By the time Rudolf Serkin came to record for DG, advancing age and declining health had begun to take their toll on the pianist’s redoubtable artistry. Serkin sanctioned the live 1987 last three Beethoven Sonatas as a video release but reportedly was unhappy when DG planned to issue a separate audio-only CD. You can hear why. For example, there are numerous inaccuracies and blurred passages that easily could have been fixed in a studio recording. More significantly, Serkin labors over sequences that never bothered his younger, more technically secure self–the knotty counterpoint in Op. 109’s variation movement, and Op. 110’s tricky central movement and exultant fugue.
Necessity rather than choice seems to govern Op. 111’s measured tempos. The old Serkin authority and austere power makes itself felt at times, but the truth is that he recorded these works far more effectively in the 1960s and ’70s. Actually, his finest Op. 109 can be found on a 1952 Columbia LP (coupled with the “Waldstein”). It’s never been reissued. Neither has Serkin’s mono Mozart K. 451 concerto, which boasts more grace, wit, and suppleness than the 85-year-old pianist was able to muster for his relatively enervated 1988 remake here. By contrast, Serkin was on formidable form for his Brahms Sonata collaborations with cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. His easy command of the E minor sonata’s fugal finale alone (especially in the thick concluding pages) shows that the aged pianist could still rise to the occasion. In all, an uneven centenary tribute to a singular, influential musician.
