The South African piano duo of Tessa Uys and Ben Schoeman continue their survey of Beethoven’s nine symphonies arranged by Xaver Scharwenka (1850-1924) for piano duet with Nos. 2 and 7. In contrast to the myriad four-hand editions of Beethoven symphonies by “in-house” arrangers like Selmar Bagge and Hugo Ulrich, Scharwenka’s textural decisions in regard to octave doublings, registration, and deployment of tremolos are never excessive or aurally fatiguing. There’s plenty of contrast between sonorous heft and transparent delicacy, while the physical logic of Scharwenka’s keyboard layout couldn’t be better suited to the duet medium. In other words, Scharwenka’s arrangements transform Beethoven’s symphonies into plausible four-hand sonatas, even more so than in Carl Czerny’s comparably ingenious arrangements (will these ever be recorded?).
For the most part, Uys and Schoeman play marvelously. Although they take the “Molto” part of the Adagio in the Second symphony introduction with a grain of salt, their full-bodied chording and impeccably matched runs and trills make just the right declamatory impact. Rather than speed through the Allegro con brio, the pianists chose a tempo that allows them to shape and characterize rapid lines, dotted rhythms, and embellishments without sacrificing forward momentum.
In the Larghetto, I would have preferred lighter and less emphatic articulation of the detaché passages originally scored for woodwinds. The latter come off more convincingly in the Scherzo. In this movement the pianists place a little tenuto on the sforzando syncopations in measure 21 and similar spots, an effect that may seem mannered to some listeners. Not taking the Allegro molto finale too fast at the outset enables the possibility of accelerating in the coda without derailing.
In the Seventh symphony, the poco sostenuto first-movement introduction gets slightly slower and thicker as it progresses, while the pianists’ conservative approach to the composer’s Vivace directive helps keep the basic dactylic pulse in focus, while accommodating the scurrying “little notes”. In the Allegretto, espressivo gestures often cause the rhythm to slacken, yet the Presto’s firmly held tempo relationships and incisive ensemble work compensates. The pianists shine in the finale, making the most of the wide dynamic contrasts, while generating both tension and excitement in the antiphonal exchanges between first and second violins. Somm’s fine sonics do justice both to the performers and to their superbly regulated Steinway Model D concert grand.
