It’s an inspired idea to program Beethoven’s two piano sonatas that he dubbed “almost fantasies” along with Schumann’s large-scale, three-movement C major Fantasy, a work that feels and acts more like a sonata than a fantasy! Then play Schumann’s finger-twisting Toccata as an encore. Looks great on paper, and Hänssler’s budget price can’t be beat. Sadly, I can’t endorse this release. The sound of the piano is frankly unlovely: harsh, strident, steel-edged, and downright ugly at loud moments. This works against Eugene Mursky’s lean, stylish account of Beethoven’s Op. 27 No. 1 sonata yet almost exaggerates his lack of dramatic sweep and crude accentuation in the “Moonlight” sonata’s finale.
The Schumann Fantasy’s knotty demands pose no problem for Mursky’s solid technique, but his foursquare, overly literal approach glosses over the composer’s passionate disquiet and volatile mood swings. If you’ve ever desired to hear Schumann’s Toccata beaten to a note-perfect bloody pulp, Mursky’s relentlessly fast, loud, and uninflected account oozes insensitivity. Have your Richter and Horowitz Schumann Toccata antidotes at the ready. . .
