Beethoven's Piano Sonatas

[Pat B]

I hope my interview sessions pan out (he's battling pancreatic cancer and the chemo's gotten him down); might be the only (or at least most realistic) chance to solve the mystery.

Seems like a moot point if they weren't issued on vinyl and the tapes are not in UMG's archives.

Pancreatic cancer. Not good. If you do talk to him, pass on some good wishes from GMG.

[Todd]

I actually heard back from DG:


We have not forgotten you ... but processing your request (#<redacted>) is still taking some time.

If you have any further comments on your request, please reply to this e-mail.

Best regards
Your Universal Music Team


Maybe I'll get some definitive info, after all.

[Todd]

.
[asin]B075V1DG83[/asin]


Jean Muller's cycle is being reissued as a super-budget box.  Peter Roesel's cycle is being reissued as a super-premium UHQCD set, too.

[SurprisedByBeauty]

I had a dream that I was chatting with Badura Skoda and we got on very well. When I launched into the Beethoven cycle question, he started laughing (sort of as though he'd heard that one a gazillion times before)... but I pulled through with my whole question all the same.

Unfortunately, in my dream he didn't answer the question or if he did, I don't recall. Then again, it still wouldn't be helpful, since it was only a dream, I suppose. 

[Parsifal]

I have a minor obsession with Paul Badura-Skoda recordings, a minor obsession with Beethoven Piano Sonata cycles, a minor obsession with obscure mono recordings and a minor obsession with the Westminster record label. Minor obsession to the forth power equals major obsession for this hypothesized PBD mono piano sonata cycle recorded in '53-55 on Westminster.

Having no faith that the DGG people could find it even if it existed, I tried another tack. I obtained the Schwann catalog of long playing records from November 1956 and from June 1960.



This would allow me to find all PBS recordings available in the U.S. at these two dates. By tabulating recordings from both dates I hoped to avoid missing albums which had not yet been released in 1956, and which might have gone out of print by 1960.

Alas, this is all I found:

Westminster 18274: Sonatas 8, 14, 23
Westminster 18210: Sonatas 15, 17
Westminster 18617: Sonatas 28, 30

The first two appeared in both catalogs, the last only appeared in the 1960 catalog. Incidentally, Westminster recorded made more Beethoven sonatas with other pianists, including Applebaum, Barenboim, Lewenthal, Lateiner and Petri, but did not have complete coverage of the cycle

Of course, this does not prove there is no PBS mono cycle, it merely fails to prove there is a PBS mono cycle. It is possible that other recordings were made but were not offered for sale in the U.S. and therefore didn't appear in the Schwann catalog.

[Oldnslow]

Todd, can you comment on Peter Rosel's complete sonatas??  I recently got the  reissue on Berlin Classics of the popular sonatas  from 1980 and was very impressed. How is his later Japanese set? Thanks

[Todd]

Todd, can you comment on Peter Rosel's complete sonatas??  I recently got the  reissue on Berlin Classics of the popular sonatas  from 1980 and was very impressed. How is his later Japanese set? Thanks

See http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,23264.msg805932.html#msg805932

[SonicMan46]

Deleted - posted in wrong thread -       Dave

[Marc]

Monteverdi, Claudio (1567-1643) - Madrigrals & Vespro dello Beata Vergine - selections from the CDs below - still reading about medieval & Renaissance music - Dave

 

And uhh... what about their Ludwigs?

[Holden]

This idea suggests that a search of the Gramophone database might be the next step.

I have a minor obsession with Paul Badura-Skoda recordings, a minor obsession with Beethoven Piano Sonata cycles, a minor obsession with obscure mono recordings and a minor obsession with the Westminster record label. Minor obsession to the forth power equals major obsession for this hypothesized PBD mono piano sonata cycle recorded in '53-55 on Westminster.

Having no faith that the DGG people could find it even if it existed, I tried another tack. I obtained the Schwann catalog of long playing records from November 1956 and from June 1960.



This would allow me to find all PBS recordings available in the U.S. at these two dates. By tabulating recordings from both dates I hoped to avoid missing albums which had not yet been released in 1956, and which might have gone out of print by 1960.

Alas, this is all I found:

Westminster 18274: Sonatas 8, 14, 23
Westminster 18210: Sonatas 15, 17
Westminster 18617: Sonatas 28, 30

The first two appeared in both catalogs, the last only appeared in the 1960 catalog. Incidentally, Westminster recorded made more Beethoven sonatas with other pianists, including Applebaum, Barenboim, Lewenthal, Lateiner and Petri, but did not have complete coverage of the cycle

Of course, this does not prove there is no PBS mono cycle, it merely fails to prove there is a PBS mono cycle. It is possible that other recordings were made but were not offered for sale in the U.S. and therefore didn't appear in the Schwann catalog.

[SonicMan46]

And uhh... what about their Ludwigs?

Thanks Marc - obviously I posted in the wrong thread - will delete and put in the listening one -    Dave

[Marc]

Thanks Marc - obviously I posted in the wrong thread - will delete and put the the listening one -    Dave

It's OK. I like Monteverdi, too.

[Oldnslow]

Todd--what do you know of the set by Martin Rasch being released soon on Audite (may be a reissue from another label)--I don't see him on your list. Presto Classical lists it on their future releases. It is a cheap set

[Todd]

Todd--what do you know of the set by Martin Rasch being released soon on Audite (may be a reissue from another label)--I don't see him on your list. Presto Classical lists it on their future releases. It is a cheap set

All I know is that it was released in Germany last month and will be released in other markets in the next few months.  I'll probably buy it at the start of the year.

[SurprisedByBeauty]

Todd--what do you know of the set by Martin Rasch being released soon on Audite (may be a reissue from another label)--I don't see him on your list. Presto Classical lists it on their future releases. It is a cheap set

Not much out there yet. Some technical info, FYI.

Erste Aufnahme: August 2014

Letzte Aufnahme: August 2016

Aufnahmeort: Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, Großer Konzertsaal

Instrument: Steinway D

Recording Producer: Christian Böhm

Executive Producer: Dipl.-Tonmeister Ludger Böckenhoff

Not much on the website, either.

https://www.audite.de/en/product/9CD/21451-ludwig_van_beethoven_the_complete_piano_sonatas.html
https://www.pianist-rasch.de/
A bit more here: https://www.pianist-rasch.de/beethoven-sonaten/

[prémont]

Aber Ich hoffe dass er nicht zu rasch spielt 

[Todd]

Aber Ich hoffe dass er nicht zu rasch spielt 

Judging by the timings, that is no concern.  The cycle is available on YouTube.

[SurprisedByBeauty]

Aber Ich hoffe dass er nicht zu rasch spielt 

Mawk-mawk-mawk! 

[Todd]

Looks like I missed a cycle.  I've not seen anyone else mention it yet, either, though maybe I missed relevant posts.  Sebastian Forster's 2012 cycle is available at CD Baby as MP3 downloads for $60.  (https://store.cdbaby.com/Search/U2ViYXN0aWFuIEZvcnN0ZXI%3d/0)  Alternatively, it is one of over three dozen complete cycles available for streaming on Amazon Music.  I've not checked other streaming services.

[Todd]

I had a hankering to put together an updated list of all available complete cycles.  By my reckoning, 112 complete cycles exist, of which I possess 104.  Of the 112 cycles, either five or six might not be considered complete since in some cases the pianist died or stopped before recording all sonatas in a given cycle, or in the case of HJ Lim, she purposely left out the Op 49 sonatas.  That brings the total available to either 106 or 107, and my total to either 98 or 99 cycles.  With all the cycles underway, these totals will change.  I also decided to include the country each pianist is from to determine a geographical breakdown of sonata cycles, just for fun.  (Yes, I consider that fun, and yes, I know that it is not entirely accurate since a pianist can be born in one country but become an essentially permanent resident of another country, like Irina Mejoueva or Anton Kuerti, but I took a stab at it, anyway.)  It will be in the next post.

Country		Pianist		Complete		Copy
Lebanon		Abdel Rahman El Bacha (Forlane)		Y		Y
Lebanon		Abdel Rahman El Bacha (Mirare)		Y		Y
Japan		Akiyoshi Sako		Y		Y
Italy		Aldo Ciccolini		Y		Y
Austria		Alfred Brendel (Philips, 1970s)		Y		Y
Austria		Alfred Brendel (Philips, 1990s)		Y		Y
Austria		Alfred Brendel (Vox)		Y		Y
Chile		Alfredo Perl		Y		Y
Hungary		Andras Schiff		Y		Y
Belgium		Andre De Groote		Y		Y
Italy		Andrea Lucchesini		Y		Y
Denmark		Anne Oland		Y		Y
Hungary		Annie Fischer (Hungarton)		Y		Y
Canada		Anton Kuerti		Y		Y
Austria		Artur Schnabel		Y		Y
UK		Bernard Roberts		Y		Y
Italy		Christian Leotta		Y		Y
USA		Claude Frank		Y		Y
Chile		Claudio Arrau (1960s)		Y		Y
Chile		Claudio Arrau (1980s)		N		Y
USA		Craig Sheppard		Y		Y
Argentina		Daniel Barenboim (DG)		Y		Y
Argentina		Daniel Barenboim (EMI, 1960s)		Y		Y
Argentina		Daniel Barenboim (EMI, 2005)		Y		Y
Russia		Daniela Varinska		Y		N
South Africa		Daniel-Ben Pienaar		Y		Y
USA		David Allen Wehr		Y		Y
Germany		Dieter Zechlin		Y		Y
Italy		Dino Ciani		Y		Y
Spain		Eduardo del Pueyo		Y		Y
Russia		Emil Gilels		N		Y
France		Eric Heidsieck		Y		Y
France		Francois Frederic Guy		Y		Y
Austria		Friedrich Gulda (Amadeo)		Y		Y
Austria		Friedrich Gulda (Decca)		Y		Y
Austria		Friedrich Gulda (Orfeo)		Y		Y
USA		Garrick Ohlsson		Y		Y
France		Georges Pludermacher		Y		Y
Australia		Gerard Willems		Y		Y
Germany		Gerhard Oppitz		Y		Y
Germany		Gotthard Kladetzky		Y		N
Japan		Hiroaki Ooi		Y		N
Korea		HJ Lim		Y		Y
UK		Ian Hobson		Y		Y
Japan		Ichiro Nodaira		Y		Y
Turkey		Idil Biret		Y		Y
Japan		Ikuyo Nakamichi		Y		Y
Russia		Irina Mejoueva		Y		Y
France		Jean Bernard Pommier		Y		Y
Luxembourg		Jean Muller		Y		Y
France		Jean-Efflam Bavouzet		Y		Y
Hungary		Jeno Jando		Y		Y
UK		John Lill		Y		Y
Ireland		John O'Conor		Y		Y
Japan		Kazune Shimizu (Sony)		Y		Y
Korea		Kun-Woo Paik		Y		Y
Canada		Louie Lortie		Y		Y
Mixed		Malcolm Bilson, et al		Y		N
UK		Malcolm Binns		Y		Y
Japan		Mari Kodama		Y		Y
Russia		Maria Grinburg		Y		Y
Germany		Martin Rasch		Y		Y
Italy		Maurizio Pollini		Y		Y
Switzerland		Melodie Zhao		Y		Y
New Zealand		Michael Houstoun (Morrison Trust)		Y		Y
New Zealand		Michael Houstoun (Rattle)		Y		Y
Germany		Michael Korstick		Y		Y
France		Michael Levinas		Y		Y
USA		Michael Steinberg		Y		N
Austria		Paul Badura-Skoda (Gramola)		Y		Y
Austria		Paul Badura-Skoda (JVC/Astree)		Y		Y
UK		Paul Lewis		Y		Y
Finland		Pavaali Jumppanen		Y		Y
Germany		Peter Rösel		Y		Y
USA		Peter Takacs		Y		Y
USA		Richard Goode		Y		Y
Greece		Rita Bouboulidi		Y		Y
Germany		Robert Benz		Y		Y
Norway		Robert Riefling		Y		N
Canada		Robert Silverman		Y		Y
USA		Robert Taub		Y		Y
Netherlands		Ronald Brautigam		Y		Y
Austria		Rudolf Buchbinder (RCA)		Y		Y
Austria		Rudolf Buchbinder (Teldec)		Y		Y
Austria		Rudolf Buchbinder (Unitel)		Y		Y
USA		Russell Sherman		Y		Y
Argentina		Sebastian Forster		Y		Y
Portugal		Sequeira Costa		Y		Y
USA		Seymour Lipkin		Y		Y
Japan		Shoko Sugitani		Y		N
USA		Stephen Kovacevich		Y		Y
USA		Steven Herbert Smith		Y		Y
USA		Steven Masi		Y		Y
Canada		Stewart Goodyear		Y		Y
Japan		Takahiro Sonoda (Denon)		Y		Y
Japan		Takahiro Sonoda (Evica)		Y		Y
Russia		Tatiana Nikolayeva		Y		Y
USA		Timothy Ehlen		Y		Y
Russia		Vladimir Ashkenazy		Y		Y
Germany		Walter Gieseking (EMI)		N		N
Germany		Walter Gieseking (Tahra)		N		Y
Germany		Wilhelm Backhaus (mono)		Y		Y
Germany		Wilhelm Backhaus (stereo)		N		Y
Germany		Wilhelm Kempff (1961, King International)		Y		Y
Germany		Wilhelm Kempff (DG, mono)		Y		Y
Germany		Wilhelm Kempff (DG, stereo)		Y		Y
Japan		Yaeko Yamane		Y		Y
Korea		Younwha Lee		Y		Y
Japan		Yu Kosuge		Y		Y
Japan		Yukio Yokoyama		Y		Y
Japan		Yusuke Kikuchi		Y		Y
France		Yves Nat		Y		Y