Beethoven's Piano Sonatas

[prémont]

I have earlier considered James Brawn and probably shall acquire his cycle eventually.

Damerini is unknown to me and streaming is not my thing. Is his cycle available as physical CDs?

And I shall pass Michael Nuber by.

[Brian]

I own a few of the early James Brawn volumes and like them quite a lot. Very happy to hear he is near completion as his style has a lot of integrity and no nonsense.

[Mandryka]

I have earlier considered James Brawn and probably shall acquire his cycle eventually.

Damerini is unknown to me and streaming is not my thing. Is his cycle available as physical CDs?

And I shall pass Michael Nuber by.

I know Damerini's Sciarrino and Fauré - he's a good pianist with an approach which makes me think of Michelangeli and Pollini - clarity, effortless virtuosity, just a natural way of making the music sing and come to life. I haven't heard his LvB before but I'm listening to op 109 now and I'm feeling that it is rather good - I'm certainly going to let it play to the end of the sonata (the greatest accolade!)  -  if the whole cycle is like this, it's a significant achievement.

[San Antone]

Massimiliano Damerini on Library. Eight Volumes

I sampled this one on Spotify and the first thing that struck me with Sonata No. 1 was the slower than usual tempo, but also the sound of the piano which seemed "hollow".  Also a very dry acoustic.  Not sure if any of this will be so off-putting as to cancel my interest in his cycle.

[prémont]

The first 23 sonatas of the Damerini cycle are on you tube. I listened to the second movement of sonata 1, the first movement of sonata 13 and the entire sonata 14. I find his playing interesting and generally I agree with both Mandryka and Antone, but find Damerini's agogic rubato more expressive and organic than Pollini's somewhat cool expression. So a CD release - if it exists - would interest me.

[George]

I realized recently that I didn't give Solomon's Beethoven much of chance years ago when I picked up his Beethoven Testament CDs, so I made a decision to give his Beethoven sonatas another try. So far, I have heard his Op. 10/3 and it is excellent!

[Holden]

I realized recently that I didn't give Solomon's Beethoven much of chance years ago when I picked up his Beethoven Testament CDs, so I made a decision to give his Beethoven sonatas another try. So far, I have heard his Op. 10/3 and it is excellent!

On that CD is the finest 'Moonlight' ever recorded IMO. The first movement sounds nothing like 'moonlight glittering on Lake Lucerne' because it's not meant to. This is a very dark piece of music and Solomon's slow but controlled tempo where he brings out the melody (if you could call it that) in the lower registers is almost sinister and certainly befitting of the C# minor key. The movement that follows is an increase in tempo from the first and this also happens in the change from II to III. The tempo increase between each movement seems so natural.

There is another recording of Op27/2 by him from a radio broadcast in Berlin from 1956 and it is very similar.

[Cato]

On that CD is the finest 'Moonlight' ever recorded IMO. The first movement sounds nothing like 'moonlight glittering on Lake Lucerne' because it's not meant to. This is a very dark piece of music and Solomon's slow but controlled tempo where he brings out the melody (if you could call it that) in the lower registers is almost sinister and certainly befitting of the C# minor key. The movement that follows is an increase in tempo from the first and this also happens in the change from II to III. The tempo increase between each movement seems so natural.

There is another recording of Op27/2 by him from a radio broadcast in Berlin from 1956 and it is very similar.

Here are two examples:

Here the 1952 performance of Opus 27/2:

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I realized recently that I didn't give Solomon's Beethoven much of chance years ago when I picked up his Beethoven Testament CDs, so I made a decision to give his Beethoven sonatas another try. So far, I have heard his Op. 10/3 and it is excellent!

Nice to hear!  I'll have to play some of his Beethoven soon.   

PD

[Atriod]

I wanted to hear Freire in Grieg's Piano Concerto earlier in the week which turned into listening to all his Columbia albums, some of them multiple times. Addictive.

Finished the night with his op. 111 which was a first time listen. Not a special performance, the second movement is slightly better than the first. Variation 3 is not all that great. Not a terrible variation 4, I don't mind if it's played with some urgency if done well, I don't think Freire does it nearly as well as Pollini 1 or 2. It's all a bit too muted and samey whereas Pollini contrasts the second half very nicely against the first. Lyrical variation 5 but too little too late. My expectations were set high given the week's listening.

[Mookalafalas]

I believe he recently recorded all the piano/violin sonatas. Perhaps these are the first two disks of a cycle?

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I wanted to hear Freire in Grieg's Piano Concerto earlier in the week which turned into listening to all his Columbia albums, some of them multiple times. Addictive.

Finished the night with his op. 111 which was a first time listen. Not a special performance, the second movement is slightly better than the first. Variation 3 is not all that great. Not a terrible variation 4, I don't mind if it's played with some urgency if done well, I don't think Freire does it nearly as well as Pollini 1 or 2. It's all a bit too muted and samey whereas Pollini contrasts the second half very nicely against the first. Lyrical variation 5 but too little too late. My expectations were set high given the week's listening.

Oh, that sounds like a fun treversal!  I only have one recording of his (a live one with Argerich).  I think that I passed on an LP of his or got rid of *it; purchased second hand at a tag sale.  If my memory serves me correctly, a number of the LPs there were moldy.  It's hard to get rid of it once it's been exposed to it.  Some years ago, I went to an "estate sale"...the house was in a heavily wooded area.  I was excited to find some old Casals albums which seemed to be in good shape.  Despite cleaning them on an RCM, you could still smell the mold--even stuck around for awhile on the felt mat on my record player. 

*I remember reading good things about his Chopin recordings and it was a double LP, so was very tempted.

PD

[Atriod]

Oh, that sounds like a fun treversal!  I only have one recording of his (a live one with Argerich).  I think that I passed on an LP of his or got rid of *it; purchased second hand at a tag sale.  If my memory serves me correctly, a number of the LPs there were moldy.  It's hard to get rid of it once it's been exposed to it.  Some years ago, I went to an "estate sale"...the house was in a heavily wooded area.  I was excited to find some old Casals albums which seemed to be in good shape.  Despite cleaning them on an RCM, you could still smell the mold--even stuck around for awhile on the felt mat on my record player. 

*I remember reading good things about his Chopin recordings and it was a double LP, so was very tempted.

PD

He is an incredible pianist, the only two albums I haven't cared for from him are Chopin's Nocturnes (tempi are a bit too swift ala Stephen Hough) and op. 111.

[Mandryka]

I haven't heard very much from Freire, I know he's really highly respected by piano people, but somehow I've never explored. By coincidence someone played me his Schubert impromptus recording, the second set, over the weekend and I thought it was lovely.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I haven't heard very much from Freire, I know he's really highly respected by piano people, but somehow I've never explored. By coincidence someone played me his Schubert impromptus recording, the second set, over the weekend and I thought it was lovely.

Nice!

PD

[AnotherSpin]

He is an incredible pianist, the only two albums I haven't cared for from him are Chopin's Nocturnes (tempi are a bit too swift ala Stephen Hough) and op. 111.

I like Freire's Nocturnes.

[Jo498]

The early/mid 70s Chopin is quite good, also Schumann/Grieg concerti (with Kempe/Munich, this was on some dirt cheap CD series), maybe some solo Liszt & Schumann. Never heard any of his Beethoven, I think.

[Mandryka]

An acquaintance of mine was a friend of Freire's - both dead now unfortunately. He used to say that one piece Freire loved and excelled in was Mendelssohn's Variations Sérieuses. And here it is

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHX_Qflg-_w

This recital from 1984 is also supposed to be particularly successful

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJEVV4SkNME

[Pohjolas Daughter]

An acquaintance of mine was a friend of Freire's - both dead now unfortunately. He used to say that one piece Freire loved and excelled in was Mendelssohn's Variations Sérieuses. And here it is

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHX_Qflg-_w

This recital from 1984 is also supposed to be particularly successful

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJEVV4SkNME

Thank you for those links.  I'll listen to them later today.  And sorry to hear about your friend and yes sad news about Freire.  Life is too short.

PD

[Mandryka]

Thank you for those links.  I'll listen to them later today.  And sorry to hear about your friend and yes sad news about Freire.  Life is too short.

PD

Thanks. The Schumann in the Toronto recital seems outstanding to me.