Classical reviews: Beethoven and various music from Iran

The pianist Daniel Barenboim is the perfect interpreter of Beethoven’s 32 sonatas, while a group of Iranian musicians showcase their musical heritage with emotional power

Daniel Barenboim gave his first Beethoven recital at the age of 10 (Rex Features)

Ludwig van Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas – Diabelli Variations  

Daniel Barenboim, piano  

Deutsche Grammophon 483 9320  

★ ★ ★ ★★

Daniel Barenboim gave his first Beethoven recital when he was 10 years old, and since then he has not only played Beethoven’s 32 sonatas countless times but has also recorded the complete cycle at several points in his life. He knows better than anyone how pointless it is to look for the “right” interpretation of these endlessly shape-shifting works. And he still recalls his father’s words: “I don’t know if it’s true that you are a child prodigy, but if it is true, you need to forget the prodigy part very quickly and remain a child vis-a-vis the music.” 

The most fascinating aspect of this 13-CD box is that two of the discs are of his recordings made in 1958 when he was 15. He was already clearly a major virtuoso, but in the case of the towering Hammerklavier sonata one can sense the youthfulness in his playing, with tigerish ferocity in the opening movement but not digging deeply enough into the profundities of the slow movement. These amazing works represent the highest pinnacle of classical music, and there is no better interpreter alive than this great musician who is now a citizen of Argentina, Israel, Palestine, and Spain. 

      

Iran: Tala’i, Musavi, Kiani – The Masters of Music  

Ocora C 561024  

★ ★ ★ ★★

But now for some classical music of a completely different kind. In the mid-19th century, a group of Iranian musicians decided that it was time they did what they could to save their country’s orally-transmitted musical traditions from extinction. They collected modes and melodies from all corners of the country and wove them into a seamless tapestry called the radif. Henceforth all musicians would be able to draw what they wanted from this treasure trove and would use it as the basis for new compositions of their own. 

With Darius Tala’i on the tar and setar lutes, Mohammad Musavi and Jamshid Mohebbi on percussion, and Majid Kiani on the santur, this was a top-notch ensemble who traverse the whole of the radif, exploring its many forms. There is an austerity about this music that demands commitment from the listener, but its emotional power is gripping.