Daria van den Bercken – Keys To Mozart

In late 2012 I was watching Pauw & Witteman, a well known Dutch TV talkshow, and they had an item about classical music. There was a young pianist explaining some of Händel’s suites for keyboard on the piano. They also showed videos of her playing the music in Sao Paolo hanging from a crane or being driven around the Vondelpark in Amsterdam. The pianist turned out to be Daria van den Bercken. Later on when I saw her CD of Händel keyboard suites cheap I decided to buy it. I really enjoyed the enthusiasm and joy of the recordings. As someone who was just getting into Mozart, I hoped that she would one day get to record some of Mozart’s piano sonatas. Thankfully I didn’t have to wait very long. This CD opens with the well known Piano Sonata No. 12 in F major, K332. This recording is a bit slower than the others I’ve heard, but it’s also more dynamic and in terms of sound quality it’s probably the best. What it lacks in warmth compared to Maria João Pires’ recording (Deutsche Grammophon, 1991) it more than makes up in terms of clarity and detail. The beautiful Adagio sounds better here than on the other recordings I’ve heard. The lack of dynamics of a fortepiano on Andreas Staier recording (Harmonia Mundi, 2005) become a bit too obvious here, while the ending in Pires’ recording is a bit too dramatic for me. The final Allegro Assai doesn’t disappoint either. It has all the joy and enthusiasm of Staier’s recording, but with more dynamics this has just a little more excitement. Like the Allegro it misses the repeated movements at the end heard on some of the other recordings, but I can’t really say I miss them. What follows is the Piano Sonata No. 4 in E flat major K282. It has never really been one of my favourites. But maybe that’s just because I haven’t really found the right recording yet. The rhythmic style, especially in the Menuetto, isn’t really right for Maria João Pires’ style of playing (Deutsche Grammophon, 1990). It isn’t really right for a fortepiano either, even though Andreas Staier’s recording is fun (Harmonia Mundi, 2003). I’m happy to say that I’ve finally found a recording I really like. Daria van den Bercken’s recording has everything that Staier’s recording has and adds everything that a fortepiano can’t bring to the piece. Especially her Menuetto and Allegro are impressive. Well done. The Fantasia in C minor, K396 which follows is a piece I was previously unfamiliar with. It works nicely here as an interlude between 2 sonatas, but I don’t like it as much as K397 which is more commonly found on CDs of piano sonatas or concertos. The last sonata on this disc, Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major K331, is probably Mozart’s best known piano sonata, thanks to its famous last movement “Alla Turca”. It’s also probably my favourite and there have been many great recordings over the years. Maria João Pires’ recording (Deutsche Grammophon, 1990) is stunning in its contrast between the slow romantic passages and the happy faster passages. Andreas Staier’s recording (Harmonia Mundi, 2005) has some annoying octave switches during the final “Alla Turca” movement, but his first movement where he pushes the fortepiano to its limits for a dynamic finale is breathtaking. Despite its less than perfect sound quality, my favourite has been Friedrich Gulda’s recording (Deutsche Grammophon, 2007). Its slow tempo is perfect for the first movement and his “Alla Turca” movement remains unsurpassed. Daria van den Bercken’s recording has a bit of everything. The warmth of the slow passages of the Pires recording, the drama and dynamics of Staier’s recording, the very fluent fast passages of the Gulda recording. In terms of sound quality it’s absolutely the best I’ve heard, there’s really no contest. Excellent dynamics and wonderful seperation between different notes in a way I’ve not often heard in piano recordings. Yes, she does copy some of Staier’s octave switches during the “Alla Turca” movement, but that is the only thing which makes me still prefer Gulda’s recording. Apart from that her performance is pretty much flawless. A very impressive, refreshing take on a well known Mozart piece. We do get 2 encores, but they are both a little disappointing. “Eine Kleine Gigue in F major” is simply not that good, while it’s a little frustrating that we only get to hear the Adagio from Piano Sonata No. 2 in F major K280. It compares favourably to Maria João Pires’ recording, I would have loved to hear what she could do with the entire piece. With still 15 minutes left, there was room for it on the CD. That doesn’t stop this from being a great purchase for any Mozart listener. With 1 of the 3 sonatas being the best recording I’ve heard and the other 2 comimg very close and with superb sound, this is a disc I’ll be playing very often. Hopefully this won’t be the last Mozart we’ll hear from this excellent pianist. I’d love to hear her take on other piano sonatas or even piano concertos. But until then, this beautiful CD will do.