Although the Italian pianist Maria Tipo has never made a big name in this country, on the continent she is recognized as a considerable artist with a solidly comprhensive repertorie. On this CD I enjoyed the early Beethoven sonata especially, with the energy of the first and third movements balancing well with the yielding depth of the Adagio. In the finale Tipo judges to perfection the details she wishes to convey in each hand.
Some of the confidence with which she approaches this work is rather misplaced in the Waldstein, where things sound a trifle too worked out. Arrau (Philips) is far more emphatic here, and his concentration on sonority lends the music a distinctive sound-world with which to express spiritual values. Tipo, on the other hand, creates some interesting pianistic effects with the pedal, but these are rather more impressionistic than idiomatic. One may hear the essential of the music with Arrau, but the playing is so stripped of virtuosity that it is a bit laboured at times. The second movement of the Sonata, Op. 109 is also technically cautious in his performance.
Tipo has some idiosyncratic ideas in the late sonata, although I personally would have welcomed a more restful mood in the opening movement. The opposite is true of the second, where the Prestissimo marking implies a certain breathlessness. Her placid tempo is much too slow. The theme and variations that close Op. 109 amply demonstrate her stature as an artist. She knows what she is doing with the music and has considerable range. Slightly reverberant, this new CD can be bought with safety by anyone wanting this particular combination of sonatas, each taken from a different period of Beethoven's creative life.'