Search - Timothy Ehlen :: Ludwig van Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1

A hearty and heartfelt bravo!

Larry Berliner | Los Angeles | 08/16/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A hearty and heartfelt bravo! to pianist Timothy Ehlen for his release of this CD of three piano sonatas of Beethoven, one CD which manages to accomplish so much. Admit this solo CD as first consideration for all of us who struggle with our modern ears, ears that can't help but yearn for romanticism, even expressionism, in all we experience. That age-old classical era, that those "scholars" tell us likely sounded so differently than we ashamedly still adore in our favorite recordings, is revealed by this CD as swimming, simply teaming with something of a spirit of Beethoven.



Indeed, in the first sonata, Timothy Ehlen makes music that is believable as that as was in the mind of the young Beethoven: completely classical, with only a touch of something more. That something more is palpably and resplendently set into devilish motion in the 4th movement of the 1st sonata, which Ehlen plays a technical prowess that thrills. Even Buchbinder and Schnabel are unable to make Beethoven's simple structure as clear, whilst with pedal-free clarity and technical brilliance dazzle the listener with purely classical bravado. Surely, this is a "recreation" of the Beethoven, as pianist, that esteemed his generation as the virtuoso pianist first, composer only later.



In the Moonlight, Ehlen makes us listen again. For Ehlen, Opus. 27 (1801) means 100% classical, 0% romantic; and for all but perhaps the final 3rd movement (more on that later), Ehlen is persuasive. It takes a little personal work to listen to the moonlight sonata and allow yourself to hear it anew; Ehlen makes this easier, and rewards you. Ehlen's 1st and 2nd movements would be wise choices for anyone's introduction to the great piece; I can imagine that anyone hearing Ehlen first might never prefer another pianist for the rest of their life.



As for that 3rd movement, it's hard not to succumb to the temptation that this among the first moments when Beethoven became the composer of the 5th and 6th Symphony. Here, we are just craving that sort of power, drive, and fervor. But Ehlen knows better; he doesn't give in. His technique is splendid, all is crystal clear, and still, it's obvious he's holding back; those "scholars" again. This time, we're disappointed the scholars got into his head. All the same, he's probably right; rock and roll didn't start off with the reckless abandon that became Heavy Medal. And that 3rd movement probably wasn't, for Beethoven, the Sturm und Drang romantafest that makes our 3rd millennium souls boom.



In the Hammerklavier, the ease with which Timothy Ehlen can play the piece, combined with the obvious amount of years he has played it, creates something of a model in music listening: the suggestion (and in this case, a positive notion) that Ehlen has dedicated himself to playing the piece daily for years, allowing the work to ebb and flow along with the changing attitudes of his modern life; we feel lucky, as if we're discretely listening in as he's playing it for himself on the random day that this recording just happened to take place, on perhaps performance 7,428. I'm reminded of a wish a friend of mine once made, that all humans were born with flawless piano techniques: then, he said, we could all get down to some real music-making.



In all, this CD was somewhat of a eye-opener for me, as it restored in me a desire to keep listening to new CDs, a renewed understanding that the great works truly deserve to be recorded ad infinitum. And they do. We should, now more than ever, respect the artists who dare to work it up, record it, and put it out there, especially in any of the dearly beloved set of works. Most recordings, of course, won't achieve quite as much as Timothy Ehlen's Beethoven's Sonatas Vol.1, but when recordings do, it is really a pleasure to hear man's continued care and refinement in these pieces that deserve our constant attention."