Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, op.31 (No. 16-18)
Andreas Haefliger (piano) (BIS)
(scroll down for English review)
以前通常一次過談一套套完整的貝多芬鋼琴奏鳴曲，這次只談一張碟的，因為第16至18首合組的作品31奏鳴曲是我頗喜歡的一套作品，當中第17首即是《暴風雨》（軌四至六）也是三首中最有名的，但其餘兩首才真正得我心，因為都比《暴風雨》來得逗趣，《暴風雨》雖然頭尾樂章都有一聽難忘的旋律，在我看來，尤其是連貝多芬其他鋼琴奏鳴曲都愈聽愈熟後，就像有旋律但欠缺後續伸延。
至於海夫里格的演奏，最好的地方是發音及節奏精準，把連奏、頓奏、半頓奏分得很清楚，由於我是看着Jonathan Del Mar的原典版看，總覺得海夫里格也是用這個版般，只是第18奏鳴曲第一樂章（軌七）他卻把最後的和弦從弱音改成強音。精準以外，我覺得海夫里格還是不夠歌唱力，即是把這些精準琴音連在一起的能力。貝多芬在第十六奏鳴曲拿歌劇開玩笑的慢板（軌二），海夫里格選的速度太安全，短促音符彈得足秤，卻帶不出貝多芬故意濫寫音符，令人打瀉籮蟹的玩笑。
Usually I prefer reviewing whole sets of Beethoven piano sonatas, but I made an exception this time because I have a weakness for the three op.31 sonatas. The Tempest (track 4-6) is the most famous of this set but I always prefer the other two, for their humour. Despite the memorable melodies in the outer movements, the Tempest Sonata seemed to lack development, as the beginnings are already drop-dead gorgeous.
This reading by Andreas Haefliger has the advantage as having very precisely notes, in their various guises of articulation and chord voicing. I have a feeling that he was using Jonathan Del Mar’s Urtext, with Del Mar’s insistence of using wedges as staccatos. But strangely Haefliger finished the first movement of No.18 (track 7) with two forte chords, instead of piano. Apart from precision, I think Haefliger was somewhat lacking in the ability to join these precisely punctured notes into singable lines. And that he completely missed the joke in the slow movement of No.16 (track 2) because he played the little notes too precisely and steadily.