Some of the most interesting playing David Allen Wehr has given us over the course of his Beethoven cycle occurs in this series’ fourth and final double-CD set. The pianist underlines the Hammerklavier sonata first movement’s drama by stretching the rests to the edge, shaping certain phrases with unusual rubatos while hustling other phrases ahead. This may sound like fragmented, stop/start playing, but that’s not the case at all; Wehr conveys a sense of inner urgency and forward-moving sweep that’s easier to experience than describe.
Although his overly loud dynamics in the Scherzo forgoes the music’s cryptic, slightly offhand profile, often-buried motivic and rhythmic counterpoints emerge from the Trio’s arpeggiated left-hand figurations. Wehr’s brisk tempo for the Adagio sostenuto never seems rushed or severe, due to the natural melodic rise and fall that informs his rubato. His gorgeous legato technique doesn’t hurt, either. Indeed, the high caliber of Wehr’s pointed, amazingly honest finger work led me to expect more variety of articulation in the fugal finale. Still, one must acknowledge Wehr’s rock-solid sustaining power. Wehr proves no less commanding in Op. 101’s equally demanding fugue, while his unflappable poise in the Vivace alla Marcia is matched by an infectious sense of “swing”.
His fusion of rhythmic verve and lyrical fantasy result in vividly characterized accounts of Op. 110 and Op. 109. The latter’s Prestissimo goes like the wind, yet Wehr still manages to make Beethoven’s slurred and non-legato phrases distinct (few do, aside from Charles Rosen, Annie Fischer, and Freddy Kempf). In Op. 111’s first movement, Wehr’s quicker-than-usual Maestoso introduction telegraphs his vehement, headlong approach to the Allegro up ahead. The bleak demeanor and laser-like pianistic finish evokes memories of Pollini’s late-’70s DG recording, and that’s high praise from these quarters! However, Wehr’s relatively fast pace for the Arietta compels him to modify his tempos as the variations’ note values increase, compromising the music’s cumulative arc. As a result, the fast, jazzy dotted rhythms often are smoothed out and shorn of their jagged, syncopated bite.
Since Schubert’s posthumous B-flat Sonata fills out this release more than generously in terms of playing time, it would be churlish to complain that Wehr eschews the long first-movement exposition repeat. The pianist’s full yet unforced singing tone and long-lined serenity gently draw you in and hold your attention both here and in the Andante sostenuto. Surprisingly, Wehr shifts gears for the last two movements. He teases and roughs up the Scherzo’s “delicatezza” contours and piles through the Finale fast enough to trivialize its harmonic felicities and offbeat left-hand accents. Some listeners may find the Yamaha CF111S grand’s high register overly bright, yet it’s obviously a well-regulated instrument. The ample, realistic sonics are noticeably more reverberant in Op. 101 and 109 than in the other selections.
