Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Jenö Jandó :: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 9

"Hammerklavier" Sonata, superbly played.

Mike Powers | Woolwich, ME USA | 05/21/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Until recently, Hungarian classical pianist Jeno Jando was not very well known outside his own country, although he's recorded for the Naxos label for several years. One of his most notable achievements for Naxos is the complete piano sonatas of Ludwig van Beethoven. This CD (volume 9 of the complete Beethoven sonatas) contains one of Beethoven's last and most famous sonatas - the "Hammerklavier" (no. 29, Op. 106) - as well as an earlier, less well known sonata (no. 11, Op. 22.) The "Hammerklavier," which Beethoven composed to be so difficult as to challenge the best pianists of his day, is played with all the skill, fire, passion and dynamism originally intended by its composer. My favorite movements are the third, (adagio sostenuto,) with its slow, passionate, peaceful and songlike feel, and the fifth (allegro risoluto,) which contains Beethoven's innovative and massive fugue for solo pianist. It is a wonderfully exciting performance throughout, as is Jando's rendition of the piano sonata no. 11. Highly recommended."

Jando is Superb

Southern Man | Raleigh, NC | 02/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
I'm amazed that Jeno Jando hasn't been signed to one of the major labels. His luminescent recordings of the Beethoven Sonatas are superb, often better than the major label recordings with big names. And the Naxos recordings are much cheaper.



I find Jando to be an ideal Beethoven interpreter. No matter how demanding the material, there is no attempt at flamboyancy. Difficult to play shouldn't mean difficult to listen to and he handles the "Hammerklavier" expertly. The B flat major Sonata (No. 11) is also lovingly played. In Jando's hands, there are no minor Beethoven Sonatas. Gorgeous stuff."

Incredibly difficult

Leslie Richford | Selsingen, Lower Saxony | 02/08/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Two very different sonatas by Beethoven are the programme for the ninth volume in Jenö Jandó?s Complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas series for Naxos. Sonata No. 11, written around 1800, develops from a gorgeous little ?twiddle? of a theme that somebody has supplied with the words, ?Can I really do this??, the answer being a resounding ?Yes!?. The sonata is, as a whole, still in the classical mode, and each of its four movements has moments of particular beauty. Sonata No. 29, the so-called ?Hammerklavier-Sonate?, was written about 18 years later when Beethoven, more or less stone deaf, was experimenting with completely new forms and ideas. The five movements of this sonata were deliberately designed to challenge the greatest virtuosos of the day, and the climax is the three-part fugue of the last movement, which is not only incredibly difficult to play, but has harmonic and rhythmic difficulties all its own. No wonder that Jenö Jandó needed all of 14 days to make this recording! ? The result is a positive one. Jandó plays competently and convincingly, he is never idiosyncratic or flamboyant, always true to the ideals of the composer whose work he is currently playing. Although a survey in a German-language music magazine came to the conclusion that Alfredo Perl?s recording of the same repertoire for the label Arte Nova was to be preferred, I personally have never seen the need to buy any other recording after having listened to Jenö Jandó, who continues to be one of those Naxos artists whose releases bring pleasure over and over again."