Beethoven's Piano Sonatas

[Holden]

I meant this one (your image doesn't work)

Thanks for that - I use IE8 at work and it's awful for posting images. This was the one I meant.

[jlaurson]

It's not out yet and keeps getting delayed.  If it comes out as scheduled, I'll have it later this month

It's (apparently) definitely coming out now; it's been included in Naxos' July release calendar.
Looking very good, actually... (literally: the booklet and packaging look very promising).

[Clever Hans]

What do you think of Maria Grinberg?  She tries to capture this modernist spirit.

Unfortunately, I am not familiar with her.

I think Hungerford is agile, unstudied, a little reckless, in the vein of Schnabel. Sounds classical, or modern in retrospect i.e. not trying too hard. It many ways an ideal Beethoven pianist.

Rosen is also in the interpretive vein of Schnabel regarding affect and tempi. Not as much spontaneity or poetry, but with an interesting and subtle rubato. Rugged, and importantly not too sensual in tone. Still natural sounding, though, unlike the glassy Pollini recording, which I like, however.
The great advantage of Rosen is his intellectual understanding of the music--its innovations, what it is, and what it's not. So I trust him as a guide to the music, which is(was) avant-garde but pre-romantic (without romantic baggage).
His most well known CBS recording of the late sonatas he recorded shortly before or while writing The Classical Style. But he's not pedantic.
In any case, maybe he's not the most beguiling pianist, but he's a formidable and reliable guide to the late sonatas.

[kishnevi]

It's (apparently) definitely coming out now; it's been included in Naxos' July release calendar.
Looking very good, actually... (literally: the booklet and packaging look very promising).

Amazon has it available for pre order; it's on my wish list at the moment.  I'll wait and see how much the Marketplace discounts it off the $80 or so Amazon lists it for (the last time I looked).

[jlaurson]

Amazon has it available for pre order; it's on my wish list at the moment.  I'll wait and see how much the Marketplace discounts it off the $80 or so Amazon lists it for (the last time I looked).

The regular asking price is $99,- ... it's a high-quality, limited set of SACDs... I'd be surprised if it fell further than 20% below asking price any time soon, if at all.

[jwinter]

Greetings to all!  It's been a long while since I've posted in these parts; I've been rather busy with kids and new job(s), but all is well, and Beethoven continues to feed the soul. 

I've been listening to the Teaching Company's course on the LvB sonatas, and that plus the present thread prompted me to go through ye olde shelves and see what I have on hand, and ponder perhaps another set or two.  I'm currently in possession of the following sets (leaving aside singles and what-not):

Schnabel (Naxos)
Nat
Kempff (mono)
Arrau (60s)
Backhaus (stereo)
Gulda (Brilliant Classics)
Frank
Kuerti
Annie Fischer
Ashkenazy
Barenboim II
O'Conor
Gilels
Goode
Brendel III
Kovacevich
Lewis

My all-time fave is probably Gilels (his Moonlight sonata was the 1st Beethoven CD I ever owned, and I still find it truly magical), though of course preferences vary depending on the sonata, the weather, and what I had for breakfast.  I tend to lean towards a more lyrical approach (Gilels, Arrau, Nat), although some Backhaus-style thunder is essential to change things up now and then.  My most recent listening has been Schnabel -- I'm a sucker for historical recordings, I like how it's rather like climbing into a time machine, and how my imagination will fill in and round off the bits that the recording misses, as with Furtwangler or Toscanini in the symphonies.  I'll agree with the crowd that I really like Naxos transfers, they're a nice compromise between noise and clarity.

Any suggestions or favorite sets that I'm missing?  I may pick up Kempff's stereo set since it's so cheap at the moment.  I'm looking to add at least one set on a period instrument, since I have none at this point (not even a single CD, though I have plenty of PI in Haydn & Bach, so I'm not averse).

Cheers,
jwinter

[Todd]

Any suggestions or favorite sets that I'm missing?

The one that jumps out immediately is Eric Heidsieck's cycle.  An individual but indispensable cycle.  Kempff's stereo set is superb, of course, but if you already have the mono set, I'd try another pianist first.  Can't really help on the HIP side much.

[Leon]

Any suggestions or favorite sets that I'm missing?  I may pick up Kempff's stereo set since it's so cheap at the moment.  I'm looking to add at least one set on a period instrument, since I have none at this point (not even a single CD, though I have plenty of PI in Haydn & Bach, so I'm not averse).

The Brautigam PI cycle comes to mind immediately.  There are available as individual CD sets but I do not know if there is a box.

[George]

The Brautigam PI cycle comes to mind immediately.  There are available as individual CD sets but I do not know if there is a box.

Yes, for PI, Brautigam is great!

[jlaurson]

Any suggestions or favorite sets that I'm missing?

Cheers,
jwinter

Brautigam is stupendous, no question. Well covered everywhere else, I'd say.

[prémont]

Schnabel (Naxos)
Nat
Kempff (mono)
Arrau (60s)
Backhaus (stereo)
Gulda (Brilliant Classics)
Frank
Kuerti
Annie Fischer
Ashkenazy
Barenboim II
O'Conor
Gilels
Goode
Brendel III
Kovacevich
Lewis

Any suggestions or favorite sets that I'm missing?  I may pick up Kempff's stereo set since it's so cheap at the moment.  I'm looking to add at least one set on a period instrument, since I have none at this point (not even a single CD, though I have plenty of PI in Haydn & Bach, so I'm not averse).

Great to see you back in the forum. 

You are well served - also as to variety - by your collection. If the collection reflects your taste this is very similar to mine. Of the versions I favour the most - mentioned earlier in this thread - you are missing Heidsieck and Badura-Skoda. I agree with Todd that the Heidsieck is mandatory. Badura-Skoda´s PI set (Arcana) is next to impossible to get hold of, but his set on Gramola on a Bösendorfer is very fine too,

[Oldnslow]

From what I have heard so far of Buchbinder's new RCA  live set (up to Op. 31), I would recommend it. Straightforward, powerful performances--a little like Gulda in my view. For a more lyrical approach, I enjoyed David Allen Wehr's set on Connassieur Society (order directly from them for best prices). I concurr with Brautigam for fortepiano.

[kishnevi]

The regular asking price is $99,- ... it's a high-quality, limited set of SACDs... I'd be surprised if it fell further than 20% below asking price any time soon, if at all.

That's true, and compared to some other SACD sets....But let me put it this way.  There are enough other sets of the sonatas that I don't have, that I don't need to make this one a high priority.  I've got about fifty eight or so to catch up to Todd

[kishnevi]

Make that fifty five and a half to catch up to Todd.   Just ordered some sets through Amazon Marketplace that included



The Gould set, btw, does not include all the sonatas he recorded, but at the moment it's the most economical way to get his performances of the concertos.


Meanwhile, the Takacs set is now being offered by Amazon for preorder at $76.

[George]

The Gould set, btw, does not include all the sonatas he recorded, but at the moment it's the most economical way to get his performances of the concertos.

That was really shitty of SONY to not include all the sonatas Gould recorded.

[Coopmv]

The Gould set, btw, does not include all the sonatas he recorded, but at the moment it's the most economical way to get his performances of the concertos.


Meanwhile, the Takacs set is now being offered by Amazon for preorder at $76.


That was really shitty of sONY to not include all the sonatas.

I wonder how many of the Beethoven Piano Sonatas are in this 80-CD Original Jacket box set, which I bought a few years ago at $108 ...



The asking price on Amazon is now $1K ...

[kishnevi]

That was really shitty of SONY to not include all the sonatas Gould recorded.

IIRC correctly, they left out nos 1-3 and 27, and Hammerklavier (no. 28, right?  I never remember the number for that one.)  The latter two were issued on a single CD by the Glenn Gould Edition that's fairly cheap now.  The motivating factor is that this set includes the concertos for about $22 on Amazon Marketplace, versus about $45 for the GGE set of the same performances.  With the difference, I can basically buy the GGE set that contains the first three if I decide I want them later.

[kishnevi]

I wonder how many of the Beethoven Piano Sonatas are in this 80-CD Original Jacket box set, which I bought a few years ago at $108 ...



The asking price on Amazon is now $1K ...

Well, there's at least three of them there: the picture of Gould walking in the snow directly under the word "Original" is the cover of the CD that contains the Appassionata (and which by itself I think sells for about $10  on Amazon).

[Leon]

I wonder how many of the Beethoven Piano Sonatas are in this 80-CD Original Jacket box set, which I bought a few years ago at $108 ...



The asking price on Amazon is now $1K ...

I have that set as well and it is not a complete set of all 32 but I am pretty sure it is all the ones Gould recorded, which is close to complete.

[Coopmv]

I have that set as well and it is not a complete set of all 32 but I am pretty sure it is all the ones Gould recorded, which is close to complete.

I bought the set mainly to get my hands on Gould's complete JS Bach recordings.  I have never equated Gould to much of a pianist for Beethoven Piano Sonatas ...