Given the presence of a fortepiano based on mid-19th-century Graf and Bösendorfer models, one might expect these Schumann sonata performances to feature light textures and airborne tempos. In reality, the young musicians in question, violinist Nicholas DiEugenio and fortepianist Chi-Chen Wu, represent an “old school” geniality characterized by liberal tempo and phrase inflections, melodic underlinings, and expressive slides.
You hear this from the outset of the A minor Op. 105 sonata’s first movement, as well as in the Allegretto’s seemingly disruptive accents and bends in the line. The Lebhaft finale’s toccata-like patterns jog along at a comfortable and rather complacent pace, leaving an uneventful impression next to the altogether faster, suppler, and more refined interplay in our reference recordings.
If the D minor Op. 212 slow introduction is a bit shapeless, I’m nevertheless struck by the resonant residue of the fortepiano’s short loud chords. The Mendelssohnian second movement boasts appropriate rhythmic scamper yet insufficient dynamic contrasts, although the rugged, emphatic Finale’s symphonic breadth and cumulative power convinces in an entirely different manner than the far quicker and texturally agile Faust/Avenhaus rendition. By contrast, Faust and Avenhaus prettify the posthumously published D minor sonata’s Intermezzo, whereas DiEugenio and Wu go for the proverbial jugular. The annotator claims this release to be “an important chapter” in the history of Schumann’s sonatas. I wouldn’t go that far, but there’s much to enjoy, all the same.
