Beethoven's Piano Sonatas

[springrite]

He actually admired that sonata, and was more than a little intimidated by it. When he was finally persuaded to record it, he gave it much thought, much study and, in my opinion, gave us one of the great Hammerklaviers. Well, one of the most interesting ones anyway.

Sarge

I love Gould's take on the slow movement especially.

[Opus106]

You need lots of patience to get through Gould's Hammerklavier...I think the wait is worth it 

Sarge

I'm not surprised you say that, but it will have to wait for the day. Despite the slowness (and those pauses! ), I felt the music in between flowed... at some speed. I guess it's too bad that I knew that he was playing (trying to) the Hammerklavier; otherwise I might have bought it (his performance, not necessarily the recording).

[Opus106]

I love Gould's take on the slow movement especially.

Now that I haven't yet heard; I was too much put off by the first. I'll give it a listen later.

[Karl Henning]

Most interesting, Sarge, thanks.

[snyprrr]

What! Not even the . . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . . string quartets!!!!

Haven't re-uped since the Melos back in the day (I have a hard time getting things like Beethoven and Shostakovich when I seemingly have them them burnt into my circuit boards like Stairway to Heaven and Freebird!  can hear the 'best' versions just by thinking about them!! ). Currently, you have Liszt to thank for my interest! I'm considering Katsaris's  Cycle of Transcriptions. What say you?

[snyprrr]

I prefer the sound on the original issue:



http://www.amazon.com/Late-Piano-Sonatas-28-32-Beethoven/dp/B000001G7E/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1339079275&sr=8-4

I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that.

I was afraid of that. You know all the Amazon reviews say that that one is the one with the 'surface brittle' sound, or something. This is more important than what I'm having for dinner, so I WILL need to get to the bottom of this. Should I start a Special Thread??

I can deal with the sound that 'they' have told me to expect, but I'm not ready for the typical 'bad D(o)G' piano sound. I know I will probably like one and not the other, but, as you can see, I don't know which one.

I would love to just trust you George,... but,... but,... can you write me an essay of 500 words as to why you prefer the original, and not the 'Originals'? pleeeeeez!!!

[North Star]

Haven't re-uped since the Melos back in the day (I have a hard time getting things like Beethoven and Shostakovich when I seemingly have them them burnt into my circuit boards like Stairway to Heaven and Freebird!  can hear the 'best' versions just by thinking about them!! ). Currently, you have Liszt to thank for my interest! I'm considering Katsaris's  Cycle of Transcriptions. What say you?

Curiously I read that two times as Firebird...
You not owning the late quartets (and the Razumovskys, too) is astonishing to hear!
It's more understandable if you've heard them a lot, but that's nothing more than an excuse to get a new recording 

[Karl Henning]

I would love to just trust you George,... but,... but,... can you write me an essay of 500 words as to why you prefer the original, and not the 'Originals'? pleeeeeez!!!

What if he just rambles and rants 500 words' worth? Like, erm, a chappie we know?

George, lad: you up for that? : )

[George]

What if he just rambles and rants 500 words' worth? Like, erm, a chappie we know?

George, lad: you up for that? : )

Nah, I am bushed.

I can say that I have yet to hear an Originals mastering that was better than the original. I've compared about 10 or so and they seem to always sound filtered and over-processed to me.

[Bogey]

Nah, I am bushed.

George at home.

[George]

I'm only sleeping... 

[Mandryka]

He actually admired that sonata, and was more than a little intimidated by it. When he was finally persuaded to record it, he gave it much thought, much study and, in my opinion, gave us one of the great Hammerklaviers. Well, one of the most interesting ones anyway.

Sarge

I'm sure I once read somewhere that at first he was reluctant to record it because he thought that he couldn't do better than one of Rosen's records. I don't know why he changed his mind

This may be a figment of my imagination. I can't find the place I read it.

By the way, Weingartner made an orchestral transcription of the Hammerklavier. I've. never enjoyed it as much as his Grosse Fugue, but that may just be a performance question.

[snyprrr]

What! Not even the . . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . . string quartets!!!!

Oy, I said I had no SQs?? Don't we all remember that Suske-mania I went through two years ago?? Yes, I have the SQs.

Wow, take about memory lapse!

[George]

Oy, I said I had no SQs?? Don't we all remember that Suske-mania I went through two years ago?? Yes, I have the SQs.

Wow, take about memory lapse!

Karl's humor takes a while to sink in, but once it does - oh boy!

[Opus106]

By the way, Weingartner made an orchestral transcription of the Hammerklavier.

Thanks for letting us know. However Beethoven channels an orchestra through a piano sometimes, I sort of wonder how it would transcribed, especially so with the Op. 106.

[prémont]

I'm only sleeping... 

No, that was John - not George.

[George]

No, that was John - not George.

[Bogey]

No, that was John - not George.

"Clever" is always appreciated.

[snyprrr]

Guuuys,... don't force me to get the LP, the '90 relaase, aaand the 'Originals'!

[Holden]

 I couldn't help myself, I just had to go and listen to Gould's Hammerklavier (Youtube) and despite the perversity of approach (or maybe because of it) I enjoyed much of what I heard. Now before you knock the speed Gould adopts in the first movement, have a listen to Richter in both Prague and London and maybe you can see where Gould is coming from.

What appeals to me about a lot of the Gould LvB (not much so far) that I've heard is the way he brings out elements that are actually there in the music yet don't appear in other pianists versions.

That said, I'm not going to stick Gould up there as one of the great Beethoven pianists but he certainly has a lot of interesting and to my mind, relevant things to say.

Maybe I should spring for the complete cycle (or maybe not)