Beethoven Violin Sonatas

[DavidRoss]

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?

Not yet. I'm willing. But given how many fine recordings of this repertoire are available, I must take the claim that this "blows away" all others with a great many grains of salt.

[Sammy]

Not yet. I'm willing. But given how many fine recordings of this repertoire are available, I must take the claim that this "blows away" all others with a great many grains of salt.

Agreed.  At about $20, I have little to lose by getting the set.

[Jay F]

Agreed.  At about $20, I have little to lose by getting the set.

I'm tempted, too. It's something like $15 via movie-mars.

I continue enjoying the Violin Sonatas by Cedric Tiberghien and Alina Ibragimova.

I was unfamiliar with this music when I ran into a version of it on DG's website I liked instantly. It was OOP. Since I couldn't find it for <$180, I chose this one -- I've always liked saying "Tiberghien" -- and I'm liking it a lot. I'm still imprinting on the music, I suppose, but the sound quality is wonderful, at least over headphones, my preferred listening medium this year.

Listening to this sent me on a quest for more chamber music, which included my falling in love with the Emersons' Shostakovich String Quartets. I ended up taking a book out of the library on the subject, Chamber Music by James Keller, in which one of the first things I learned is that these Violin Sonatas of Beethoven's don't count as chamber music. Rather, they're "soloist plus accompanist."

I like the VS anyway, and have amended my quest parameters to include Soloist Plus Accompanist Music (I wonder if it has a book of its own).

[SonicMan46]

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?

Hi Don - I read the review on that set & like Wurtz in other performances, but just purchased the package below which also received great reviews (and at a decent price) - increases my number to three for these works - might be enough for me -   Dave

[kishnevi]

Sets: Kremer/Argerich & Perlman/Ashkenazy. No need for adventure.

Popular 5 & 9: Faust/Melnikov & Grumiaux/Haskil

You won't find me naysaying Kremer/Argerich, but Perlman/Ashkenazy for a long time persuaded me that these sonatas were boring works not necessary to bother with.    For myself,  I'd put Faust/Melnikov into one of the top slots;  their Kreutzer is particularly good but the rest of the set should not be misunderestimated. For a third top pick  I'd put Schroeder/Immerseel.   Immerseel/Seiler is a definite disappointment.  Stern/Istomin is another favorite, albeit not one I'd put in the top tier.  Haven't heard Grumiaux/Haskil: I'm one of those people for whom the inferior sonics (compared to current day) of older recordings has too much impact on the listening experience.

[Holden]

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?


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Listening to the Spring on Spotify. The whole set is there. The first movement is not taken at the usual leisurely pace so the rest will be interesting.

[Karl Henning]

Sets: Kremer/Argerich & [...]

For me, as well.

[Karl Henning]

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.

Only a matter of time before Fanfare lapses into literally and ginormous . . . .

[betterthanfine]

Perlman/Ashkenazy for a long time persuaded me that these sonatas were boring works not necessary to bother with.

I think their Kreutzer is the most exciting and flashy reading of the work I've heard. The word 'boring' is the furthest thing from my mind when it comes to that performance! I have to admit that I'm not all that familiar with the rest of the set, though.

[George]

OK, I'll be repeating myself...though it's been several years since I posted on this particular topic, but...
IMO there are four sets worth getting (assuming you can) before you venture out to other options. Unfortunately, each of these sets has...well, "issues"...and I'll briefly touch on them.

Grumiaux/Haskil. Superb performances, just gorgeous in almost every way, and one of my two top faves ever. I listen and I melt. I have them complete on vinyl and a handful of private transfers (not the entire set) on CD. Drawback: I'm told that both the Decca AND the Brilliant issues of the entire set have sonic problems: the Decca muffles the piano and the Brilliant is rather too, uh, brilliant (bright in the treble department). No such issues seem to exist in my Philips LP set, which provides perfectly acceptable though mono sound. Not the highest hi-fi mono I've heard but still darn good. Makes me wonder what the digital transfer engineers did to muck things up. I really don't mean for this to come across as "Nyaah, nyaah!" but this is one case where it obviously helps if you still have a good turntable in your system.

Francescatti/Casadesus. Same performance level as Grumiaux/Haskil, though with the characteristics of two quite different yet equally appealing players...also my other all-time fave. I have these on vinyl (2 copies...I'm taking no chances) and almost all on CD (single discs from different labels/countries, not an integral set on a single label). Drawback: out of print and too expensive on the used market.

Schneiderhan/Kempff. Classic performances, power, poetry, and wonderful partnership...Schneiderhan still has his touch and Kempff is still comparatively youthful and in his full powers as a pianist. Also, last time I checked, this set was still easily available. Drawback: the sound will annoy some listeners. It's OK (better than that if you're used to typical historical releases), but it's really pre-hi-fi mono and miked so that sometimes the violin overpowers the piano. Not enough to detract from the performance value, in my opinion, but some listeners may have problems.

Kremer/Argerich. The newest and best recorded of my select four, and MAN, do these performances have fire! Frequently edge-of-your-seat stuff. Also easily available. Drawback: Kremer's tone...it's generally better than in some performances of other works, thank heavens (the guy is obviously world class but often just too damn wiry for my tastes), and I'm willing to keep listening for the sake of the interps, at least one or two pieces at a time, but other listeners may be less forgiving. I have Argerich's live performance with Perlman (of the Kreutzer IIRC) and the difference is pretty much night and day; makes me wish THOSE two had recorded an integral set.

If you go back to the earlier threads that Opus106 tracked down, you'll find my old full list of other performances that I keep around. Those threads were several years back, and since then I have added Dumay/Pires (gorgeous but almost too pretty...the music's there and it's s-o-o-o easy to listen but I come away feeling like someone added a layer of sweet cream icing; lots of critics like this set, though, and I do too when I'm in the right mood). Among slightly older sets, Perlman/Ashkenazy probably deserve consideration: both players are excellent, sonics were beautifully realistic in the original analog LPs (assume they've been transferred well to CD), and this was a critic's pick for two or three decades for a reason...and yet I don't seem to return to their set all that often myself. Same can be said for Oistrakh/Oborin...lots of critics (Penguin as one example) just loved these, but I could never warm to them myself.

Wish there were just one easy winner, but...

Good luck finding your own favorite.

Dirk

While this is an old post, I wanted to say thanks for it, Dirk!

[j winter]

And just in case anyone missed it, this is now back in print, and very cheaply too....

[Irons]

And just in case anyone missed it, this is now back in print, and very cheaply too....

A good set but I find Francescatti's vibrato excessive.

[Holden]

Listening to the Kreutzer - very good! My reference set is Grumiaux/Haskil but as I have not heard Francescatti/Casadesus before it will be interesting to see how they compare.

[Holden]

While this is an old post, I wanted to say thanks for it, Dirk!

I used to correspond via this forum and via e-mail with Dirk and one day he just up and vanished. Anyone know what happened?

My take on him was if he liked a performance then I was almost sure to as well. We swapped a number of recordings in the days when we used to commit everything to CD-R. A number of those CDs contain my favourite recordings of a number of works. I'll always be eternally grateful for his contribution to my classical music experience

[Jo498]

How did the CBS recordings end up with Hänssler? Or are these live/broadcast recordings, i.e. different from the studio recordings?

[George]

I used to correspond via this forum and via e-mail with Dirk and one day he just up and vanished. Anyone know what happened?

My take on him was if he liked a performance then I was almost sure to as well. We swapped a number of recordings in the days when we used to commit everything to CD-R. A number of those CDs contain my favourite recordings of a number of works. I'll always be eternally grateful for his contribution to my classical music experience

Wow, I hadn't realized he left. Sorry to hear that.

[j winter]

How did the CBS recordings end up with Hänssler? Or are these live/broadcast recordings, i.e. different from the studio recordings?

Don't know, but they have other sets as well, for instance a set of selected Szell/Cleveland recordings...

[Holden]

And just in case anyone missed it, this is now back in print, and very cheaply too....

Now that I can get Qobuz in Australia I've gone back to recordings that didn't really sound as good as they should via Spotify. The Francescatti/Casadesus above is in absolutely great sound and this has displaced Grumiaux/Haskil as my preferred set and part of this is because of sonics. What I like is the consistency and this is missing in so many other recommended sets. The Faust/Melnikov has some great moments but there also some pedestrian performances as well.

I really like the Grumiaux/Haskil but can't find the sonically superior Philips set. If it was available somewhere I would probably buy it.

[prémont]

I really like the Grumiaux/Haskil but can't find the sonically superior Philips set. If it was available somewhere I would probably buy it.

Has a sonically superior CD set been released on Philips?

I owned the original Philips LP set and always wondered about the sonics with a dull piano sound in the background, while the sound of the violin was in the foreground and acceptable after all.

[George]

Has a sonically superior CD set been released on Philips?

I owned the original Philips LP set and always wondered about the sonics with a dull piano sound in the background, while the sound of the violin was in the foreground and acceptable after all.

Hi premont,

I have heard the Philips CD issue of this set, along with a later remaster on Decca. On both, the sound is as you describe, with a distant piano in the background. The Philips is a brighter mastering, resulting in a better piano image and more piano tone, though a bit shrill at times. The Decca attempts to clean the top end, resulting in a duller overall sound, with the piano sounding even further away. 

I really wish the major labels had never remastered in this way, removing tape hiss (along with piano tone) as if it were a mortal sin. EMI is probably the biggest offender in this.