Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 23, 28, 30 & 31
From the mysterious, hushed opening notes of theAppassionatasonata to the conclusion of the grand fugue of Beethoven's penultimate A flat Sonata, 79 minutes later, this CD encompasses playing of matchless purity and stylistic insights. Solomon's legendary status is summed up in this final CD of Testament's five-disc series of Solomon's unfinished Beethoven sonata cycle. In addition to the authoritative command he exhibits throughout, one is struck by the way Solomon captures a multitude of tonal and emotional shadings in each of the works. There's repose in his graceful rendition of lyric passages and emotional struggle (though never technical struggle) in the heaven-storming ones. Slow movements, even the famous central movement of theAppassionata, are never static. They always flow gently, leaving an effect of profundity that more distended approaches miss. Another trait of Solomon's playing is his precise articulation in even the fastest sections, where others often lose detail in a wild blur of notes. This disc, like its four companions in this series, is essential.--Dan Davis