The Fifth was the first of the Beethoven symphonies Liszt transcribed, at a time (1837) when this revolutionary masterpiece was not in common currency in the concert hall. Cyprien Katsaris has left it to the last in his cycle, not surprisingly since this is the work that really strains at the medium and bursts at the seams, even more than the Eroica or surprisingly, the Ninth. In his first recording (the Pastoral) in 1981 he played an instrument by Mark Allen which he used for all but Nos. 1-3 (Bechstein) and in this he uses a Steinway.
His virtuosity and musicianship are, of course, remarkable: I often play the finale of No. 8 and the astonishing scherzo of No. 9 to visiting friends, but the sound (I know) has troubled some collectors. During the cycle he has been rather closely observed by the microphones and the overall impression is slightly synthetic. But his is a strong artistic personality and the range of keyboard colour he conveys is always impressive. Nevertheless I would venture two criticisms in the Fifth: the way he pulls back at the return of the main theme in the re-statement of the first movement (4'17'') and again at the end, which strikes me as a bit self-conscious, and the rather portentous speed of the scherzo. On the whole I can't suppress a slight sense of disappointment after Nos. 4 and 8, for there is a slightly hectoring, over-emphatic quality evident in climaxes particularly in the finale as if he is holding nothing in reserve, whereas in Nos. 3 and 9 one never felt the limitations of the instrument.
In the Eroica Variations he faces formidable competition from such artists as Gilels (DG), Kempff (DG—nla), Curzon (Decca) and Brendel (Philips). There is some magnificent playing, for he is an artist of a strong musical intelligence, even if the left hand is again over emphatic after the second-time bar line in Var. No. 7 (track 5, 8'06''). All the same there is a depth and authority in the Gilels which he does not match. I put this disc to one side for a week or so but found on my return that the rather close balance—particularly in the Eroica Variations—remained as unrelieved as I had originally found it.'