Beethoven's Piano Sonatas

[lordlance]

As some regulars may know, I avoid non orchestral music mostly but for piano there are two exceptions - Liszt and Beethoven's piano sonata. Been having a wonderful time listening to them again on the fortepiano with Badura Skoda. For whatever reason it doesn't sound as clanky or thin (both attributes I'm saying objectively rather than it being a bad thing) as Brautigam. What are some recommendations for sonata performances on the fortepiano aside from these two?

[Que]

As some regulars may know, I avoid non orchestral music mostly but for piano there are two exceptions - Liszt and Beethoven's piano sonata. Been having a wonderful time listening to them again on the fortepiano with Badura Skoda. For whatever reason it doesn't sound as clanky or thin (both attributes I'm saying objectively rather than it being a bad thing) as Brautigam. What are some recommendations for sonata performances on the fortepiano aside from these two?

For complete cycles, as far as I know, none...
But try Paul Komen (Globe), who made 6 excellent LvB sonata recordings.

PS I almost forgot there is one more complete cycle,  but with mutiple pianists:

[Atriod]

As some regulars may know, I avoid non orchestral music mostly but for piano there are two exceptions - Liszt and Beethoven's piano sonata. Been having a wonderful time listening to them again on the fortepiano with Badura Skoda. For whatever reason it doesn't sound as clanky or thin (both attributes I'm saying objectively rather than it being a bad thing) as Brautigam. What are some recommendations for sonata performances on the fortepiano aside from these two?

They are incomplete, the best performances I have heard are from Peter Serkin.

[Brian]

As some regulars may know, I avoid non orchestral music mostly but for piano there are two exceptions - Liszt and Beethoven's piano sonata. Been having a wonderful time listening to them again on the fortepiano with Badura Skoda. For whatever reason it doesn't sound as clanky or thin (both attributes I'm saying objectively rather than it being a bad thing) as Brautigam. What are some recommendations for sonata performances on the fortepiano aside from these two?

For incomplete cycles, my favorite artists are Penelope Crawford and Olga Pashchenko.

[prémont]

For incomplete cycles, my favorite artists are Penelope Crawford and Olga Pashchenko.

As far as I know Pashchenko only recorded three sonatas on fortepiano and Crawford seven. Ultra incomplete cycles it seems.

[Que]

As far as I know Pashchenko only recorded three sonatas on fortepiano and Crawford seven. Ultra incomplete cycles it seems.

Paul Komen comes a lot closer with seventeen sonatas! 

[Todd]

Recommended
Paul Badura-Skoda (complete)
Penelope Crawford (select)


Meh
Peter Serkin (select)
Multi-Pianist (Bilson, et al, complete; Beghin is the highlight)
Ronald Brautigam (complete)


Unheard @ 7/13/24
Maurizio Paciariello (ongoing cycle)
Tobias Koch (ongoing cycle)
Constantino Mastroprimiano (ongoing cycle)
Hiroaki Ooi (complete cycle reportedly recorded but not released)
Melvyn Tan (18 sonatas)
Paul Komen
Gianluca Cascioli
Olga Pashchenko (Sonatas; have heard fine variations)
Andreas Staier
Cyril Huve
Daniel Tong
Alexei Lubimov
John Khouri
Trudelies Leonhardt
Taiji Takata
Yoshio Watanabe
Kikuko Ogura
Naoki Ueo
Makoto Ueno
Piet Kuijken

[Brian]

I do love the Staier Diabellis since he uses the novelty pedals (like the Janissary one). But that's not a sonata.

[Todd]

Staier recorded Op 31.

[Jo498]

I don't like the novelty stuff in Staier's Diabellis (but otherwise the sound is good). While I am not the greatest fan of Brautigam, I think his instrument(s) sound(s) better than most other historic ones I have heard. The sound on the late sonatas with Peter Serkin is quite horrible but I was told that this was at least partly the fault of the CD transfer/mastering and sounded more pleasant on LP.

[Wanderer]

...I think his instrument(s) sound(s) better than most other historic ones I have heard.

I think so, as well. Especially in comparison with e.g. Crawford's.

[Que]

The issues to date in the ongoing Mastroprimiano series sound highly promising, with great originality in approach. You can definitely hear he is familiar with Clementi.

[lordlance]

I'm not sure if it's been posted before but there's a YouTube-only video fortepiano cycle (new ones are always welcomed) -

Link to the entire playlist - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVQOMDZjHxFl_fFKaVSnLdrLft3jYy3qE&si=G60pX8rAPKULHxlE

[Todd]

The Evica sonata cycle paired with the concerti in one convenient box.

[prémont]

As far as I know Pashchenko only recorded three sonatas on fortepiano and Crawford seven. Ultra incomplete cycles it seems.

Oh wait, she also recorded the Kurfürstensonaten on fortepiano (live),

[Todd]

Now that the scientific method has yielded the most perfectly accurate ranking known to man, it's time to publish the results:


The Top Ten – in order, as determined by Science!
Minsoo Sohn
Andrea Lucchesini
Annie Fischer
Daniel-Ben Pienaar
Irina Mejoueva (Bijin)
Artur Schnabel
Russell Sherman
Wilhelm Kempff (DG, mono)
Yu Kosuge
Eric Heidsieck

[Rudolf Serkin & Sviatoslav Richter; OK, they didn't complete a cycle, but this is where they belong]


Second Tier - Cycles 11-20 (in alphabetical order)
Fazil Say
Francois Frederic Guy
Friedrich Gulda (Amadeo)
Kazune Shimizu (Sony)
Paul Badura-Skoda (JVC/Astree)
Takahiro Sonoda (Evica)
Wilhelm Backhaus (mono)
Wilhelm Backhaus (stereo)
Wilhelm Kempff (DG, stereo)
Yusuke Kikuchi


Second Tier - Remainder (in alphabetical order)
Bernard Roberts II
Claude Frank
Daniel Barenboim (EMI, 2005)
Eduardo del Pueyo
Emil Gilels
Friedrich Gulda (Orfeo)
Maurizio Pollini
Maurizio Zaccaria
Michael Levinas
Peter Takacs
Robert Silverman
Rudolf Buchbinder (Unitel)
Seymour Lipkin
Takahiro Sonoda (Denon)
Tamami Honma
Younwha Lee

[Bruce Hungerford; OK, he didn't complete a cycle, but this is where he belongs]


Third Tier (in alphabetical order)
Aquiles Delle Vigne
Abdel Rahman El Bacha (Mirare)
Akiyoshi Sako
Alfred Brendel (Philips, 1970s)
Alfred Brendel (Vox)
Alfredo Perl (Arte Nova)
Andras Schiff
Boris Giltburg
Claudio Arrau (1960s)
Claudio Arrau (1980s)
Craig Sheppard
Daniel Barenboim (DG)
Daniel Barenboim (EMI, 1960s)
David Allen Wehr
Dieter Zechlin
Friedrich Gulda (Decca)
Garrick Ohlsson
Gerard Willems
Gerhard Oppitz
Ian Hobson
Ichiro Nodaira
Igor Levit
Irina Mejoueva (Waka)
Jingge Yan
John O'Conor
Jonathan Biss
Konstantin Scherbakov
Kun-Woo Paik
Louie Lortie
Malcolm Bilson, et al (Beghin is second tier)
Malcolm Binns
Martin Roscoe
Michael Houstoun (Morrison Trust)
Michael Houstoun (Rattle)
Michael Korstick
Muriel Chemin
Paul Badura-Skoda (Gramola)
Pavaali Jumppanen
Peter Rösel
Robert Silverman (AudioHigh)
Rudolf Buchbinder (Teldec)
Saleem Abboud Ashkar
Sequeira Costa
Stephen Kovacevich
Stewart Goodyear
Walter Gieseking (EMI/Tahra hybrid)
Wilhelm Kempff (1961, King International)
Yaeko Yamane
Yves Nat


Fourth Tier (in alphabetical order)
Abdel Rahman El Bacha (Forlane)
Aldo Ciccolini
Alfred Brendel (Philips, 1990s)
Andre De Groote
Angela Hewitt
Anton Kuerti
Christian Leotta
Daniel Barenboim (DG, 2020)
Dino Ciani
Georges Pludermacher
Idil Biret
Ikuyo Nakamichi
Jean Bernard Pommier
Jean Muller
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet
Jeno Jando
John Kane
John Lill
Konstantin Lifschitz
Llŷr Williams
Mari Kodama
Maria Grinburg
Martin Rasch
Martino Tirimo   
Melodie Zhao
Mikhail Lidsky
Paul Lewis
Richard Goode
Robert Benz
Robert Taub
Ronald Brautigam
Rudolf Buchbinder (RCA)
Sebastian Forster
Steven Herbert Smith
Steven Masi
Timothy Ehlen
Vladimir Ashkenazy
Yukio Yokoyama


Near Bottom Tier (in sorta particular order)
HJ Lim
Rita Bouboulidi
Tatiana Nikolayeva
Anne Oland


Eighth Circle of Hell
[Glenn Gould; OK, he didn't complete a cycle, but this is where he belongs]


Crime Against Humanity
Riccardo Schwartz

[prémont]

What about James Brawn?

[Todd]

What about James Brawn?

https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,33394.msg1581136.html#msg1581136

[prémont]

https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,33394.msg1581136.html#msg1581136

But he is not in your "tier" ranking above.

[Todd]

But he is not in your "tier" ranking above.

You did not read the linked post.