Yury Martynov’s period-instrument Beethoven/Liszt symphony survey nears completion with the Fourth and Fifth, and if you’ve been following the cycle from the start you’ll know what to expect. Martynov’s italicizations of phrase and tempo manipulations in the Fifth Symphony’s first-movement exposition are extreme to the point of high caricature, even to the point of slowing down the “fate knocking at the door” motto theme when it repeats. Similar showboating persists in the third and fourth movements, but less so. In fact, the Finale has tremendous drive and cumulative force, with bristling textural clarity that’s partly due to the 1867 Blüthner instrument’s distinct registral characteristics and responsive keyboard action.
This also holds true for the Fourth’s Finale, where Martynov’s breakneck tempo and bat-out-of-hell double notes give new meaning to the cliché “shock and awe”. The pianist generally unleashes his patented roller-coaster expressive devices with greater discretion throughout this symphony’s four movements, yet with no less vibrancy and surface excitement. Martynov particularly shines in the Adagio, where his sensitively nuanced pianism conjures up enough timbral diversity and tone color to make you momentarily forget the original orchestrations. For some reason the Fourth Symphony seems to bring out the best in all of the pianists who’ve recorded the Beethoven/Liszt cycle, and that certainly applies to Martynov. Excellent sound and annotations. On to the Ninth….
