Beethoven's Piano Sonatas

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

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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

Brian


Todd

Quote from: Brian on May 28, 2020, 05:43:10 PM
OQR? QOR?


Maybe her and her husband's own label?  The copyright is in his name.
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

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

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

Itullian

#4403
I just picked up 2 cycles, Bodura-Skoda and the Biret Beethoven Edition.
Bodura-Skoda is excellent.
The Biret is excellent as well. Beautifully recorded and inludes Liszt's transcriptions and the piano concertos.
Really enjoying it.  :)

ps how does one insert pictures here. Can't figure it out  :-[
When all else fails, listen to Thick as a Brick.

Todd

Quote from: Itullian on May 28, 2020, 05:56:04 PM
The Biret is excellent as well. Beautifully recorded and inludes Liszt's transcriptions and the piano concertos.


Beautifully recorded?  Has it been remastered?
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

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

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

Itullian

Don't know, but I'm on my fourth disc and it sounds great to me.
When all else fails, listen to Thick as a Brick.

Brian

I am enjoying the Scherbakov cycle so damn much. Listening to the Waldstein right now. His style is that he just puts his head down and plays Beethoven, but with guts and determination and a little bit of need for speed. There are little moments of pure technical showoffery which I've never heard dispatched so easily (1:53 in first movement).

Overall, it doesn't feel "personal" per se compared to someone like Lucchesini, he's more of the objective school. But he's a little too light and classical to be categorized as a "banger." Is a soft banger a thing? Compared to Kempff, he's flashier and faster. Compared to Annie, he's a little less rigid/Teutonic. Maybe the best comparison I can make in my own personal scope of knowledge is that Scherbakov is the answer to the question, "what if Jeno Jando was an absolute badass motherf*cker?"

Karl Henning

Quote from: Brian on June 17, 2020, 02:19:06 PM
I am enjoying the Scherbakov cycle so damn much. Listening to the Waldstein right now. His style is that he just puts his head down and plays Beethoven, but with guts and determination and a little bit of need for speed. There are little moments of pure technical showoffery which I've never heard dispatched so easily (1:53 in first movement).

Overall, it doesn't feel "personal" per se compared to someone like Lucchesini, he's more of the objective school. But he's a little too light and classical to be categorized as a "banger." Is a soft banger a thing? Compared to Kempff, he's flashier and faster. Compared to Annie, he's a little less rigid/Teutonic. Maybe the best comparison I can make in my own personal scope of knowledge is that Scherbakov is the answer to the question, "what if Jeno Jando was an absolute badass motherf*cker?"

Most interesting.
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Todd

Quote from: Brian on June 17, 2020, 02:19:06 PMwhat if Jeno Jando was an absolute badass motherf*cker?


He'd be called Yusuke Kikuchi?

Scherbakov is on volume six I believe.  I can wait patiently for the entire set, I know I can.
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 June 17, 2020, 05:32:41 PM
He'd be called Yusuke Kikuchi?

Ohhhh thanks for suggesting a really fun A/B comparison showdown.

Madiel

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on June 17, 2020, 03:01:06 PM
Most interesting.

Agreed. That was a great description and got my attention.
I am now working on a discography of the works of Vagn Holmboe. Please visit and also contribute!

George

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

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

Daverz

#4413
Quote from: George on June 18, 2020, 07:34:35 AM
Who knew i had so much in common with the Hurwitzer?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3-fow2ab3w

I'm not going to watch the whole video again (I'm listening to music, too), so based on what he holds up, his choices are

Rudolf Serkin
Kempff (stereo cycle, I think)
Arrau
Annie Fischer
Gulda 1967
Brautigam as a choice for a period instrument recording
Levit

https://www.youtube.com/v/p3-fow2ab3w

BTW, I did a spot check of the Amadeo/Brilliant Classics and Eloquence issues of the Gulda set, and I marginally prefer Amadeo as crisper sounding.  There seems to be a slight added reverb on the Eloquence (perhaps due to their AMSI process).

Brian

Igor Levit's cycle did nothing at all for me, but otherwise, not a bad list.

Jo498

Rudolf Serkin's Beethoven sonatas amount to only about 2/3 of a cycle and they are rather uneven, so I would not put this in the top rank. As for Gulda, I don't think the possible slight differences in sound should not overrule price or accessibility. Also note that the Amadeo set are 9 single discs in separate cases with only Spartan documentation and only one track per sonata! The latter fact alone might lead many to prefer the more recent issues despite the sound.
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

Holden

No matter how hard I try I just can't warm to the Gulda cycle. I'm happy to pass it on to someone who would enjoy it.
Cheers

Holden

SurprisedByBeauty

Quote from: Holden on June 18, 2020, 11:52:05 PM
No matter how hard I try I just can't warm to the Gulda cycle. I'm happy to pass it on to someone who would enjoy it.

I take it you are talking about his third, the Amadeo cycle? (As opposed to the earlier cycles available on Orfeo and Philips/Decca?)

MusicTurner

#4418
Quote from: Holden on June 18, 2020, 11:52:05 PM
No matter how hard I try I just can't warm to the Gulda cycle. I'm happy to pass it on to someone who would enjoy it.

Agree concerning most of the later Gulda, say on Amadeo. Early Gulda can be interesting, however. Such as the Orfeo and the various Membran/Milestones etc. releases.
(( Btw, surprisingly, I found his early Chopin Concerto 1/Boult to be my favourite recording; his early Debussy is good too )).

Brian

Quote from: Dowder on June 18, 2020, 09:15:55 PM
He's fun to watch. More intrigued by his Beethoven symphonies list and Mahler Fifth.
I like the recent Telarc Mahler one where he deliberately didn't look at the contents beforehand to prepare.