A fan of Ludwig van
Beethoven Piano Sonatas
Beethoven Piano Sonatas, Opp. 79, 28 & 106 ‘Hammerklavier’
Paul Lewis Sheldonian Theatre, 28th April 2006
It is perhaps an irony that whether Paul Lewis has cultivated it or not, as he as matured, he has increasingly come to resemble Ludwig van Beethoven. From the long fl owing black hair to the fi xed, slightly disgruntled expression that he seems constantly to wear, Lewis seems to be trying to bring his audience the total Beethoven experience.
The timing of this change is fortunate for as with several other of major Pianists of the moment, most notably Andras Schiff, Lewis has recently embarked on a cycle of the Beethoven Piano Sonatas, this concert being the fi nal one of the 2006 season. This concert, however, illustrated not only some of the remarkable aspects of Lewis’s Piano playing style but also some of its problematic ones as well.
As Beethoven’s near-contemporary, Goethe, famously put in the Prologue of Faust “Man will err while yet he strives.” Although a ‘Sonate facile’ or Sonatine designed for beginners, the Sonata in G major, Op.79 that began the concert was played with elegance and aplomb by Lewis. From the sprightly opening Presto alla Tedesca, to the refi ned melancholia of the middle Andante bacharolle and the ‘witty’ closing Rondo with its echoes of the ‘Rage over a lost penny’,.
Lewis gave substance to what would appear to be quite an insubstantial piece, an achievement that shows the level of Lewis’ understanding of Beethoven. The Sonata in D major, Op. 28 which has often been given the nickname ‘Pastorale’, was, despite the moments of rusticity, a far more weighty affair.
In a brooding and melancholy piece, Lewis successfully captured much of the emotional complexity hinted at in Beethoven’s music, most notably in the almost funeral splendour of the march-like Andante. This sometimes meant that clarity was sacrifi ced, especially in the thundering chords of the end of the counterpoint section in the central episode of the fi nal Rondo.
It was in the most challenging piece not only of this concert, but perhaps in the totality of the 32 Beethoven Piano Sonatas that not only were many of Paul Lewis’ strengths, but also some of his weaknesses, thrown into sharp relief. Lewis played with a palpable emotion and drama throughout, yet in both the opening Allegro and the Second movement Scherzo were played with a fervour that often had little sense of the dynamic subtleties of the work.
At certain points the affectations of the virtuoso began to creep in with Lewis raising his hands from the key in pause, an action which creates dramatic moments but also ruins the fl ow of Beethoven’s music. At certain particularly exhilarating moments it would appear that Lewis emitted a series of grunts that sounded like he was engaged in a particularly torrid act of copulation with the Piano.
It was a shame that these affectations marred what was general an intelligent account of the Beethoven Sonatas. Lewis may have come to resemble Beethoven, but it is to be hoped that given the quality of his Beethoven Piano Sonata cycle thus far, the similarities will end with his virtuosity on the Piano and his appearance.
4th May 2006