In The Moment—Nicolas Van Poucke, piano. Direct to Disc vinyl

The subtitle of In The Moment is ‘Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827)’. This is a rare direct to disc (D2D) recording and is released on Night Dreamer Records. I’m reviewing the vinyl pressing—the album is also available via digital download and on cassette. Purchase here (no financial affiliation). It was released April 4, 2022.

The recording contains two of Beethoven’s delightful and profound piano sonatas. Piano Sonata No. 12 in A♭ major, Op. 26 was composed in 1800/1 and is considered the last of his ‘early period’ sonatas. Side B is a Beethoven favourite, the mighty ‘Appassionata’, his Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57, composed in 1805/5 during his incredibly fruitful ‘middle period’.

Both sonatas receive brave, powerful and exciting performances on this equally exciting D2D vinyl release from young Dutch pianist Nicolas van Poucke. Those of you who read Audiophilia regularly or follow us on social media know of our affection for Van Poucke’s previous vinyl recording on TRPTK.

A little about the recording’s genesis and technical demands. Van Poucke must have nerves of steel and be incredibly well prepared as he polished off a previous D2D Chopin recording on Night Dreamer with a day to spare on the schedule. So, naturally, let’s record two of Beethoven’s most demanding sonatas on D2D in a day!

Wikipedia describes the D2D recording process as:

D2D is demanding by its nature—during the performance, the analog disc cutting head engages the master lacquer from which sides of an LP record are ultimately derived and is not stopped until the entire side is complete. Pressure, personified, especially in the era of recorded perfection.

The recording process is very stressful even for the calmest and most accomplished individual. It’s no wonder so few take advantage of improved sonics and musical immediacy. I found it tough enough when the red light went on during standard recordings, knowing retakes were available and they could ‘fix it in the mix’. Van Poucke had no such safety nets on his Beethoven day.

There is a very interesting blog post at Discogs about Night Dreamer, including their recording process, pressing, studio, etc. The company is London-based but records all their albums direct-to-disc at their partner studio, Artone, in Haarlem, The Netherlands.

Van Poucke performs the sonatas here on a Steinway & Sons piano.

There is another D2D Beethoven out presently—John Lenehan’s recording of the Piano Sonata No.8, Op. 13 ‘Pathétique’ and Piano Sonata No.14, Op. 27 ‘Moonlight’, on highly regarded Chasing the Dragon. I’ve not heard it but know of Lenehan’s fine pianism.

Back to Van Poucke’s Beethoven. The ‘Appassionata’ is minefield of piece—Beethoven used his awesome skill as a pianist with his divine creator within to produce a sonata of sublime beauty and difficulty. Opus 26 is no easy matter, either, but the demands Beethoven makes on the performer makes a D2D performance possibly less difficult than Opus 57. In any case, I was hard pressed to hear any technical errors in the Ab sonata, but a few were heard in the ‘Appassionata’. I also hear a few clinkers on my favourite studio ‘Appassionata’ from the great Gilels on DG/ESOTERIC. So, no harm, no foul. And if you are at all familiar with what is considered the greatest set of Beethoven Piano Sonatas, Artur Schnabel, and know of the stress he placed upon himself and the 1930’s recording process, you’ll hear fistfuls of wrong notes. Really, no biggie, because the musicianship is so incredibly high. As such, you’ll forgive Van Poucke the odd fluff and in no way do they deter from an outstanding overall musical experience.

Van Poucke brings to Beethoven the same qualities he imbued his glorious Schumann works on the TRPTK LPs. A very refined, clear technique, a beautiful, ringing and languorous sound, and very tasteful, thoughtful and mainstream interpretations. He’s thrown himself into the deep end early in his career with cornerstone, fiendishly difficult works from the classical era. I’m looking forward to see how he does in Chopin on the Night Dreamer D2D.

So, the In The Moment sound. Worth all the bother? Yes. I will advise you to turn up the volume. At my standard listening level, I found the impact a little soft. When cranked a little, pow! The piano sound came alive, in-my-room alive, with the immediacy and intensity we love about D2D releases.

You pay a little more for D2D vinyl because of the risk/reward, but here, purchase is a no brainer. Buy with confidence and enjoy two of Beethoven’s great sonatas in very fine performances with dynamic, lifelike, immersive sound. Highly recommended.

Recorded Direct-to-Disc on Tuesday 27th May 2021 @ Artone Studio.

Recorded, mixed and mastered by Martijn Schouten, cut by Patrick Scholtens @ Artone Studio, Haarlem on Tuesday 27th May 2021.

Produced by George Camdonius and Neal Birnie