Beethoven's Piano Sonatas

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

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SurprisedByBeauty

Quote from: aukhawk on November 17, 2019, 01:40:35 AM
As one might deduce from the album title.

Since the titular phrase has become associated with a response to terrorism, it seems doubly appropriate.

Brian

But did he write the booklet essay? He penned one of the worst liner notes I've ever read, for an album of piano duets on the Dux label.

Todd

Quote from: Brian on November 17, 2019, 01:50:47 PM
But did he write the booklet essay? He penned one of the worst liner notes I've ever read, for an album of piano duets on the Dux label.


Yep, thirteen pages' worth.  The "To Drain The Swamp" section even includes mention of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.  I did not read all of the notes.
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

#4323
In preparation for the upcoming Beethoven year, and having recently completed three more cycles, I decided to refresh my tiers so that I can make sure any new cycles that pop up in the next dozen or so months can be properly grouped into the most objective ratings system known to humanity.


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 alphabetical order)
Artur Schnabel
Bernard Roberts
Claude Frank
Daniel Barenboim (EMI, 2005)
Eduardo del Pueyo
Fazil Say
Francois Frederic Guy
Friedrich Gulda (Orfeo)
Kazune Shimizu (Sony)
Maurizio Pollini
Michael Levinas
Paul Badura-Skoda (JVC/Astree)
Peter Takacs
Robert Silverman
Rudolf Buchbinder (Unitel)
Seymour Lipkin
Takahiro Sonoda (Denon)
Takahiro Sonoda (Evica)
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 alphabetical 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
Igor Levit
Irina Mejoueva
John O'Conor
Jonathan Biss
Kun-Woo Paik
Louie Lortie
Malcolm Binns
Michael Houstoun (Morrison Trust)
Michael Houstoun (Rattle)
Michael Korstick
Paul Badura-Skoda (Gramola)
Pavaali Jumppanen
Peter Rösel
Robert Silverman (AudioHigh)
Rudolf Buchbinder (Teldec)
Sequeira Costa
Stephen Kovacevich
Stewart Goodyear
Wilhelm Kempff (1961, King International)
Yaeko Yamane
Yves Nat


Fourth Tier (in alphabetical 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 Muller
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet
Jeno Jando
John Kane
John Lill
Llŷr Williams
Mari Kodama
Maria Grinburg
Martin Rasch
Martino Tirimo   
Melodie Zhao
Paul Lewis
Richard Goode
Robert Benz
Robert Taub
Ronald Brautigam
Rudolf Buchbinder (RCA)
Sebastian Forster
Steven Herbert Smith
Steven Masi
Timothy Ehlen
Vladimir Ashkenazy
Walter Gieseking (Tahra)
Yukio Yokoyama


Bottom Tier (in sorta particular order)
HJ Lim
Rita Bouboulidi
Tatiana Nikolayeva
Anne Oland


Eighth Circle of Hell
[Glenn Gould; OK, he didn't complete a cycle, but this is where he belongs]

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

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

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

rachmaninoff

When I was 20 ( I'm now 57 ), I was looking for an Lp Box of the 32 sonatas; I went to the shop :  two Lp boxes were available : VOX Brendel and......ROBERT RIEFLING (box !!!! Valois).

I choose RIEFLING....
I few years later, I sell RIEFLING....

Now, I have more than 50 boxes....I will kill myself to have sell Robert..


Mandryka

Quote from: rachmaninoff on January 14, 2020, 04:55:39 AM
When I was 20 ( I'm now 57 ), I was looking for an Lp Box of the 32 sonatas; I went to the shop :  two Lp boxes were available : VOX Brendel and......ROBERT RIEFLING (box !!!! Valois).

I choose RIEFLING....
I few years later, I sell RIEFLING....

Now, I have more than 50 boxes....I will kill myself to have sell Robert..

I've only heard him play Ludus Tonalis, IMO he makes the music come off the page.  He's a pianist I'd like explore.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

amw

I have him in the last 3 Beethoven sonatas + two concertos. The most similar artist that comes to mind is Edwin Fischer. So he's at a pretty high level basically.

San Antone

News from International Piano Magazine:

"Jonathan Biss completes his nine-year Beethoven odyssey recording all 32 piano sonatas."  A box soon?

"Israeli pianist Boris Giltburg is marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth this year by learning all 32 of the composer's piano sonatas in chronological order. "  I suppose a recording will emerge?

"Italian soundboard manufacturer Ciresa has launched Resonance Piano, a wooden soundboard that can enhance the sound of any digital piano. Digital signals are fed through the soundboard to give them with a more natural character." 

"Arcadi Volodos reveals that he possesses what is surely the most refined and spectacular technique of any living pianist."    ::)

8)

staxomega

Quote from: San Antone on January 18, 2020, 04:09:29 AM

"Arcadi Volodos reveals that he possesses what is surely the most refined and spectacular technique of any living pianist."    ::)


Is he recording a cycle?

San Antone

Quote from: hvbias on January 18, 2020, 04:20:22 AM
Is he recording a cycle?

That quote was regarding his recent Schubert recording. 

JBS

Quote from: San Antone on January 18, 2020, 04:09:29 AM
News from International Piano Magazine:

"Jonathan Biss completes his nine-year Beethoven odyssey recording all 32 piano sonatas."  A box soon?

"Israeli pianist Boris Giltburg is marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth this year by learning all 32 of the composer's piano sonatas in chronological order. "  I suppose a recording will emerge?

"Italian soundboard manufacturer Ciresa has launched Resonance Piano, a wooden soundboard that can enhance the sound of any digital piano. Digital signals are fed through the soundboard to give them with a more natural character." 

"Arcadi Volodos reveals that he possesses what is surely the most refined and spectacular technique of any living pianist."    ::)

8)

About Giltburg
https://www.gramophone.co.uk/classical-music-news/article/boris-giltburg-embarks-on-beethoven-32-project-for-beethoven-year

QuoteStarting in January, each sonata will be filmed and shared on Giltburg's YouTube channel. Supplementary material documenting his journey of discovery will be posted on his bespoke 'Beethoven 32' website, as a means of sharing with audiences, via written and video material, the daily challenges and obstacles in learning these pinnacles of the piano repertoire across such a short period of time.

Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

George

Quote from: San Antone on January 18, 2020, 04:09:29 AM
"Arcadi Volodos reveals that he possesses what is surely the most refined and spectacular technique of any living pianist."    ::)

8)

Reveals through his playing or verbally?  :)
"I can't live without music, because music is life." - Yvonne Lefébure

San Antone

Quote from: George on January 18, 2020, 07:57:33 AM
Reveals through his playing or verbally?  :)

That example might be a good addition to Cato's Grammar Grumbles thread.  I first read it as an incredibly egotistic statement, but it might have just been some badly written blurb out of his PR machine.

Mandryka

#4333
I think the refinement of his playing is more  impressive on record than, for example,  Sokolov and Pletnev and Pogorelich and Uchida and Zimerman in concert. But there's a problem here -- I've heard Sokolov and Pletnev and Pogorelich and Uchida and Zimerman in concert, I know what they sound like. I've only heard Volodos on record, and so what I'm hearing is partly the result of studio processing. It may be quite false.  On record he's like a latter day Benno Moiseiewitsch.

Hamelin is interesting to think about in this context. As is Anderszewski -- they make a nice noise in real life. Anderszewski  especially.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Mookalafalas

Apparently K.M. Moo's first volume goes on sale today. 
It's all good...

SurprisedByBeauty

Quote from: Mookalafalas on January 19, 2020, 09:02:48 PM
Apparently K.M. Moo's first volume goes on sale today. 


And the cover is made to look intentionally to look like they went on sale today, 50 years ago?

Brian

I think the cover is super cool. But I am a young person who never had vinyl, so...

San Antone

Quote from: Mookalafalas on January 19, 2020, 09:02:48 PM
Apparently K.M. Moo's first volume goes on sale today. 


Terrible sound.  Sounds like it was recorded in a closet on a practice piano.

ritter

Cross-posted from the New Releases thread:

Quote from: ritter on January 29, 2020, 06:49:04 AM
I think this hasn't been posted here yet:


Yes, it's new recordings (40 years later!).
Feb. 28th release date, as per Presto Classical.

Brian

So far streaming Fazil Say's Beethoven sonata cycle has been a thorough, consistent delight - some of his most polished and mature, but at the same time tastefully eccentric, playing from his career. Kind of belongs on a shelf of Elite Eccentrics with the likes of Heidsieck and Gilels. Just popping in now to say that the "Pastoral" has way, way more humming and grunting than the other recordings I've heard so far.

EDIT: Miswrote that first sentence. Not the most polished playing by anyone. Just by Say.