Mari Kodama’s Op. 2 Beethoven sonatas reveal every note exactly in place (save for certain exposed unison octaves in the C major’s first movement, where her hands are not quite together), yet little of the music. Where is the urgency behind the F minor first movement’s upward-arpeggiated theme or in the finale’s explosive dynamic contrasts? Where is the biting wit and split-second timing with which similarly scaled Op. 2 No. 2 first movements gain far greater profile?
True, the sublime Largo Appassionato’s central climaxes build well, and the Scherzo’s feathery passagework is marvelously poised, but Kodama’s slightly heavy touch and increasingly foursquare phrasing manages to make a boring experience out of the Rondo Grazioso. And knowing the capabilities of Kodama’s fleet and facile fingers, she plays safe with the C major’s scintillating outer movements, while the Scherzo’s imitative components align perfectly without interacting.
For all three Op. 2 sonatas on one disc, you’ll find more fire, drama, note-to-note continuity, harmonic tension, and pronounced dynamic contrasts from Stephen Kovacevich, Maurizio Pollini, and, to a lesser extent, Murray Perahia. At least PentaTone’s excellent surround-sound engineering flatters Kodama’s highly competent if faceless artistry.
