Beethoven's Piano Sonatas

Started by George, July 21, 2007, 07:27:17 PM

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JBS

Quote from: SonicMan46 on October 24, 2019, 03:50:33 PM
Hi Todd - concerning Paul Lewis - 14 CDs for $25!  Just looked at the Fanfare Archive - Dubins loved the Concertos - three reviews of the Sonatas, 2 highly positive and one nearly so (Lynn Renee Bayley who I often do not like) - I've not listened to any of Lewis' Beethoven recordings - how does he currently rank in your esteemed ratings?  Thanks - Dave

I liked Lewis much more than Todd...but even if he's not as good as I think he is, it's definitely a bargain for $25.

Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

San Antone

I think Lewis is better with Schubert than the Beethoven sonatas.  But, it is a good price, and his is a decent set, but since they are available on Spotify, there is no reason for me to buy his cycle at any price.

8)

Todd

Quote from: SonicMan46 on October 24, 2019, 03:50:33 PMI've not listened to any of Lewis' Beethoven recordings - how does he currently rank in your esteemed ratings?


Fourth tier, with variability.  He plays well, it's just that I find a good number of the sonatas a bit lifeless.  His Op 106 is top notch, though.


Quote from: San Antone on October 24, 2019, 06:40:14 PM
I think Lewis is better with Schubert than the Beethoven sonatas.


Agree, and his Schubert is even better in person. 
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

Todd

The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

JBS

Quote from: Todd on November 08, 2019, 05:51:53 PM



Oh.  Fuck.  Yeah.

What's the release date? Levitt is still sitting in my pile to be listened to, so I can wait.

Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

Todd

#4305
Quote from: JBS on November 08, 2019, 05:56:00 PM
What's the release date? Levitt is still sitting in my pile to be listened to, so I can wait.


January 17th in Germany.  A proper Beethoven year release.  I have every expectation that Say's cycle will smoosh Levit's.
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

JBS

Quote from: Todd on November 08, 2019, 05:59:03 PM

January 17th in Germany.  A proper Beethoven year release.  I have every expectation that Say's cycle with smoosh Levit's.

It will certainly have, as the famous violinist Sherlock Holmes said, points of interest.

Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

Brian

Levit is idiosyncratic and individual and I don't like it at all. Say is gonna be even weirder and I'm gonna hate probably like half of it but love the other half.

Totally unrelated, God, they need to do a Heidsieck Big Box.

George

"I can't live without music, because music is life." - Yvonne Lefébure

premont

Quote from: Brian on November 08, 2019, 06:22:59 PM
Say is gonna be even weirder and I'm gonna hate probably like half of it but love the other half.

I think there isn't much to say.  :)
γνῶθι σεαυτόν

Todd

Quote from: Brian on November 08, 2019, 06:22:59 PMTotally unrelated, God, they need to do a Heidsieck Big Box.


Yes.  A Warner box and a Japan market box of his panoply of releases there.

Also needed: a Leif Ove Andsnes box.  I am not at all secretly hoping that other pianists drop surprise complete cycles next year, and Andsnes is one of them.  I know his Beethoven Journey comprised the concertos, but I hope the journey continues.

Other pianists I'd like to see surprise full sonata cycles from: Ragna Schirmer, Michael Endres, YES, Saleem Abboud Ashkar (a surprise in that he finishes early), Dasol Kim (to augment the last three sonatas I will be hearing in person in January; maybe he has been recording his live performances of the cycle!), Alessio Bax, Nicholas Angelich, Bertrand Chamayou, and William Youn.

And I eagerly await Krystian Zimerman's recording of the last three sonatas.
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

Brian

Quote from: Todd on November 09, 2019, 04:35:50 AM

Yes.  A Warner box and a Japan market box of his panoply of releases there.

Also needed: a Leif Ove Andsnes box.
Given the way Warner-Erato is boxing up everything, I assumed an Andsnes box was such a given that I didn't grab any of those clearance items in that sale a few months ago.

If he does a Beethoven box, Sony will probably sit on it until after everyone buys Levit...

Todd

Quote from: Brian on November 09, 2019, 06:46:49 AM
Given the way Warner-Erato is boxing up everything, I assumed an Andsnes box was such a given that I didn't grab any of those clearance items in that sale a few months ago.

If he does a Beethoven box, Sony will probably sit on it until after everyone buys Levit...


Andsnes turns 50 next year.  It would be a suitable occasion for a big box and a convenient coincidence with the LvB anniversary year. 
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

The new erato

Beethoven will be the focus of the Rosendal chamber music festival of which Leif Ove is rhe director next year.

Todd

Quote from: The new erato on November 09, 2019, 07:29:45 AM
Beethoven will be the focus of the Rosendal chamber music festival of which Leif Ove is rhe director next year.


Here's to hoping that live recordings of the Violin Sonatas and Piano Trios come out of that event, with the director at the keyboard.  (On the trios front, one of the big releases of next year will be the FFG/Phillips/Papavrami set, and surely any fan of the music wants at least two high end sets next year.)
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

Brian

Hmm, I just noticed something I'd forgotten about. The back case of my Freire/Chailly Concerto 5 says "Freire and Chailly begin a Beethoven cycle..."

Chailly has departed Leipzig. I wonder if they ever recorded concertos 1-4 or not. Google search informs me that our Jens speculated, on Forbes, that they did not and the project was abandoned.

Todd

Quote from: Brian on November 09, 2019, 08:10:47 AM
Hmm, I just noticed something I'd forgotten about. The back case of my Freire/Chailly Concerto 5 says "Freire and Chailly begin a Beethoven cycle..."

Chailly has departed Leipzig. I wonder if they ever recorded concertos 1-4 or not. Google search informs me that our Jens speculated, on Forbes, that they did not and the project was abandoned.


If they did, and it is released, I will buy reflexively.  Of course, if Freire recorded Chopsticks, I'd probably buy that.  Freire is another pianist I'd love to hear in the complete sonatas, though the probability that he would even entertain the idea is nil.
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

staxomega

I would really welcome a Heidsieck box as well, so many of those EMI recordings are very hard to find on CD or LP only.

Todd

#4318



[Cross-posted from WAYLTN]

Valery Afanassiev playing three of ol' Ludwig van's most famous sonatas.  Afanassiev's main thing here is playing the music slower than slow.  Op 13 is dreadful.  Heavy, plodding, ugly, lacking energy, and including a lot of banging, it's almost as bad as Gould's worst.  Somehow, though, the even more ridiculously slow 27/2 (9:58/3:25/9:14!) comes off reasonably well, if one takes it as a serious attempt at musical absurdism.  Afanassiev achieves musical stasis in the opening movement and a strange sense of scale in the closer.  Op 57 comes in at over a half-hour, and much of it sounds stiff, ugly, and ponderous, but in some passages he lets rip to exciting effect.  He whizzes right by Pogorelich and straight into Barto territory in terms of self-indulgence, but he lacks the American's tonal finesse and fluidity.  Afanassiev's discs usually sell at a premium, but I picked this up for an old school Naxos price (ie, $6), so it was worth it.
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

aukhawk

Quote from: Todd on November 16, 2019, 10:56:27 AM
He whizzes right by Pogorelich and straight into Barto territory in terms of self-indulgence, ...

As one might deduce from the album title.