Einav Yarden: Oscillations

Oscillations
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Artist: Einav Yarden, Ludwig van Beethoven, Igor Stravinsky
Genre: Classical
Label: Challenge Classics

Israeli pianist Einav Yarden, who took third prize in the 2009 International Telekom Beethoven Competition in Bonn (behind Hinrich Alpers and Jordi Bittloch) offers a chalk and cheese coupling. Two early sonatas by Beethoven (Op 14 No 2 in G and Op 10 No 2 in F, both from the 1790s) and a set of late Bagatelles (Op 119) are juxtaposed with Stravinsky's neo-classical 1924 Sonata and a clutch of miniatures, including the Piano-Rag-Music and Tango. You might expect Yarden to highlight points of classical contact between the two composers. But her loose, rather romantic style doesn't really allow for that, the eagerness of her pianism dominating both men's musical styles. And, surprisingly, it's Stravinsky who comes out the better in the face of the all-purpose approach. challenge.nl

Michael Dervan

Michael Dervan

Michael Dervan is a music critic and Irish Times contributor