended without considering the late sonatas, particularly the Hammerklavier and the Sonata in C minor, Opus 111. Happily, Silverman is at his best in them. The Hammerklavier, at almost an hour's length and including some of Beethoven's greatest music, is the most imposing of the sonatas. Silverman projects its shape, form and emotional content in a way that holds the listener in its thrall. The Opus 111 is similarly successful. Silverman doesn't overplay the valedictory feelings of the work, but neither does he deny him.

...Ottawa Citizen

Toronto

Silverman's exclusive approach to each work in and of itself is organic and truthful--he has checked his ego at the door and savoured an intimate tete-a-tete with the composer, one the listener feels privilegd to share.

Silverman's barcarolle-style slow movement of Op. 79 is a must-hear. The epic proportions of the "Hammerklavier," Beethoven's longest sonata, are profoundly captured, thickly orchestrated with Silverman's industrial-strength power. The fugue of Opus 101 breaks forth in a perfectly-timed uproar.

...Opus

Toronto

Silverman plays phrases with clean lines, accompanied by a balanced and very detailed left hand (his Waldstein is a terrific example of this). Many of the melodies ache with beauty and his touch delights the ear in just about every movement. Whether thundering or gentle, many phrases suggest the authority of a master pianist. All sonatas, from the immature but charming Opus 2, No.1 to the drama, pathos and sublimity of the final sonatas, are played with equal weight and reverence. The slow movements from the Pathetique and Moonlight were so very musical, with a ringing tone and heartfelt phrasing. The great final sonatas receive wonderful performances, with Op. 109 particularly satisfying. Silverman captures the rhapsodic nature within the confines of Beethoven's strict form. The opening movements are, at times, delicate or restless, highlighting a very clear technique that is always in service of his interpretation; no cheap thrills, here. The theme from the last variation movement is heartfelt and beautifully balanced. Silverman's singing tone is lovely and conveys Beethoven's depth of meaning.

And so it goes - a singular vision portayed in the most musical terms. The playing is certainly on the level of Goode, Charles Rosen and Stephen Kovacevich; all are members of my favourite Beethoven performer's list. To that list, I will be adding Robert Silverman. If you are in the market for a complete set in the finest sound available, look no further.

... www.audiophilia.com

Edmonton

Canadian pianist Robert Silverman has joined the ranks of some pretty top-drawer countrymen who have scaled the heights of Beethoven's 32 sonatas. His 10-disc set, on the Orpheurn Masters label, is in many respects a remarkable accomplishment. Recorded over a period of some months (following tours of the cycle), Silverman's performances are thought-provoking and skillfully done. Silverman's articulation is fine, and he illuminates inner details with skill and purpose.

And if Silverman's performance of works such as the famous "Moonlight" Sonata delight in bringing such a nugget new, expressive life, a real joy in the series is the earlier sonatas. So a set such as this is a wonderful opportunity to rediscover early gems like the F Major Sonata No. 6. A cheeky and cheerfully subversive piece that cleverly pokes fun at the very sonata conventions Beethoven proved such a master of, this romp is a side of Beethoven one doesn't hear in the vast structures of the Hammerklavier.

As a first choice for the complete Beethoven sonata series, this is not a bad one at all.

...Edmonton Journal

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