Making a debut playing the music of a relatively obscure composer is a brave move. That said, who could resist the music of Anton Arensky?

Having previously recorded Beethoven’s complete violin sonatas with Corey Cerovsek, as well as some fairly uncompromising 20th-century works, including pieces by Boulez, Bartók and Rautavaara, Paavali Jumpanen has released a two-disc set of Beethoven’s piano sonatas. He’s chosen some of the very earliest works in the Op 2 set, as well as the Sonata in A Major, Op 101, and he concludes with the monumental Hammerklavier. Jumpanen’s approach to these pieces is highly convincing; in the early sonatas, he reminds us that they were dedicated to Haydn through a thoroughly Classical reading of the works. However, there’s an intensity behind the elegance that’s refreshing. It’s clear that Jumppanen realises that Beethoven was already pushing the boundaries of the Classical style, showing a firm understanding of the works’ progressive nature. The Sonata in F Minor begins with an arpeggiated melody highly reminiscent of Haydn himself, but it’s only a short time before the storm clouds gather. Take for example, the passionate last movement, which is full of gestures that signify what was to come for Beethoven’s stylistic development – we hear crashing bass chords paired with rapid-fire scalic passages. The Sonata in A is a more restrained work, and it’s worthwhile…

Having been placed in the top three of the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Sean Chen’s debut CD comes with certain expectations. Although the works he has chosen for this live performance cover well-trodden ground, his powerful technique and highly musical phrasing ensure that even familiar works such as Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata sound bold and fresh-faced. I was particularly taken with his recording of Brahms’ Variations on an Original Theme. It’s a work I’ve heard several times before, and I have to confess that I’ve never been very taken with it. However, Chen’s performance brings out the lightness that is so often missing – there are some wonderfully delicate moments, and his phrasings are remarkably natural. Although an unusual choice for a concert closer (why venture into the 20th century for only a few minutes after over an hour of lush romantic writing?), Bartók’s Etudes close the CD with a wonderfully acidic bite. Perhaps it’s because this is a live recording, but the more bass-heavy passages in the Beethoven and Brahms become rather smudged at times. If you prefer your Romantic music to be cleanly delineated, this may a concern. That being said, there’s an irresistible sense of thrust and drive in the faster… Continue…