As a pupil of Beethoven and teacher of Liszt, Carl Czerny holds an important place in music history. However, the fact that his most famous musical legacy lies in his overwhelming number of didactic piano exercises indicates that his ‘proper’ compositions are generally of minor significance. Indeed, Czerny readily admitted that, with the exception of a few serious works, most of his works were modishly trivial. Among these exceptions are the 11 piano sonatas he composed between 1820 and about 1843, and the ever-industrious Daniel Blumenthal has at last dusted down these long-forgotten works.
This two-disc set includes the first four sonatas and a couple of lighter interludes, and presents the world premiere recordings of Sonatas Nos. 2, 3 and 4. Czerny’s sonatas are, as one might expect, heavily influenced by Beethoven. The finest of those given here is the First, which, like the Second Sonata, spans five movements, although whether the material is ultimately strong enough to support its length (almost 40 minutes) is questionable. The Third Sonata, modelled on Beethoven’s Appassionata whose opus number it deliberately shares, is a dark work of some intensity, while the Fourth is more facile although not without charm.
For the most part Daniel Blumenthal’s performances are stylish and well proportioned, and his poise and clarity are admirable. His dynamic range is rather restricted (he rarely achieves a genuine pianissimo), but his articulation is often ebulliently pert (for an example of his crisp passagework try the finale of the Fourth Sonata). Unfortunately, the Viennese Waltz Variations are not played with sufficient charm and sparkle to animate such music, and overall Blumenthal seems happier in the more serious environment of the sonatas. The effervescent Fantaisie, another first recording, also elicits a greater sense of enjoyment, and of the recordings from Daniel Blumenthal with which I am familiar this is undoubtedly one of his finest.
This is repertoire of a somewhat specialist appeal, then, although anyone with an interest in rare early nineteenth-century piano music, or anyone wishing to explore the piano sonata beyond Beethoven and Schubert, should not be disappointed.'