On The Hunt

[JBS]

Sviatoslav Richter.  Mid-60s vintage Richter, in decidedly mediocre sound, goes for a slow opening Allegro at 9'12", but this allows for tempo flexibility, and not all that surprisingly, Richter knows how to play in a way that makes everything seem flowing and inevitable.  The mien is serious, to be sure, with only the slightest hints of wit and fun, but it definitely sounds right overall.  The Scherzo retains the serious overall character, but middle aged Richter ups the speed and energy, scampering along, and the loudest passages engulf the venue and recording.  The measured outer sections of the Menuetto sound lovely and serious, while the Trio is likewise measured, but again, the way Richter puts everything together, it sounds just right.  He then rushes through the high energy Presto that makes for a perfect closer. 

Late career Richter stretches out the Allegro to over ten minutes.  Distended tempi were, of course, common in late career performances, and somehow Richter manages to make the music hold together more than one would suspect going in, but even so the extreme tempo drains energy and wit from the music and it ends up more or less just sounding too slow, and, on occasion, too sloppy.  The Scherzo is likewise slow, though it's comparatively better.  The Menuetto and Trio are fairly close to the earlier recording, just not as good.  Ditto the Presto.  Overall, a dud.

What about this one?
[asin]B008MZGK8Q[/asin]
And is that Melodiya recording in this set?
[asin]B008L62XEG[/asin]

[Todd]

I listened to the two I own.  I don't know the Richter discography well enough to know all of the reissues.

[Holden]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B008MZGK8Q.01.L.jpg

I'm fairly sure that this is Richter in Prague which is one of the versions I have. It's distinctive in that the hall acoustics have a lot of echo.

I also have the Carnegie Hall from 1965.

[Todd]

Gerhard Oppitz.  Distantly recorded and somewhat monochromatic in sound, Oppitz's set is more or less middle of the road.  Tempi are fine, energy high, accents oomphy, dynamics swell, wit evident.  There's nary a substantive beef to be had.  The Scherzo sounds turbo-charged and beefy, the Menuetto outer sections reasonably attractive, the Trio a bit punchy, and the Presto is filled with energy and drive.  All of the Oppitz I've heard (solo LvB, Brahms, and Grieg) are very well executed, tonally limited, and sort of faceless.  Top notch middle tier stuff.

[Todd]

Tatiana Nikolayeva.  The first eleven seconds of the Allegro sound very nice, and thereafter there's a nice clipped feel to some of Nikolayeva's playing, but after that the playing sounds sometimes unsecure, sometimes labored, sometimes clunky, sometimes stiff.  The same holds true throughout.  That written, and this is true of the entire cycle, there is no doubting that Nikolayeva has the spirit of the music down, it's just that the playing can't back it up.  This sonata is far from the worst in the set in that regard, but it's unlikely I listen to this recording more than maybe once more in my life.

[Todd]

Georges Pludermacher.  Pludermacher goes for a slow-ish Allegro, accentuating the slowness for effect in the opening bars, and he keeps things fairly leisurely and laid back much of the time, but he also plays some passages with light, fun, and effortless sounding pep, and fun.  Pludermacher keeps dynamic swings under wraps most of the time, reserving the harder hitting playing for just some left hand playing.  The Scherzo is a bit laid-back as well, but quite impish, with marvelously clear left hand playing and fine if not thundering outbursts.  Pludermacher plays the outer sections of the Menuetto very quickly, draining away some beauty and adding some tension, and he plays the Trio both quick but laid-back, kinda, with even the forte outbursts not really sounding quite weighty enough.  I chalk it up to the live recording.  The Presto has some bite and bass growl and energy and makes for a nice closer. 

[Todd]

Llŷr Williams.  Williams goes for a broad Allegro, with the most compelling aspect of the playing the very fine clarity he brings, not least in the Alberti bass.  The playing never really exudes very high degrees of energy, and while there's a sense of playfulness, it's restrained and polite.  The Scherzo sounds much the same.  The outer sections of the Menuetto sounds lovely, but the Trio lacks some energy, while the Presto picks things up a bit.  Again, the clarity stands out as the main distinctive trait.  Overall, a rather bounded performance.

[Todd]

Maria Grinburg.  Grinburg goes for nicely paced opener, playing with nice energy, rhythmic snap, and hints of wit, with some nice outbursts and some steady left hand playing when it needs to be steady.  Sonics are not great, and the piano sound is far from ideal, but the playing overcomes the limitations.  In the Scherzo, Grinburg plays with even more puckish humor, with delightful left hand clarity, and potent outbursts.  Grinburg keeps the outer sections of the Menuetto attractive if tense, but it's the Trio where she adds a little something extra, creating an austere feel, bordering on the funereal.  The Presto wraps things up with rushed, exaggerated, at times purposely blurred recording.  Not one of the great recordings.

[Todd]

Eduardo del Pueyo.  Pueyo's Philips recording starts with a slow-ish Allegro, but Pueyo shows how to do it.  Making sure to play with admirable tempo flexibility, and most certainly playing with ample dynamic range, Pueyo keeps the movement moving forward at all times.  There's a slightly heavy feel some of the time, and wit is less evident than in some other versions, but it doesn't matter, not really.  To be sure, some of the rubato the pianist introduces may not be to every taste, but it should be.  The Scherzo, despite its ever so slightly broad tempo, is basically perfect: perfect tempo, perfect flow, perfect dynamic outbursts and fun scampering playing, and perfect accents, especially from the right hand.  Pueyo obviously enjoys the outer sections of the Menuetto, which combines lyricism and staccato playing in a unique blend, and the Trio starts slow but builds up to some potent playing with hefty left hand sforzandi.  The Presto, underpinned by more fine left hand playing, has a rhythmic vitality that belies the timing, and it sounds both like either (or both) a gallop and a dance at once.  One of the great recordings. 

The Pavane recording is nearly as good.  The Allegro comes in at just about the same timing, and the closer, drier, slightly better sound allows the listener to enjoy the playing just that little bit more.  Pueyo's overall approach didn't change a whole lot between recordings, but some of the details did.  The only thing that seems to be missing is the same sense of cohesive, unfailing forward drive.  The Scherzo is likewise much the same, but there's a sense of musical slyness here not in the earlier effort, and some pretty delicate playing in the midst of it all, as well.  The Menuetto is softened up a bit here, and the Trio is likewise softened up a bit, though the dynamic contrasts are still very fine.  The Presto sounds smaller scaled than the Philips recording, but it has perhaps more forward drive, and if the rhythmic complexity and blend of approaches is less pronounced, the left hand playing is cleaner.  Superb.

[Todd]

The thing about long surveys is that there's always a chance that a new recording or two - or three - may pop up in the middle of the survey.  That happened here.  It would be downright rude not to include the newbies here.




Igor Levit.  Levit starts off with a peppy Allegro, sticking with fast fast movements, which he more or less does through the cycle.  He just keeps the thing moving forward the whole time.  There's a sense of fun, but the speedy effects seem more done for effect, as though properly planned out.  Not that I'm complaining.  To the extent I can kvetch - which I can - dynamic range is a bit limited, but whatcha gonna do?  Levit keeps the Scherzo zippy - zippier, even - and plays with better dynamics.  Some of the playing takes on nearly Pienaar levels of jitteriness at times, which is a good thing.  Levit also keeps the outer sections of the Menuetto extra zippy, and while lovely, it's more tense than lovely, while the Trio sounds fun 'n' punchy, if, again, dynamics are often limited, though a couple passages offer dynamics sufficient to produce ample aural spiciness.  Predictably, Levit plays the Presto with a very high degree of zip, and fortunately his fingerwork is quite nifty and up to the challenge, though dynamics do flatten just a tad.  Overall, a high grade reading nestling into tier two.




Jonathan Biss.  Biss opens the Allegro in a slightly restrained manner, and keeps things under wraps until the first outburst, which is somewhat restrained, and then he plays with a bit more pep and fun.  It's never high voltage, and it's a bit more polite than expected, but even in a more constrained than expected approach, it's got what it takes, and it elicits some smiles.  Biss ups the ante in the Scherzo.  Very much leading with prominent left hand playing, he plays with verve, perfecting accenting and voice balancing, and a sense of fun, though the outbursts are contained.  Biss goes for tonally attractive but slightly tense playing in the outer sections of the Menuetto, and a nicely weighted Trio, if one in line with the rest of the recording in terms of overall dynamic range.  Biss then zooms through the Presto, with a bit of weight added, and a snazzy rhythmic groove.  Overall, quite nice, thank you. 




Martino Tirimo.  Tirimo starts with broad 9:24 Allegro, and if the opening chords don't betray that, most of the rest of the movement does.  Tirimo's sforzandi are tangy, but energy and nimbleness are kind of not there.  The Scherzo also falls on the slow end of the interpretive spectrum, and mostly just fails to satisfy, though the dynamic balance between hands is quite nice.  The outer sections of the Menuetto sound nice enough and the Trio sounds potent if a bit slow.  Tirimo plays the Presto at a relaxed pace, but to go with the always nice accenting he adds a fair amount of rhythmic snap.  Overall, it's just not my speed. 

[Todd]

Kun-Woo Paik.  Soft, hazy, slow legato playing opens the Allegro, then Paik smoothly transitions to swift, pointed playing, which only speeds up as the music proceeds, imparting a sense of playfulness.  When he slows up, it's notable, since he seems to be shooting more for contrasts in tempo than dynamics, though those are pretty nifty, too.  Paik revs things up even more in the Scherzo, approaching the comparative speed he adopts in the Allegro of Op 54.  It's frantic, energetic, over the top, and quite fun.  Paik then slows way down for the Menuetto, which sounds really rather beautiful and lyrical and gentle, while the Trio displays nicely accented playing.  The Presto has more of Paik's very high energy, high speed, rhythmically alert playing, capping off a strong take.

[Todd]

Angela Hewitt.  Hewitt's Allegro is broad at 8'54", and the opening makes the listener think it's gonna be slow and low energy, but fortunately that's not the case.  While certainly not the fastest version around, Hewitt plays with a light, mostly playful touch, with a sort of polite musical snarkiness and some really delightful right hand playing, which benefits from the well recorded Fazioli.  In the Scherzo, Hewitt gives a master class in making the playing feel faster than it is, though it doesn't sound faster than it is.  She plays with excellent articulation, carefully weighted accents, and keeps the music moving forward, never sounding rushed, though maybe one could say it is just a tad too polite.  Or not.  The outer sections of the Menuetto are a bit quicker and tenser than one would think going in, yet still sound nice, while in the Trio, Hewitt takes advantage of the Fazioli's abilities, playing with generally under wraps staccato punctuated by pointed forte playing.  The Presto mimics the Scherzo in feeling faster than it is, and captures a good chunk of the playfulness of the Allegro, ending a very good if not great recording.

[Todd]

Clara Haskil.  Mono and stereo.  The 1955 mono recording opens with a precisely middle of the road tempo Allegro, and though not as secure as better played versions listed thus far, Haskil comes off as something of a less agitated and more classically oriented St Annie.  Hard to fault that.  Sure, the accents are not as strong as some others, and the forte playing sounds less powerful than others - though the recording has something to do with that - but the playing sort of just sounds right.  And the Alberti bass and trills do sound pretty nifty, to boot.  The Scherzo moves forward at a nice clip, displays some snappy left hand playing, and some high energy playing let down only by the restricted dynamics obviously due to the recording here.  The outer sections of the Menuetto are quick and lovely and a bit formal, while the Trio has enough bite to satisfy.  The Presto possesses more than ample energy and forward drive, though clarity is bit wanting.  It's more than a fair trade off.  Superb.  Also superb is the 1960 stereo recording.  Not surprisingly, it is overwhelmingly similar in conception and execution.  A few very small details aside, it does benefit from better dynamics, due to the recording, but seems to have ever so slightly less energy and drive.  As such, the nod goes to the mono recording, but this is rather above average.  Provided one fancies Ms Haskil's playing.  And why wouldn't one?

[Todd]

Lazar Berman.  Berman goes all old school in his not old school recording and drops repeats, and he plays with nice energy and a sort of muscular skittishness in the Allegro.  He dispatches the music with obvious ease and mostly holds back, making his powerful forte playing nice and contrasty.  The Scherzo is taken at a somewhat moderate pace, or at least some of the playing makes it seems that way, and of course Berman can and does deliver some seriously hefty outbursts, though they seem kind of mechanical.  The outer sections of the Menuetto sounds fairly lovely but void, while the Trio is clean and powerful, as expected.  Berman closes with a predictably fast, energetic, well-articulated, powerful as all get out when it should be Presto.  On the surface, all sounds well.  There's not much beyond the surface, though.

[Todd]

A pair from Paul Badura-Skoda.  PBS' Gramola recording has a nice and quick Allegro, with the pianist exploiting the Bösendorfer middle and upper register decays to nice effect, which when combined with no undue reliance on the sustain and nimble fingerwork, renders a clean, snappy, rhythmically vital reading, and one imbued a fun sense of seriousness.  PBS is relatively less brisk in the Scherzo, and some playing sounds just a smidge heavy, but the left hand weight in the forte outbursts is just dandy.  The outer sections of the Menuetto are tight, quick, and suitably lyrical, and the Trio benefits from the instrument and clean playing approach.  The Presto, underpinned by nearly groovy left hand playing, is all forward motion and energy and fun.  Good stuff.

The HIP Astree recording is more than that.  PBS' approach with the big modern grand sounds even better with an ancient instrument.  The overall approach and timings are not wildly different, but the close sound reveals more dynamic variation, primarily in the p to mf range, and PBS' instrument has a wider tonal palette.  To an extent, the recording almost becomes overwhelmed by all the wonderful details, with the big picture sometimes seeming less important, though that's at least partly due to just how neato the sound sounds.  The Allegro emerges as a just shy of eight minute cornucopia of sounds; the Scherzo comes off as a playful joke indeed, and the upper registers sound sweet and tart in perfect proportion; the Menuetto outer sections are still lovely, while the Trio, though smaller in scale and lesser in aural impact, is more colorful, with wonderfully light and bright right hand playing; and the Presto is a revved up Allegro, with wonderful energetic sounds flowing from one's transducers of choice with an eminently musical effortlessness.  This trounces the other HIP versions by a significant margin and is top tier stuff.

[Todd]

Robert Riefling.  I decided to end this little survey with Robert Riefling's final recording on Simax.  I do this with the forlorn knowledge that I have yet to hear his Valois cycle recording, but do this with hopes that the 2020 anniversary year will prompt some wise, kind, and gentle executive or private equity manager to take pity on long suffering Beethoven fans and finally see to a CD or even just download reissue. 

Riefling starts with a perfectly paced Allegro, neither too fast nor too slow, and his playing manages to sound simultaneously thoroughly thought through and just free enough to let some of the fun in the music pop.  The little details are there, the Alberti bass is clean, and indeed the clarity of voices is top notch, as is the dynamic gradation.  And what sounds like a few moments of glee.  To be sure, this is old man Beethoven, and other versions have more drive and more virtuosic playing, but not too terribly many sound more lived in, if you will.  The Scherzo carries on from the first movement, and adds wider dynamic range in the forte outbursts.  Nice.  The outer sections of the Menuetto have a bit of tension, and while Riefling makes the melody dominate, the accompaniment is steady and clear and perfectly poised.  The Trio has plenty of oomph but retains a sense of refinement.  The Presto manages to sound both studied and just free enough, like the Allegro, and Riefling displays rather notable clarity of voices throughout.  A fine conclusion to a top tier version. 

[Todd]

After so much listening to something as elevated and ultimately undefinable as music making, nothing beats pigeonholing everyone into qualitative tiers!


Top Tier
St Annie (EMI)
Friedrich Gulda (Amadeo)
Stephen Kovacevich (Philips)
St Annie (Hungaroton)
Kazune Shimizu
Friedrich Gulda (Orfeo)
Yusuke Kikuchi
Wilhelm Kempff (APR)
Eduardo del Pueyo (Philips)
Irina Mejoueva
Yu Kosuge
FFG
Paul Badura-Skoda (Astree/JVC)
Robert Riefling (Simax)
Wilhelm Backhaus (mono)
Eric Heidsieck
Clara Haskil (mono)
Claude Frank
Paavali Jumppanen
David Allen Wehr


Second Tier
Yves Nat
Rudolf Buchbinder (Teldec)
Andrea Lucchesini
Daniel-Ben Pienaar
Friedrich Gulda (Decca)
Ikuyo Nakamichi
Russell Sherman
Wilhelm Backhaus (stereo)
Eduardo del Pueyo (Pavane)
Sviatoslav Richter (Moscow, 1965)
Ian Hobson
Paul Badura-Skoda (Gramola)
Maurizio Pollini
Igor Levit
Arthur Schnabel
Artur Rubinstein I
Ichiro Nodaira
Clara Haskil (stereo)
Peter Rösel
Daniel Barenboim III
Daniel Barenboim II
Younwha Lee
Vladimir Ashkenazy
Garrick Ohlsson
Takahiro Sonoda (Evica)
Stephen Kovacevich
Emil Gilels
Peter Takacs
Melodie Zhao
Rudolf Buchbinder (Unitel)
Michael Houstoun (Morrison Trust)
Yukio Yokoyama
Kun-Woo Paik
Michael Korstick
Wilhelm Kempff (King International)
Alfred Brendel II
Akiyoshi Sako


Third Tier
Michaël Lévinas
Jonathan Biss
Jenő Jandó
Maria Grinburg
Robert Benz
Gerhard Oppitz
Jean-Bernard Pommier
Takahiro Sonoda (Denon)
Angela Hewitt
Dieter Zechlin
Yaeko Yamane
Daniel Barenboim I
Wilhelm Kempff (DG mono)
Wilhelm Kempff (DG stereo)
Robert Silverman (Orpheum)
Lazar Berman
Gerard Willems
Abdel Rahman El Bacha (Mirare)
Stewart Goodyear
Sequeira Costa
Michael Houstoun (Rattle)
Earl Wild
Timothy Ehlen
Hans Richter-Haaser
John Kane
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet
Alfred Brendel III
Claudio Arrau (analog)
Georges Pludermacher
Idil Biret
Bernard Roberts
John O'Conor
Steven Herbert Smith


Fourth Tier
Dino Ciani (Absolute bottom of the barrel sound; Tier 2/3 musically)
Seymour Lipkin
Louie Lortie
Robert Silverman (AudioHigh)
Artur Rubinstein III
Rudolf Buchbinder (RCA)
Martino Tirimo
Jean Muller
Paul Lewis
Sviatoslav Richter (Philips)
Alfredo Perl
Martin Rasch
Aldo Ciccolini
Anton Kuerti
Claudio Arrau (digital)
Llŷr Williams
Walter Gieseking
Alfred Brendel I
Murray Perahia
André De Groote
Abdel Rahman El Bacha (Forlane)
Mari Kodama
Ronald Brautigam
Richard Goode
Christian Leotta
Artur Rubinstein II
Craig Sheppard
Tatiana Nikolayeva
Robert Taub
Steven Masi
Sebastián Forster


Fifth Tier
Malcolm Binns (Due entirely to the abysmal, horrid, crappy instrument)
John Lill
Aurelia Shimkus
Rita Bouboulidi
Anne Øland
HJ Lim


Eighth Circle of Hell
Glenn Gould

[San Antone]

Thanks, Todd, for a very interesting journey.

[The new erato]

Thanks, Todd, for a very interesting journey.

Seconded!

[Holden]

What! No Glenn Gould?