Beethoven's Piano Sonatas

[jfdrex]

I think the world of Backhaus' Beethoven... Backhaus for me never impresses with a moment, a note, even a movement. He does nothing that makes me go: Whahhhhuuuu!?! With Backhaus, I don't see the trees for all the forest. It's unfussy, unfazed understatement throughout and with me, it yields big-time. If I had to keep one set of LvB Sonatas, it would probably, perhaps be stereo-Backhaus.

I got the Backhaus recording of those sonatas when it was first issued, when I was an adolescent.  I thought then that those performances brought forth an otherworldly atmosphere, and I still think that.  The stereo technology is good, not the best, but still good enough that I can ignore tape hiss and listen to exquisite versions of these and all the sonatas.

I share both sentiments completely, especially Jens's characterization of "unfussy, unfazed understatement throughout" Backhaus's cycles, and Cato's detection of "an otherworldly atmosphere" throughout those performances.

Perhaps it's partly the power of suggestion, informed by an awareness of Backhaus's astonishing longevity as a major pianist, spanning several generations from the late 19th century into the latter half of the 20th century--the thought that someone who saw and heard Brahms play was himself still playing at an extraordinarily high level when I was in my teens just blows me away--but I find an authority, authenticity, and rightness to Backhaus's Beethoven that I haven't heard or felt to the same, consistent extent in any other pianist.  I love many other pianists' Beethoven; and of course there are "better" performances (however one might define "better") of this or that sonata by other pianists, but it's those aforementioned qualities in Backhaus's pianism that keep me returning to his recordings again and again after all these years.

[Brian]

Heidsieck's playing does contain of lot of personal rubato, but he is in no way a buffoon.  I believe Artur Rubinstein once commented to the effect that Eric Heidsieck made him reassess rich kid pianists, which he usually dismissed, because Heidsieck's playing was so good.  I also would not characterize Heidsieck's Beethoven as Chopinesque.

Agreed. Heidsieck's rubato is not the swoony, post-2012-Lang-Lang-style "look at me" swan diving. It's tailored to the point.

[Jo498]

As I recall the scherzo in op.28 is not distorted by rubato by Heidsieck, it is just extremely slow. As the piece goes in whole bars that gives an almost static impression, not really scherzo-like.

[André]

I don't have many integral sets (4), a couple of semi-integrals, not even many single sonata discs, but Heidsieck's approach is the one I prefer. It sounds totally right to my ears.

[Pat B]

I only have one twofer with recordings of famous sonatas from the STEREO set, but I never got what's so special about Backhaus. (Dito with Kempff, but here I have listened to even less material). Backhaus is dry as dust to my ears, Kempff not powerful enough in pieces that demand it and both seem kind of "shallow" in slow movements (compared to e.g. Gilels, Arrau, Schnabel etc.) If I want fast, energetic and emotionally somewhat neutral, I go for Gulda/Amadeo who is hard to beat in this department. If I want "deep" I go for Gilels or Arrau, maybe Serkin, some Richter and Edwin Fischer. With the two Wilhelms I seem to find neither and I am not quite sure what I am missing.

Kempff: I have the universally praised mono cycle and the "Originals" disc with big-name sonatas in stereo. I wouldn't word it as strongly as you did, but I have not fallen in love with his playing. At least, not yet. Some critic lauded his playing as "gentle," and I can't improve on that as a one-word summary, but for me that's not a compliment. I will buck convention even further by saying I liked that stereo disc better than the mono counterparts.

Backhaus: I have a single disc (17,23-26) from the stereo set, and his entry from "Great Pianists of the Century" which has live performances of several sonatas, not from either cycle. I like both a lot. My notes say his Tempest is a standout. But he is the sort of player that defies descriptions that don't sound like faint praise.

My sense is that you aren't missing anything; you just prefer the styles of other players.

[Wanderer]

Thanks, everyone, for your responses on Heidsieck. It looks like I'll have to listen for myself and see whether his idiosyncratic tendencies are tasteful or tasteless.

Re-listening to Kempff stereo and Schnabel sets while waiting for the Willems to arrive.

I listened to Biss vol.4 on Spotify and was pleasantly surprised. I did not much like his previous installments (too much staccato with an occasional tendency for tintinnabulation), but this sounded impressively right. I'm ordering it as soon as it becomes available in Europe.

Jumppanen's next installment (opp.10/1-3, 53, 54 & 57) is due for release in March:

[Brian]

I test-drove Penelope Crawford's latest yesterday on Naxos Music Library. It does not have the element of surprise that made the first volume so dazzling, but it does have the element of being really good. Op. 78 might be my favorite performance of that work. I wonder what people will think of the light "no-big-deal" way she plows through some of the toughest thickets of No. 28 (Op. 101).

[Florestan]

The complete Heidsieck cycle is available on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL765841BFCBD7FF9D

[jlaurson]

I listened to Biss vol.4 on Spotify and was pleasantly surprised. I did not much like his previous installments (too much staccato with an occasional tendency for tintinnabulation), but this sounded impressively right. I'm ordering it as soon as it becomes available in Europe.

Felt exactly the same way. Currently getting to the bottom of why he chose to jump from Onyx to his own label... (something about combining his publishing activities into one house or so...) but meanwhile enjoying that release very much, in an unobtrusive way, if you know what I mean.

[Brian]

enjoying that release very much, in an unobtrusive way, if you know what I mean.

Good. I hate it when people enjoy releases in an intrusive way by coming over to my house to listen to them!
Actually I'd let you do this if you brought some wine.

[Wanderer]

The complete Heidsieck cycle is available on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL765841BFCBD7FF9D

Thanks a lot, Andrei! 

Felt exactly the same way. Currently getting to the bottom of why he chose to jump from Onyx to his own label... (something about combining his publishing activities into one house or so...) but meanwhile enjoying that release very much, in an unobtrusive way, if you know what I mean.

Maybe that's the reason why it's available in the US and not in Europe (yet)...

I test-drove Penelope Crawford's latest yesterday on Naxos Music Library.

Another one I'm eagerly awaiting.

[Florestan]

Thanks a lot, Andrei! 

You´re most welcome, my friend!

[Sergeant Rock]

The complete Heidsieck cycle is available on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL765841BFCBD7FF9D

Great find! Thanks.

Sarge

[Florestan]

Great find! Thanks.

Sarge

Glad to be of some service.

[Brian]

Fourth Tier (in alphabetical order)
Andre De Groote

Oh. This just got uploaded to NML and I was gonna ask if it was worthwhile. Hmmm...

[Todd]

Oh. This just got uploaded to NML and I was gonna ask if it was worthwhile. Hmmm...

The De Groote isn't really bad, in fact there are things to enjoy, it's just not great or even especially good given all the other options out there.  YMMV.  You may find it to be the one you've been looking for.

[betterthanfine]

JPC has samples up for Pienaar's soon to be released cycle:

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/the-32-piano-sonatas/hnum/6612554

[Fred]

Been listening to Olivier Gardon's 109 - 111 and he strikes me as a very powerful player.  Anyone heard it.

[Holden]

Been listening to Olivier Gardon's 109 - 111 and he strikes me as a very powerful player.  Anyone heard it.

Is it online?

[Fred]

I bought it from 7digital.  But there is lower quality at a site called darkmp3