Scott Cantrell

B+Piano Sonatas, Vol. 4.

Lewis (Harmonia Mundi, three CDs)

FINISHING UP: With this three-disc folder, British pianist Paul Lewis completes his survey of the Beethoven piano sonatas. Of the 10 sonatas included here, only the Pastorale, Les Adieux and Op. 109-111 are repertory staples.

THOUGHTFUL: Much praised, especially in the British press, this Alfred Brendel protégé is nothing if not an able, thoughtful musician. Listen to the opening movement of Op. 109 and you'll hear a deft balance of eagerness and elegance. Sonics are warm, with plenty of space around the piano.

AND YET: For all the lovely pianism, isn't there something more to Beethoven? One hears only the tiniest hints of the music's wit, its flirting with danger, its ecstasy – all more strikingly realized in Andras Schiff's new Beethoven cycle on ECM. And Mr. Lewis misses the songlike qualities of the variation themes in Op. 109 and 111; the former is too foursquare, the latter too slow.

BOTTOM LINE: Lovely, thoughtful performances, but just a bit too well-behaved – too, well, British.

Scott Cantrell

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