Beethoven's Piano Sonatas

[George]

No remastering mentioned.

I did some reading about the Kovacevich recordings during the last years, and some reviewers mentioned the hard, direct and metallic sound. So that's what I expected.
My own experience until now: the early recordings are indeed rather harsh and metallic.
But the later ones sound good on my hifi set. Still direct, but warm and deep.

That hard, direct, metallic sound is certainly system dependent. And of course, the words themselves are subjective. What matters, I think it whether or not you like the performances and sound. And it sounds like you do.   

[Todd]

Another new cycle is set to launch: Volume 1, Opp 26, 27, & 28, from Maurizio Paciariello on Da Vinci Classics. 

[SurprisedByBeauty]

Beethoven Piano Sonata Cycle Survey updated: Richard Goode's 1993 Nonesuch cycle has been re-issued by Warner -- and, as has been mentioned here -- Kovacevich, too.


Beethoven Sonatas - A Survey of Complete Cycles
Part 4, 1990 - 1996

[Todd]

After relistening to one cycle, and listening to three new (to me) cycles, I've updated my tiers.  This leaves Kazune Shimizu I, Michael Houstoun I, Sequeira Costa, and the soon to be released Martin Rasch as the four cycles I have yet to listen to in their entirety, and then I'll be out of single pianist cycles to hear, save Shoko Sugitani's overpriced set.


Top Tier – The Holy Tetrarchy
Annie Fischer (Hungarton)
Friedrich Gulda (Amadeo)
Wilhelm Kempff (DG, mono)
Wilhelm Backhaus (mono)

[Rudolf Serkin; OK, he didn't complete a cycle, but this is where he belongs]


Top Tier – The Rest of the Top Ten (sort of in order)
Wilhelm Kempff (DG, stereo)
Eric Heidsieck
Russell Sherman
Andrea Lucchesini
Emil Gilels
Daniel-Ben Pienaar

[Sviatoslav Richter; OK, he didn't complete a cycle, but this is where he belongs]


Second Tier (in no particular order)
Artur Schnabel
Bernard Roberts
Claude Frank
Daniel Barenboim (EMI, 2005)
Eduardo del Pueyo
Francois Frederic Guy
Friedrich Gulda (Orfeo)
Maurizio Pollini
Michael Levinas
Paul Badura-Skoda (JVC/Astree; needs A/B with top 10 contenders)
Peter Takacs
Robert Silverman
Rudolf Buchbinder (Unitel)
Seymour Lipkin
Takahiro Sonoda (Denon)
Takahiro Sonoda (Evica; needs A/B with top 10 contenders)
Wilhelm Backhaus (stereo)
Younwha Lee
Yu Kosuge
Yusuke Kikuchi

[Bruce Hungerford; OK, he didn't complete a cycle, but this is where he belongs]


Third Tier (in no particular order)
Abdel Rahman El Bacha (Mirare)
Akiyoshi Sako
Alfred Brendel (Philips, 1970s)
Alfred Brendel (Vox)
Alfredo Perl
Andras Schiff
Claudio Arrau (1960s)
Claudio Arrau (1980s)
Craig Sheppard
Daniel Barenboim (DG)
Daniel Barenboim (EMI, 1960s)
David Allen Wehr
Dieter Zechlin
Friedrich Gulda (Decca)
Garrick Ohlsson
Gerard Willems
Gerhard Oppitz
Ian Hobson
Ichiro Nodaira (may be second tier stuff – Op 31 is so freakin' good . . .)
Irina Mejoueva
John O'Conor
Kun-Woo Paik
Louie Lortie
Malcolm Binns (borderline tier four?)
Michael Houstoun (Rattle)
Michael Korstick
Paul Badura-Skoda (Gramola)
Pavaali Jumppanen
Peter Rösel
Rudolf Buchbinder (Teldec)
Stephen Kovacevich
Stewart Goodyear
Wilhelm Kempff (1961, King International)
Yaeko Yamane
Yves Nat


Fourth Tier (in no particular order)
Abdel Rahman El Bacha (Forlane)
Aldo Ciccolini
Alfred Brendel (Philips, 1990s)
Andre De Groote
Anton Kuerti
Christian Leotta
Dino Ciani
Georges Pludermacher
Idil Biret
Ikuyo Nakamichi
Jean Bernard Pommier
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet
Jean Muller
Jeno Jando
John Lill
Mari Kodama
Maria Grinburg
Melodie Zhao
Paul Lewis
Richard Goode
Ronald Brautigam
Robert Taub
Rudolf Buchbinder (RCA)
Steven Herbert Smith
Steven Masi
Timothy Ehlen
Vladimir Ashkenazy
Walter Gieseking (Tahra)
Yukio Yokoyama


Bottom Tier (in sorta particular order)
[Glenn Gould; OK, he didn't complete a cycle, but this is where he belongs]
HJ Lim
Rita Bouboulidi
Tatiana Nikolayeva
Anne Oland

[Marc]

After relistening to one cycle, and listening to three new (to me) cycles, I've updated my tiers.  This leaves Kazune Shimizu I, Michael Houstoun I, Sequeira Costa, and the soon to be released Martin Rasch as the four cycles I have yet to listen to in their entirety, and then I'll be out of single pianist cycles to hear, save Shoko Sugitani's overpriced set.


Top Tier – The Holy Tetrarchy
Annie Fischer (Hungarton)
Friedrich Gulda (Amadeo)
Wilhelm Kempff (DG, mono)
Wilhelm Backhaus (mono)

[Rudolf Serkin; OK, he didn't complete a cycle, but this is where he belongs]

[...]

That's funny. I'm downloading one of your 'top tiers' right now (Kempff mono).
I already love the Kempff stereo, and I just couldn't resist.
He was my 'invitation to Ludwig', many many years ago. Concertos and the 3 'famous' sonatas (opp. 13, 27/2 and 57). Dad's vinyl.

[San Antone]

After relistening to one cycle, and listening to three new (to me) cycles, I've updated my tiers.  This leaves Kazune Shimizu I, Michael Houstoun I, Sequeira Costa, and the soon to be released Martin Rasch as the four cycles I have yet to listen to in their entirety, and then I'll be out of single pianist cycles to hear, save Shoko Sugitani's overpriced set.


Top Tier – The Holy Tetrarchy
Annie Fischer (Hungarton)
Friedrich Gulda (Amadeo)
Wilhelm Kempff (DG, mono)
Wilhelm Backhaus (mono)

[Rudolf Serkin; OK, he didn't complete a cycle, but this is where he belongs]


Top Tier – The Rest of the Top Ten (sort of in order)
Wilhelm Kempff (DG, stereo)
Eric Heidsieck
Russell Sherman
Andrea Lucchesini
Emil Gilels
Daniel-Ben Pienaar

[Sviatoslav Richter; OK, he didn't complete a cycle, but this is where he belongs]


Second Tier (in no particular order)
Artur Schnabel
Bernard Roberts
Claude Frank
Daniel Barenboim (EMI, 2005)
Eduardo del Pueyo
Francois Frederic Guy
Friedrich Gulda (Orfeo)
Maurizio Pollini
Michael Levinas
Paul Badura-Skoda (JVC/Astree; needs A/B with top 10 contenders)
Peter Takacs
Robert Silverman
Rudolf Buchbinder (Unitel)
Seymour Lipkin
Takahiro Sonoda (Denon)
Takahiro Sonoda (Evica; needs A/B with top 10 contenders)
Wilhelm Backhaus (stereo)
Younwha Lee
Yu Kosuge
Yusuke Kikuchi

[Bruce Hungerford; OK, he didn't complete a cycle, but this is where he belongs]


Third Tier (in no particular order)
Abdel Rahman El Bacha (Mirare)
Akiyoshi Sako
Alfred Brendel (Philips, 1970s)
Alfred Brendel (Vox)
Alfredo Perl
Andras Schiff
Claudio Arrau (1960s)
Claudio Arrau (1980s)
Craig Sheppard
Daniel Barenboim (DG)
Daniel Barenboim (EMI, 1960s)
David Allen Wehr
Dieter Zechlin
Friedrich Gulda (Decca)
Garrick Ohlsson
Gerard Willems
Gerhard Oppitz
Ian Hobson
Ichiro Nodaira (may be second tier stuff – Op 31 is so freakin' good . . .)
Irina Mejoueva
John O'Conor
Kun-Woo Paik
Louie Lortie
Malcolm Binns (borderline tier four?)
Michael Houstoun (Rattle)
Michael Korstick
Paul Badura-Skoda (Gramola)
Pavaali Jumppanen
Peter Rösel
Rudolf Buchbinder (Teldec)
Stephen Kovacevich
Stewart Goodyear
Wilhelm Kempff (1961, King International)
Yaeko Yamane
Yves Nat


Fourth Tier (in no particular order)
Abdel Rahman El Bacha (Forlane)
Aldo Ciccolini
Alfred Brendel (Philips, 1990s)
Andre De Groote
Anton Kuerti
Christian Leotta
Dino Ciani
Georges Pludermacher
Idil Biret
Ikuyo Nakamichi
Jean Bernard Pommier
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet
Jean Muller
Jeno Jando
John Lill
Mari Kodama
Maria Grinburg
Melodie Zhao
Paul Lewis
Richard Goode
Ronald Brautigam
Robert Taub
Rudolf Buchbinder (RCA)
Steven Herbert Smith
Timothy Ehlen
Vladimir Ashkenazy
Walter Gieseking (Tahra)
Yukio Yokoyama


Bottom Tier (in sorta particular order)
[Glenn Gould; OK, he didn't complete a cycle, but this is where he belongs]
HJ Lim
Rita Bouboulidi
Tatiana Nikolayeva
Anne Oland

Jonathan Biss has completed six volumes in his projected complete cycle.  Any thoughts yet on where his would fall?

[Todd]

Jonathan Biss has completed six volumes in his projected complete cycle.  Any thoughts yet on where his would fall?

Third tier.

[Todd]

In reviewing my list of cycles, the below are the cycles that I have never been able to find copies of, and/or I'm not sure if they exist.  I'm hoping some are reissued in 2020.


Unsure of status
Yoshihiro Kondo (complete?)
Paul Badura-Skoda I (Westminster - does it exist?)

Exist but can't find
Robert Riefling (aka, The Holy Grail)
Hiroaki Ooi
Michael Steinberg
Walter Gieseking (Columbia/EMI, incomplete)
Daniela Varinska
Gotthard Kladetzky

[kishnevi]

In reviewing my list of cycles, the below are the cycles that I have never been able to find copies of, and/or I'm not sure if they exist.  I'm hoping some are reissued in 2020.


Unsure of status
Yoshihiro Kondo (complete?)
Paul Badura-Skoda I (Westminster - does it exist?)

Exist but can't find
Robert Riefling (aka, The Holy Grail)
Hiroaki Ooi
Michael Steinberg
Walter Gieseking (Columbia/EMI, incomplete)
Daniela Varinska
Gotthard Kladetzky

Why is Riefling the Holy Grail?

[Todd]

Why is Riefling the Holy Grail?

Of the remaining complete sets that I don't own, it's the one I want to hear the most, and based on his late career Simax LvB disc, I have a hunch it will be above average qualitatively.  If the PBS Westminster set does exist, that probably becomes the Holy Grail. 

[amw]

Are the 3 sonatas in this set part of the cycle?

[Todd]

Are the 3 sonatas in this set part of the cycle?

No, those are later.  His cycle was released in 1969/70 on Valois. 

[Jo498]

I do not have conclusive evidence but I am pretty sure that there was no complete Badura-Skoda on Westminster

According to the following there was a mid-50s cycle on Intercord/MHS, though:

http://www.badura-skoda.cc/en/discography_1_b.html

[Brian]

Listened to Riefling's live 1979 Op. 111 on YouTube last night and holy cow is it good. You've got me hooked, too.

[Todd]

I do not have conclusive evidence but I am pretty sure that there was no complete Badura-Skoda on Westminster

According to the following there was a mid-50s cycle on Intercord/MHS, though:

http://www.badura-skoda.cc/en/discography_1_b.html

My misstatement, that is the phantom cycle I am referring to.  I used the contact feature on the website to see if the set existed, but never heard back.  I've found some used LPs from the cycle, but never the whole thing.  The same holds true for the Riefling cycle.

Listened to Riefling's live 1979 Op. 111 on YouTube last night and holy cow is it good. You've got me hooked, too.

The late career LvB I referred to is even later.  I have to hear the late 70s stuff now.

[SurprisedByBeauty]

In reviewing my list of cycles, the below are the cycles that I have never been able to find copies of, and/or I'm not sure if they exist.  I'm hoping some are reissued in 2020.


Unsure of status
Yoshihiro Kondo (complete?)
Paul Badura-Skoda I (Westminster - does it exist?)

If all goes well, I'll have a series of conversations with PBS later this year -- I'll definitely plan to dig into his discography with him. He's got records of almost everything he did; so I should find out about it.

[Todd]

If all goes well, I'll have a series of conversations with PBS later this year -- I'll definitely plan to dig into his discography with him. He's got records of almost everything he did; so I should find out about it.

Sweet.  It is a disservice to humanity if a cycle languishes in a vault somewhere. 

[Parsifal]

In reviewing my list of cycles, the below are the cycles that I have never been able to find copies of, and/or I'm not sure if they exist.  I'm hoping some are reissued in 2020.


Unsure of status
Yoshihiro Kondo (complete?)
Paul Badura-Skoda I (Westminster - does it exist?)

Addressing the "does it exist" question, the quoted post suggests yes.

I had the great pleasure of lunching today with pianist Paul
Badura-Skoda, who shared one fascinating story after another about his
survival as a Jew in Austria under the Nazis, his schooling (with Jorg
Demus and Friedrich Gulda) and the early years of his career, playing
under Furtwangler, Szell, Scherchen and others.
Badura-Skoda floored me by saying he made more than 100 recordings for
Westminster in the 1950s, including all of the Beethoven concerti with
Scherchen, complete cycles of sonatas by Mozart, Schubert and
Beethoven, and more

Where are these recordings now? I have come across very few over the
years. Badura-Skoda said there were some problems with the rights to
these tapes, which are, he thinks, now owned by BMG.

Recommendations, please, for Badura-Skoda recordings, available or
unavailable.

Mark Melson

This is rec.music.classical.recordings from 2001

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rec.music.classical.recordings/mGRNXwPuytM

After a chain of acquisitions, Deutsche Gramophone owns the Westminster catalog, including the B-S recordings, unless there was some special arrangement.

[Brian]

Maybe GMG can raise the dough to buy those rights and the Robert Riefling rights.

[Todd]

Addressing the "does it exist" question, the quoted post suggests yes.

This is rec.music.classical.recordings from 2001

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rec.music.classical.recordings/mGRNXwPuytM

After a chain of acquisitions, Deutsche Gramophone owns the Westminster catalog, including the B-S recordings, unless there was some special arrangement.

This almost implies the existence of four cycles.  The PBS site shows Intercord, Gramola, and Astree.  Whether it is three or four, I want the one(s) I do not own.  (Maybe the Intercord/MHS might be reissues of the Westminster recordings.)