The main problem here concerns overly reverberant and murky sonics, which seem to make the ends of Ingrid Fliter’s soft phrases disappear. You especially notice this in the Op. 13 and Op. 57 slow movements. What a shame, for Fliter’s disciplined, stylishly nuanced Beethoven playing deserves better reproduction. I prefer, for example, the slightly strident yet closer, more detailed impact of her label-mate Stephen Kovacevich’s Beethoven recordings, or the similarly distant yet somewhat more defined sonic image Jonathan Biss’ EMI Beethoven recordings convey.
That said, Fliter’s predilection for rounded-off, slightly square phrasing in the Op. 13 and Op. 31 No. 2 Rondo finales reveals less of the music’s cross-rhythmic and linear interest when heard alongside Richard Goode’s drier, more pointed finger-work and superior contrapuntal balances. In the “Pathétique” first movement, by the way, Fliter takes the exposition repeat all the way back to the introduction, a plausible yet still controversial option that Rudolf Serkin made famous.
Fliter’s dynamism and virtuosic flair suit the Appassionata well, along with her attention to rhythmic details glossed over by many, such as the focused dotted rhythms in the Finale’s opening measures and the Andante con moto’s unified but flexible tempo relationships. Yet Angela Hewitt’s comparable Hyperion recording boasts more forward sweep and far superior engineering. It’s a pity that this disc does not convey the presence and energy typifying Fliter’s live Beethoven performances. [6/27/2011]
