Beethoven's Piano Sonatas

[Todd]

Goodyears complete set now available at marquis classics foe $55. Please wait a few days while my order clears.

I just don't think waiting is an option for some.

[Leon]

Goodyears complete set now available at marquis classics foe $55. Please wait a few days while my order clears.

No problem; I can wait indefinitely.

[Mandryka]

For mono apart from Schnabel and Serkin I like Edwin Fischer and Elly Ney most. And Sofronitsky if he was recorded in mono, I'm not sure.

A notch below for me is Rubinstein and Hoffman and Gieseking. I have never heard the Horszowski but it could well be fun.

Has anyone explored Horowitz? (I haven't.)

[DieNacht]

You probably like Yudina overall as well ?

Among the mono recordings I´ve got some

Frederic Lamond,
Ignaz Friedman,
Eduard Kilenyi,
Horowitz,
Edwin Fischer,
Victor Schiøler,
Guiomar Novaes,
Harold Bauer,
Kempff,
Gieseking,
Egon Petri,
Friedrich Wührer,
Samuil Feinberg,
Schnabel,
Serkin and
Solomon,
but many of them I haven´t explored so much in depth.

Somehow Richter, Gilels, Yudina, Gould, Schnabel, Beveridge Webster, Kovacevich, Kempff and Kuerti have been the biggest names for me so far.

Lamond is very vintage and can occasionally be interesting, but his style was rather sketchy. There are many recordings on you-tube.

I remember Friedman as interesting in Sonata 14, but the sound is poor.

[George]

Yudina's Op. 111 gets my second vote, Bill.

Third vote goes to Gilels's Appassionata in the green Brilliant set.

[Brian]

Now marathoning Op 31/1 in this order: HJ Lim, Jeno Jando, Ronald Brautigam, Stewart Goodyear. Chosen to provide evidence for the assertion that you can be assertive and exciting without being as crass as HJ Lim.

EDIT;

Post #10,000

[George]

My nomination for the most fun Beethoven sonata CD ever recorded. Sorry, Bill, this one's in stereo. 

[Leon]

My nomination for the most fun Beethoven sonata CD ever recorded. Sorry, Bill, this one's in stereo. 

For some reason it makes me think of Victor Borge.

[Drasko]

My favorite mono Beethoven sonata recording is without any question Edwin Fischer's 1938 recording of op.110. Simply wonderful.

[Holden]

My favorite mono Beethoven sonata recording is without any question Edwin Fischer's 1938 recording of op.110. Simply wonderful.

Mine is Serkin's 'Waldstein'

[Holden]

My favorite mono Beethoven sonata recording is without any question Edwin Fischer's 1938 recording of op.110. Simply wonderful.

I've just had a listen (thank you Spotify) and what really stands out for me is the tone he conjures from the piano and this is from a recording that is nearly 80 years old. The sound is quite unique, I can't describe it. What also stands out is his use of dynamics, especially pianissimo. Maybe I need to explore this pianist further.

[Mandryka]

I've just had a listen (thank you Spotify) and what really stands out for me is the tone he conjures from the piano and this is from a recording that is nearly 80 years old. The sound is quite unique, I can't describe it. What also stands out is his use of dynamics, especially pianissimo. Maybe I need to explore this pianist further.

That may have something to do with the physical qualities of his piano.

[Bogey]

My favorite mono Beethoven sonata recording is without any question Edwin Fischer's 1938 recording of op.110. Simply wonderful.

What recording (label) do you have here, Miloš?

[George]

What recording (label) do you have here, Miloš?

I got the APR cheap and it sounds fine.

[mc ukrneal]

Post #10,000

Wowsers! Congrats! That is really something!!!!!!

I guess that puts you with this company:

[Bogey]

Well, yesterday I had time and opportunity due to a short road trip to review the four mono recordings I have of Sonata No. 8.  The recordings were:

Fischer (Pearl) 1938
Schnabel (Pearl) 1934
Rubinstein (RCA-AR Collection) 1946

at home:
Serkin (Columbia-vinyl) 1945

For the cds, my wife was kind enough to set up a blind test for my listening to the first three recordings listed.  Since sound was variable, performance was the only factor I tuned into.  My results:

1. Schnabel (I was shocked.  I thought he would be dead last, but enjoyed all three movements and thought he was level handed and did not try to over do it.)
2. Rubinstein (The third movement saved him for me.)
3. Fischer (Did not care for it much.  Sometimes it seemed quite juvenile.  I actually felt sorry for the piano being played at times as he seemed to bruise it.)

I then listened to the Serkin this morning and would put it ahead of the Schnabel.  However, I am still pleased Artur's effort.   Too bad I did not have a Serkin cd for the blind mono test, but I felt I still judged the performance fairly.  Of course, this is just my preference.  I am sure that others would vary my rankings.  I am now curious to hear the Annie Fischer, Kempff (mono) and the Solomon efforts with this piece.

[Karl Henning]

Time, opportunity and motive ....

[Drasko]

What recording (label) do you have here, Miloš?

Hi Bill, I have it on Dante but that is long gone and anyhow both Pearl and APR should sound better.

[jlaurson]

Hi Bill, I have it on Dante but that is long gone and anyhow both Pearl and APR should sound better.

And Naxos!! Which is the most affordable and a good compromise between the "everything, including hiss" of Pearl and "no hiss and not a lot of other things either" of the Dante.
Americans have to get it through Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.de or in any case from Europe, thanks to Congress' Mickey-Mouse Copyright Extension. (We're not getting the Beatles-Extension, which isn't much better and ultimately the same B.S..

[Mandryka]

Well, yesterday I had time and opportunity due to a short road trip to review the four mono recordings I have of Sonata No. 8.  The recordings were:

Fischer (Pearl) 1938
Schnabel (Pearl) 1934
Rubinstein (RCA-AR Collection) 1946

at home:
Serkin (Columbia-vinyl) 1945

For the cds, my wife was kind enough to set up a blind test for my listening to the first three recordings listed.  Since sound was variable, performance was the only factor I tuned into.  My results:

1. Schnabel (I was shocked.  I thought he would be dead last, but enjoyed all three movements and thought he was level handed and did not try to over do it.)
2. Rubinstein (The third movement saved him for me.)
3. Fischer (Did not care for it much.  Sometimes it seemed quite juvenile.  I actually felt sorry for the piano being played at times as he seemed to bruise it.)

I then listened to the Serkin this morning and would put it ahead of the Schnabel.  However, I am still pleased Artur's effort.   Too bad I did not have a Serkin cd for the blind mono test, but I felt I still judged the performance fairly.  Of course, this is just my preference.  I am sure that others would vary my rankings.  I am now curious to hear the Annie Fischer, Kempff (mono) and the Solomon efforts with this piece.

There's a mono Pathetique that Maria Grinberg recorded, not the one from her complete set (which is stereo I think), but an earlier recording. It's well worth hearing. I wonder why you say that E Fischer was sometimes juvenile.