For the most part, this Beethoven sonata release upholds Mari Kodama’s profoundly undistinguished reputation in this repertoire, at least on the basis of the discs I’ve previously reviewed. Her careful tempos and square, symmetrical phrasing suck most of the character and inventive phraseology out of the Op. 79 sonata, while her lifeless plodding through Op. 78’s zestful finale pays no heed to the music’s rapid, wacky shifts between major and minor. While you cannot fault the small-scaled lyricism and grace Kodama brings to the first two movements of each Op. 14 sonata, where’s the forward impetus, sly accentuation, and comic timing one needs to make this music take wing? Not here, that’s for sure. However, Kodama’s genial Op. 49 performances fall graciously and easily on the ear. The sound is excellent in both multi-channel and conventional stereo playback modes.
