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Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Works for Guitar and Piano
Serenade in D, Op.41 (1803, originally for flute and piano) [21:04]
Sonatina in c minor, WoO43a (1796, originally for mandolin and piano) [3:45]
12 Variations in F, WoO40, on the aria ‘Se vuol ballare’ from Le nozze di Figaro by W. A. Mozart (1792—93, originally for violin and piano) [10:12]
Sonatina in C, WoO44a (1796, originally for mandolin and piano) [2:11]
Adagio ma non troppo in E-flat, WoO43b (1796, originally for mandolin and piano) [3:39]
Andante con variazioni in D, WoO44b (1796, originally for mandolin and piano) [7:28]
Five Pieces for Mechanical Clock, WoO33a/1-3 and 33b/1-2 (1794/1799—1800) [17:35]
12 Variations in F, Op.66, on the aria ‘Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen’ from Die Zauberflöte by W. A. Mozart (1796, originally for cello and piano). Arranged by Ferdinando Carulli, 1825 (Op.169) [7:27]
Franz Halász (guitar); Débora Halász (piano)
(Adaptations by Débora Halász)
rec. December 2018 and February 2019, Großer Saal der Hochschule für Musik und Theater, München, Germany. DDD/DSD.
Reviewed as 24/96 download with pdf booklet from eclassical.com
BIS BIS-2505 SACD [74:40]

This is another of those byways down which the Beethoven 250 satnav is taking us. Interesting little side roads, with attractive scenery and quaint villages, I have yet to find one that served as a short-cut from the well-visited places on the motorways and trunk roads to anywhere important. It’s better to travel these routes than to arrive.

Some of these back doubles have been of works which Beethoven himself or one of his contemporaries adapted, such as the piano trio arrangements of his Symphony No.2 – review, Symphony No.6 and Triple Concerto – review – released by C-Avi alongside his regular trios. None of the music on the new BIS recording was composed or arranged for guitar and keyboard by the man himself, but the final work, the 12 Variations on Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen, was arranged by a contemporary, Ferdinando Carulli.

That, together with the fact that some of the originals are for the guitar’s relative, the mandolin, presumably gave the Halász partnership the cue for Débora to make these arrangements. There’s plenty of precedent from Beethoven’s time and later of domestic arrangements of large-scale works. His Op.25 Serenade for flute, violin and viola was arranged as Op.41 for flute and piano, and has been recorded in that form, so the further arrangement here of Beethoven’s own arrangement has a precedent.

Perhaps the works originally intended for mandolin and piano come off best, with little arrangement needed. The andante con variazioni on track 12 is a little gem. The pieces originally intended for mechanical clock are a bit – mechanical – but still enjoyable. It seems that Beethoven held these pieces in high regard, though he never published them or gave them an opus number.

It’s apparent that the performers are enjoying this lighter side of Beethoven’s music, though you might not think that Franz was – he’s looking rather serious on the cover – but Débora clearly is. It’s not as if she’s the one who has all the best bits, though that would be the arranger’s privilege. So completely un-Beethoven-like does much of it sound – far too light-hearted – that my wife thought I was joking when I said what it was.

The cello variations on Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen are well-known examples of Beethoven with his hair down, but the guitar transcription works well; had I been listening with an innocent ear, I might well have thought this music by Carulli, rather than just arranged by him. The variations on another Mozart theme, Se vuol ballare, are much less familiar, though included in some recordings of his complete violin sonatas. Both receive the lively treatment here that they deserve.

Not the most essential Beethoven recording to appear this year, then, but worth investigating. Perhaps the earlier Franz Halász recording for BIS of guitar solo music by Piazzola and Gardel (BIS-2165 SACD) would be a better place to sample his artistry. Inspired by Jonathan Woolf’s review, I downloaded that from eclassical.com, also in 24-bit sound with pdf booklet. There’s transcription by Débora Halász at work here, too, from Piazzola’s bandoneon and the Gardel songs to the guitar, but you would hardly know that the music was not originally for that instrument.

More recently, Dominy Clements recommended Franz Halász performing guitar arrangements of the Bach Lute Suites (BIS-2285 SACD). Ever open to suggestions from colleagues in the case of recordings that I have missed, I downloaded that, too, from eclassical.com, again in 24/96 sound, with pdf booklet. As the album runs to 82 minutes, the eclassical per-second charging policy brings the price up to $19.81 for 24-bit and $12.38 for 16-bit, so less good value for UK purchasers than usual with eclassical, but it’s an enjoyable recording.  There’s good precedent for playing this music on the guitar, dating back at least as far as Segovia.

I’d choose both of those ahead of the Beethoven, which nevertheless takes us down an interesting side-road.

Brian Wilson