Classical Music: Beethoven Late Piano Sonatas

Beethoven The Final Sonatas Op. 109, 110 and 111

Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109: Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-Flat Major, Op. 110; Piano Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, Op. 111.

Melvyn Tan piano
Signum SIGCD906
https://signumrecords.com/

This is a rather enjoyable debut CD from Melvyn Tan on the Signum label. Tan has established his international reputation with pioneering performances on fortepiano and continues to cast fresh light on music conceived for the piano’s early and modern forms.

He hasn't made life straightforward for himself in choosing such a challenging repertoire in these last three piano sonatas. The sound engineering quality allows the listener to perceive the sound palette Tan crafts, and his masterful pace throughout all three sonatas effectively conveys the beauty of his phrasing and the depth of the music's essence through the lyrical melodies and pristine clarity. His superb control, especially in the dynamics, is impressive.

I always enjoy the last sonata, No. 32, Op. 111, in which Beethoven creates such technical demands for the performer, which Tan takes on with virtuosic aplomb. What was going through Beethoven’s mind when he wrote this sonata, with its fistful of notes and all those double trills? The Arietta brilliantly conveys the simplicity of the opening adagio before it explodes into swing-like rhythms with all that syncopation. After all the excitement, the movement comes to a simple end. 

There is no doubt that Tan is a formidable and virtuosic pianist who manages to capture the spirit of each of these Beethoven final sonatas. His remarkable playing is brilliantly rhythmic, and his interpretations fresh, sharp, and exultant.