In Beethoven’s 250th anniversary year, Naxos continue to explore the byways of his compositions with a seldom heard arrangement he made of the Second Symphony. It was published three years after the symphony’s premiere in 1802, and was intended for performance in those parts of Europe where there was no access to a symphony orchestra. Now offered as a Piano Trio, it was a total thought-through arrangement of the original instrumentation shared between the three musicians, and in this format it is a highly desirable score with a sparkling scherzo. I am less inclined towards the arrangement of the First Piano Concerto from Vinzenz Lachner, a composer in the generation after Beethoven. He offered two versions, one where the pianist plays the original piano part, and one which adds the piano to the original orchestral tutti passages. The version played here has the piano just in its solo role. The nimble fingers of the Dutch pianist, Hanna Shybayeva, are heard to very good effect, her first movement cadenza being particularly attractive. There appears to be more than one Animato Quartet in the world, this one seemingly to reside in the Netherlands where the recording was made earlier this year. Their performances are most pleasurable, the microphone placement in the ‘concerto’ favouring the double-base of Bas Vliegenthart.

© 2020 David’s Review Corner

This is the second release from Naxos in a survey of transcriptions of the five Beethoven Piano Concertos for solo piano and string quintet (string quartet and double bass) by Vinzenz Lachner (1811–1893), youngest brother of Franz Lachner. David Reznick reviewed the first installment, comprising Concertos Nos. 3 and 4, in the May/June 2020 issue of Fanfare (43:5). Reznick praised pianist Hanna Shybayeva as “a very fine artist and (essential for this music) a magisterial one.” Reznick was less enthusiastic about the value of recording these works in transcriptions for chamber ensemble: “People have made a good living out of following great composers and arranging their music so that it would be playable at home by amateurs…. This sort of thing made more sense before the invention of the phonograph; afterward, not so much.” I have a different view. While I agree that these works shine brightest in their original orchestral guise, releases like the current Naxos issue have considerable value as well. First (and as Reznick notes), it is a reminder and historical document of a time when music lovers did not have as ready access to recordings (and even concerts) as we do in the modern (non-COVID) era. Further, these transcriptions, by reducing the performing forces to a minimum, shine a special light on the genius of a composer like Beethoven. For in these minimalist settings, Beethoven’s gift for creating thematic material rife with potential, and then putting it through the paces, becomes perhaps even more apparent. In Naxos’s second volume, we have both Lachner’s transcription of the Piano Concerto No. 1, as well as Beethoven’s own arrangement of his Symphony No. 2 for piano trio (violin and cello). A release of Concertos Nos. 2 and 5 will follow. Both of the featured transcriptions are effective in preserving the musical integrity, beauty, and impact of the works in question. Of course, the absence of woodwinds, trumpets, and drums is a loss; more so in the concerto, as the piano takes up some of the slack in the symphony. But in each arrangement, the essence of these marvelous, youthful works shines through.

Both performances are excellent. Hanna Shybayeva is an impressive pianist, an artist who plays with scintillating technique and compelling musicality. Shybayeva manages to suggest Beethoven’s legendary vigorous attacks upon the keyboard without ever crossing the line into violence or bombast. She also mines the lyricism of the work’s respective slow-tempo movements, celebrating their affecting beauty and repose, but without sacrificing momentum. The members of the Animato Quartet and contrabassist Bas Vliegenthart play with technical élan and spirit as well. I do find some stylistic dissonance between the ensemble’s lack of vibrato and spare, transparent sonority (very much in the period instrument tradition), and Shybayeva’s full embrace of the sonic potential of the concert grand. Nonetheless, the artists demonstrate a sympathy of approach in tempos and phrasing, and their precision of execution is beyond reproach. Tempos are brisk, but given the incisiveness of attack, never sound rushed. And throughout, there is a celebration of the sense of life, joy, and daring Beethoven injected into these works. The recorded sound is excellent, offering a rich, focused, and detailed acoustic, with excellent balance among the instruments. The booklet includes liner notes by Carsten Dürer and artist bios. If you are interested in these kinds of transcriptions, or even think you might be, I do believe this disc will provide much pleasure. Recommended. Ken Meltzer

This article originally appeared in Issue 44:6 (July/Aug 2021) of Fanfare Magazine.