Not Beethoven's first ventures into the realm of the piano sonata, but the first three he thought worthy of publication. Renewing acquaintance with Denis Matthews's splendid ''Master Musicians'' study of the composer the other day, I was amused to discover that although Haydn deigned to accept their dedication, Beethoven himself refused to add the requested words ''pupil of Haydn''! When offering them to the world in March 1796 he was still only 25, and their youthful verve elicits just the right immediacy of response from the young Tan. Only in the Adagio of Op. 2 No. 3 was I reminded of his addiction to faster-than-usual slow movement tempos: the plunge from C into E major seems to need more time to tell. But I loved the rich sonority he draws from his fortepiano (Derek Adlam after Anton Walter) when major turns to minor. The inevitability of his rhythmic tread in the Largo appassionato of the A major work (No. 2) is also impressive.
I constantly enjoyed the clarity of his partplaying and the piquancy of the repartee between his right and left hand throughout all three works (and incidentally he is very generous with repeats in faster flanking movements). My only small Beckmesserish criticism is his way of ever so slightly disrupting the pulse as a means of drawing attention to sforzando markings. But I think his touch of coquetry in the timing of the recurrent opening motif of the Rondo ending the A major work must be allowed him in view of the grazioso with which the movement is headed. Recorded in Forde Abbey, Dorset, the sound itself is excellent.'