Tchaikovsky: Grand Sonata in G Major, (Moog)

Tchaikovsky’s Grand Sonata was greeted with acclaim when it was premiered, but rather sadly has fallen into gentle obscurity since. It’s not very hard to see why, actually. Tchaikovsky was never a really pianistic composer, and unless this Sonata is handled very carefully it can end up sounding (as someone has put it) “a bit shouty”, like something that wanted to be a concerto but had to make do without the orchestra: lots of virtuosic flurries and blockily dramatic gestures in search of a sparring partner. It’s a pity, because the sonata is stuffed with truly beautiful ideas, and Moog is one of the few pianists with a touch lively and supple enough to make them shine. This is no mean feat: even a pianist as great as Richter never managed to pull it off. In the first movement Moog plays with steadiness and lots of rhythmic verve, and gives the second theme a flexibility that’s surprising and very effective. The apparently literal approach he takes with the second movement underlines its starkly dolor