I don’t mind a touch of perversity in this music, and “touch” is basically how Lazic achieves his perversity: his technique is amazing, and quite beautiful. The first movement of the “Moonlight” sonata is exquisite: by keeping the melody at the same dynamic as the accompaniment Lazic creates an extraordinary level of poetic intensity. The lilting second movement is relatively normal, the finale aptly fast and furious, even desperate (but not in a bad way). This sonata is the best performance on the disc.
In the Op. 110 sonata Lazic noodles around with the first movement a bit too much, and, especially with regard to dynamics, the result sounds mannered. Beethoven’s “molto expressivo” does not mean “molto exaggerato”. This brings us back to the concerto. The first movement has some affected bits–the second subject, for example–but it’s the slow movement that really fails. It’s a contest between the orchestra’s exaggerated super-staccato and Lazic’s comatose super-piano/legato–and the loser is Beethoven.
The problem is that Lazic’s frequent recourse to that silky but benumbed pianissimo touch, whether the music asks for it or not, risks turning him into a one-trick pony, and his best work reveals him as far more talented than that. As usual from this label, the sonics are absolutely top-notch, whether in regular stereo or SACD-surround formats, and there’s no need to make allowances for the concerto’s live provenance. It is a remarkable performance in the sense of being a completely thought-out collaboration between soloist and orchestra–but ultimately there’s more to this music than Lazic brings to it. In short, he needs to learn the value (and the charm) of simplicity.
