Beethoven Violin Sonatas

[George]

Brother from another!    


They are on Dirk's list but cannot find out much more than that.

See the youtube link I posted above. I am playing it now and it sounds lovely.

[Antoine Marchand]

I own this complete 4-CD set:

[asin]B00005ND42[/asin]

Not really my favorite Oistrakh/Oborin, probably at some extent because, IIRC, the sound quality was not very attractive. Although I am not totally sure if these are the same recordings because I vaguely recall that they recorded this cycle two times. 

[Bogey]

I own this complete 4-CD set:

[asin]B00005ND42[/asin]

Not really my favorite Oistrakh/Oborin, probably at some extent because, IIRC, the sound quality was not very attractive. Although I am not totally sure that these are the same recordings because I vaguely recall that them recorded this cycle two times.

Thanks....the recording I am looking at is newly pressed vinyl from Speakers Corner (Philips) who usually get good reviews for their pressings.

You are correct, George.  Gorgeous!

[The new erato]

Any opinion on Stern in the Sony Masters box?

[kishnevi]

Any opinion on Stern in the Sony Masters box?

Yes, I have one.
"I need to get in gear and actually listen to it."

I have it, but listening to it is part of my to do list.  So far I've only played the concertos and one CD of the piano trios.

I'll try to make a point of playing the sonatas at some point in the next few days, and will emit appropriate noises afterwards.

I should mention that of the three other performances I have, the Faust/Melnikov has impressed me most (against Capucon/Braley and Perlman/Ashkenazy)

[Todd]

?




(No.)

[Kontrapunctus]

^^He's a fine violinist, for sure--haven't heard the set yet, but it seems promising. I'm curious about this one: it was recorded live!

[Opus106]

(No.)

Well, the answer has to be more like N/A or something like that, since the question is meaningless, but I'm eager to read to whatever other things you may have to say about the recordings.

[DavidRoss]

I guess the pianist is worth only about 1/6 as much as the fiddler.

[Todd]

but I'm eager to read to whatever other things you may have to say about the recordings.

Okay, a few words.  Kavakos is a world class fiddler, there's no doubt, and the set is filled with numerous examples of high grade artistry and beautiful playing by him.  There's never an ugly moment.  On the flip side, he and Pace sometimes seem too at ease, never really ratcheting up tension ideally. 

Sound is a bit problematic.  The best analogy I can think of is from photography.  The depth of field needed required an F11, but instead the engineers used an F8.  That means Kavakos is in sharp focus and Pace, while clear and clearly very talented, is deemphasized.  This is more a problem through speakers than headphones, but it irks me a bit.  It's roughly on par with Faust/Melnikov overall, and that set has its own balance issues, too.  It's no match for some of the old warhorses, like Francescatti/Casadesus or Ferras/Barbizet.  (I worked my way through the latter about two weeks before getting the Kavakos set, to the newer set's detriment.)

[Opus106]

Much appreciated, Todd.

[betterthanfine]

Sound issues aside, I very much liked what I heard from the Kavakos/Pace set. Their Kreutzer is highly energetic and Kavakos's tone is gorgeous, very clear and direct.

[Bogey]

How are the Heifetz and Bay for these (8 and 10)?

[Todd]

How are the Heifetz and Bay for these (8 and 10)?

Very energetic and perhaps a bit showy on Heifetz's part here and there, like the entire set, but it's really very good. 

[Bogey]

Very energetic and perhaps a bit showy on Heifetz's part here and there, like the entire set, but it's really very good.

What I needed to know.  Thanks!

[DavidA]

How are the Heifetz and Bay for these (8 and 10)?

They are actually rather good. There is tremendous energy. One problem I find with Heifetz's set though is the recording balance favours the violinist too much.
That and the fact that Bay, though a perfectly good pianist, does tend to assume the role of accompanist rather than (as LvB intended) an equal partnership. But Heifetz is incomparable.but Bay does tend to be eclipsed.
One recording that is worth seeking out is Heifetz in the Kreutzer with Mosiewitsch - far more of a partnership. A terrific performance.
Another great Kreutzer is Perlman with Argerich - live!

[Mandryka]

I've been following the Shayaka Shoji/Gianluca Cascioli interpretations of Beethoven sonatas on facebook and youtube and through private concert records. But now I see that two of their three CDs are streamng on Qobuz. I have no idea if they've been released any other way out of Japan yet. For me, given that I really can't stand romantic energetic fiery promethean Beehoven, especially in middle period music, this is the violin sonata cycle I've been waiting for, a modern replacement for Schneiderman/Kempff.

Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, finding these recordings justifies playing for qobuz's streaming services this month. And it's only early May.

[Jay F]

I'm looking for a set of Beethoven's Violin Sonatas. I have the three single discs by Alina Ibragimova and Cédric Tiberghien, and although they feature a nice, clean modern sound, and I like them very much, I'm not sure this is my Goldilocks version.

[asin]B003GWDSWG[/asin]

I've also ordered the complete set by Aaron Berofsky and Phillip Bush. I heard a bit of it online, and I liked it. At least, it sounded nice. I'm not at all familiar with anything but the Spring and Kreuzer sonatas, so I won't know if this will be my favorite version until it arrives and I can hear the entire set. The price is right on these, too: $19.79.

[asin]B005346JBM[/asin]

This quest started when I listened to what I could of the Schneiderhan/Seemann versions on DG's website. But you can't find this OOP set for a reasonable price. There are three people selling it for $180 on AM, but I'm not interested at that price.

[asin]B0009A4200[/asin]

So, what are your favorites, your great recordings, of the Beethoven Violin Sonatas?

[bhodges]

I've been working my way through this set of the sonatas, with violinist Gary Levinson (senior associate concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra) and his wife, Baya Kakubery on piano. Can't weigh in on comparisons with other versions, since I haven't heard that many, but this one is quite enjoyable.

[asin]B0088EDMVO[/asin]

--Bruce

[Sammy]

The following is a set of the Violin Sonatas played by Kristof Barati and Klara Wurtz.  According to a Fanfare Magazine reviewer, it blows away ALL the competition.  Has anyone heard it?


[asin]B008L62WWE[/asin]