Dejan Lazic makes a big thing of his new approach to Beethoven's
Fourth Piano Concerto. A piano quintet version of the work has
recently surfaced, apparently by Beethoven himself. It contains
more tempo and dynamic markings than the orchestral score, and
Lazic has taken to performing the orchestral version with reference
to some of these. What this means in practice is that there
are some quite abrupt tempo changes in the outer movements,
and that some of the quiet transitional passages are taken down
a notch or two. They are quite subtle changes though and only
warrant attention because they distinguish this recording from
the many, many others that are currently on the market at the
moment, even on SACD.
Lazic's touch and approach to the work in general are more significant
distinctions. Unlike many of his colleagues, he is not really
interested in the grandiose or heroic aspects; is this why the
chamber version appeals to him. There is something very vibrant
about his interpretation that brings a sense of immediacy, even
to the loudest passages. Lazic does more composing, arranging
and improvising than most concert pianists, and perhaps these
activities contribute to the playfulness and carefree approach
that he brings to Beethoven. He plays his own cadenzas for the
outer movements, and while they are slightly wayward, stylistically
speaking, they too speak of this respectful but always playful
approach. The lack of overt drama risks emotional shallowness,
but this is more than outweighed by the freshness that he brings
to what would otherwise be overly familiar repertoire.
The Australian Chamber Orchestra play to their usual high and
consistent standard. Their experiences of performing on period
instruments bring a valuable perspective. Vibrato is kept to
a minimum, yet there is plenty of life in the string sound.
The stylistic discipline of the orchestral playing, combined
with the small size of the ensemble, makes the orchestra the
idea complement for Lazic. They are nimble enough to follow
his unusual tempo changes, and to match the playfulness of his
passage-work.
The Fifth Piano Concerto would seem to be the ideal coupling,
but neither the soloist nor the orchestra play in a style that
would fit that epic score. It's probably just as well then that
they refrained and Channel filled the remainder of the disc
with performances of Beethoven Sonatas, the Moonlight and
the Op.110. To my ear, the Moonlight is the more successful
of the two. Like the Fourth Concerto, it is a work that benefits
from a light and playful approach. But the Op.110 lacks weight;
some of the individual passages are very beautiful indeed, but
it needs a sense of solemnity too, which is largely absent.
The SACD sound is, on the whole, very good. In the concerto,
the orchestra comes off better than the piano, which sounds
curiously distant, while the orchestra, and the strings in particular,
have an impressive presence and depth of tone. No such concerns
though in the sonatas, in which the sound engineers manage faithfully
to reproduce both the immediacy and sweetness of tone in Lazic's
playing. The concerto and the sonatas were recorded on opposite
sides of the world, in Sydney and Eindhoven respectively, but
both recordings were made on large Steinway pianos. The fact
that Lazic can find such elegant and understated sounds from
instruments otherwise known for the weight and projection of
their tone is a testament indeed to his phenomenal and unique
talent.
Gavin Dixon
Dejan Lazic (piano) 
[69:38]
