Jean-Efflam Bavouzet review – spaciousness and clarity in all-Beethoven programme

St John’s Smith Square, London
The pianist took time to settle, but rose to the challenge of three Beethoven sonatas with insightful and focused playing

When he first began to attract widespread notice for his bright and characterful playing, the French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet’s signature repertoire was the keyboard literature of the early 20th century, particularly the composers of his own country. More recently, however, Bavouzet has looked further back in time, first to Haydn and now to Beethoven, whose final three sonatas formed this recital.

St John’s Smith Square has a bright and warm acoustic, which suited Bavouzet’s crisp and well-weighted clarity. Nevertheless, as often seems to happen when pianists give this formidable programme of late Beethoven, he took time to settle. The opening of the E flat Sonata, Op 109 sounded less ripplingly crystalline than it should, and there was some rhythmic untidiness at first, but Bavouzet’s playing always had momentum, and the control gradually asserted itself. The prestissimo second movement was fiery and urgent, and the long final movement, where the emotional and intellectual weight of the music lies, was impressively maintained.

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