Beethoven: The Violin Sonatas
Frank Peter Zimmermann (violin), Martin Helmchen (piano) (BIS)
(scroll down for English review)
一年前介紹過齊默曼的貝多芬小提琴奏鳴曲的第一集，現在其餘兩集都出完了，結果十首奏鳴曲可以用三張碟裝得下，不只奏齊重覆奏，還可以順序從第一到十首，有心的話可以一氣呵成聽完。我不認為齊默曼會因為「三張碟」這個原因而採用這些速度，但快速的確是本錄音一個重要因素。
我在談第一集時已說過，這個速度無形中驅使用上較短的用弓、較乾的發音。但今次把第二及三集都聽過後，加上聽了齊默曼其他近期錄音，令我驚嘆他會不會是當今最接近海飛茲的小提琴家，可以拉得這麼快，但聲音又如此紥實，雖然不會適合想聽甜美、天籟琴音的朋友，但細心想一下，這套作品的大部分時間，就是需要逼力多過甜美。在慢板，或者快板中間柔和的地方，齊默曼仍是有甜美的能力，但我覺得最重要還是切合音樂的這一刻。
壓卷的第三集，有很多人最愛的《克羅采》（軌四至十），雖然我評估一套貝多芬小提琴奏鳴曲如何，《克羅采》其實佔的比重不高，但齊默曼這個演奏的確令我如坐針氈。老掉牙的曲目能令我這樣，勝過千言萬語。赫姆森的鋼琴伴奏依舊灼熱。
Frank Peter Zimmermann completed his Beethoven violin sonata cycle and fit all ten sonatas on three CDs, not only that, he also managed to keep the chronological order and the repeats, something previously possible only on four CDs.
Not that Zimmermann was pursuing that deliberately but his very brisk tempi made that possible. And the tempi also dictated shorter bowings which also significantly affected the phrasing and the overall sound. Zimmermann wasn’t really using HIP violin playing but the sound often sounded that he was; yet I’m definitely for the result that made the Beethoven violin sonatas more abrasive in sections that cry out to be so.
With this and some other recent recordings I was wondering to myself if Zimmermann is the contemporary violinist that comes closest to Heifetz. Such quickness and precision? He could also be sweet and mellow, giving intense but concentrated vibratos like Heifetz could.
The closing volume featured the last three sonatas and I suppose most would simply jump into the Kreutzer (tracks 4-10) directly and judge Zimmermann’s cycle on that. Personally the Kreutzer wouldn’t be the yardstick for any such cycle but I must admit Zimmermann kept me in awe and I couldn’t remember the last time I felt such tension in the Kreutzer sonata.