I can understand how Alain Planès’ impressive dynamic range, tempo fluctuations, and penchant for surprising accents address the “Sturm und Drang” qualities that run rampant throughout the five marvelous sonatas contained on this disc. But where’s the lightness of texture, variety of articulation, timbral sparkle, and witty timing of silences with which pianists like Emanuel Ax, Sviatoslav Richter, Nadia Reisenberg, and even the relatively unknown Maria Bergmann bring to this repertoire? Under Planès’ heavy treatment, the B minor, C minor, and D major (the famous No. 50) sonatas’ expositions suffer from tiny rhetorical adjustments that do little to underscore the composer’s exquisite modulations and clever transitions. The latter’s finale plods without a trace of character, while Planès’ foursquare treatment of the underrated A-flat sonata’s first movement (notwithstanding some sensitive soft playing) is nowhere near as interesting and vibrant as, say, Sang Mi Chung’s on Centaur. Even his admirable trot through the finale yields to his lesser-known colleague’s perkier pianism, let alone Emanuel Ax’s immaculate poise. Alain Planès has made some excellent discs in the past (Debussy Preludes and Etudes, Chopin Mazurkas), but his uneventful Haydn needn’t concern serious collectors.
