Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Symphony No 9 in D minor, Op 125 (arr. two pianos, Franz Liszt, 1851)
Piano Duo Chipak-Kushnir
Francisco Manuel Anguas Rodriguez (timpani)
rec. 26-28 February 2021, Katherinensaal, Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Rostock, Germany
GENUIN GEN21766 [65:18]
Franz Liszt’s piano arrangements of Beethoven’s symphonies are a known quantity, and while recordings of the two-piano version of the Ninth Symphony are much thinner on the ground than Liszt’s single piano version, we have previously been catered for quite well by Leon McCawley and Ashley Wass on the Naxos label (review). This recording by piano duo Olha Chipak and Oleksiy Kushner not only enters a niche market, but also has a USP in its inclusion of Beethoven’s original timpani part from the orchestral version.
The booklet opens with an admission by the pianists that “There is basically nothing to add to the richness of Liszt’s version. He authentically and masterfully incorporated all of the orchestral and vocal parts into the piano texture, and thus it shines self-sufficiently with the palette of colors available to the two pianos and their chamber music potential. The inclusion of the timpani as a supporting bass illuminates the symphonic structure… On the one hand, it contributes to a heightening of the sound volume in the climaxes, and on the other, in view of the natural decay of the piano tone, supports the dynamic continuity and the temporal structure by sustaining arcs of tension.”
It is hard to disagree with this. The inclusion of the timpani is significant, and Beethoven’s use of it as a dramatic commentator and infiltrator of the musical discourse is certainly spotlit in this recording. The only possible downside here is the apparently unedited use of the entire timpani part. This is an instrument that can blend with orchestral textures as well as playing a leading role in its dramatic impact, but against two pianos it occasionally bumps along with a few notes that might have been discretely dropped, arguably in some transitional passages (the third, fourth and fifth minutes of the first movement for instance), but if it’s ‘all or nothing’ then perhaps all-in is the only real solution. This is a minor caveat. Those thematic notes in the second movement are a fabulous addition to this arrangement, and there are some magical moments of quiet atmosphere in the finale. The balance between piano and timpani is good, and from the opening entry you have the feeling that this is by no means a gimmick. You have to adjust a little to the slightly ‘bald’ sonic character of percussive pianos and timpani together, but the effect is by no means offensive.
Piano Duo Chipak-Kushnir are excellent advocates of this Liszt arrangement, and their account is persuasive throughout. The recording is closer and less resonantly atmospheric than Leon McCawley and Ashley Wass on that aforementioned Naxos recording, and there are as a result some aspects of that recording that I prefer to this. These are of course versions that can exist side by side, the unique addition of the timpani here making it of interest to anyone keen on Liszt’s virtuoso piano arrangement. That amazing finale does of course have to do its job, and with the addition of those drum rolls it has to be said that this is quite a spectacular experience. In the end, the question I ask myself is, ‘would Beethoven have liked this?’ Bearing in mind the poor chap’s hearing difficulties I would have to give a firm ‘yes’ by way of an answer.
Dominy Clements
