Beethoven's Piano Sonatas

[AnotherSpin]

A really good op 101 from Henri Barda. Streaming widely.

Thanks for the recommendation, just listened. His Beethoven is good, but Chopin is simply amazing!

[Mookalafalas]

Already mentioned? A 2024 complete cycle by Kazune Shimizu. Perhaps a reissue?

[Todd]

Already mentioned? A 2024 complete cycle by Kazune Shimizu. Perhaps a reissue?

Mentioned on the new releases thread a month or two ago.  Reissue.  His second cycle is currently underway.

[lordlance]

I feel like I am on a wild goose chase for the last fifteen minutes since I can't find recording dates for the Goode set. Not on Presto or listing on other sites. Can't find the booklets anywhere either.

If someone has the booklet (which I hope has recording dates), can they tell me when was Sonata No. 2 was recorded? {I need it for my spreadsheet.}

[Hans Holbein]

https://archive.org/details/cd_beethoven-the-complete-sonatas_richard-goode-ludwig-van-beethoven/page/n39/mode/1up

The booklet from the box set is here, but I don't see any recording dates listed. The very last page has recording locations but not dates.

[Madiel]

The booklet for the reissued box doesn't have recording dates. The individual sleeves all mention 1993, but I'm not even sure that's correct because the copyright and published seem backwards.

Have you looked for the single releases of some discs? The booklet says some were previously released. Though apparently not opus 2.

[Madiel]

I did some extra digging on discogs. This shows that 1993 was the first edition of the box set (I didn't realise it was quite that old), but it also strongly suggests that all versions of the box had the same recording information: where the sonatas were recorded, but not when. For one of the variations someone has provided images of the entire booklet.

I think it must have been in the period 1990-93 but I now doubt there's anything more specific than that available.

[Jo498]

Really odd. At that time booklets would usually give month/year recording dates (we're not talking about Russian LPs from the 60s...). I had the single issue of Goode's op.10 (bought 1995 or 96) but I culled it many years ago and I don't remember if this single disc gave dates.

[lordlance]

I did some extra digging on discogs. This shows that 1993 was the first edition of the box set (I didn't realise it was quite that old), but it also strongly suggests that all versions of the box had the same recording information: where the sonatas were recorded, but not when. For one of the variations someone has provided images of the entire booklet.

I think it must have been in the period 1990-93 but I now doubt there's anything more specific than that available.

Thanks for trying still. Appreciated. 

[lordlance]

Aside from Schiff, any performances of the 4th on the Bosendorfer? 

[Mandryka]

Aside from Schiff, any performances of the 4th on the Bosendorfer?

Backhaus, Takacs, Ohlssohn . . .

[prémont]

And Badura-Skoda (Gramola).

[lordlance]

Sviatoslav Richter.  Maria Yudina. Stephen Kovacevich. Annie Fischer. Maurizio Pollini. Emil Gilels (not on DG). Wilhelm Backhaus.

I was doing a Kovacevich cycle listen before abruptly turning it into a Gulda Amadeo cycle (now at 28 -- skipping the greatest hits a la 8, 14, 21, 23). Kovacevich is good and Gulda eccentric at times but more my speed with that impetuous and louder playing that I like. I found Brendel rather faceless and bland in the No. 4. I don't feel any urge to listen to any more of his Beethoven.

So far I've found 7, 9, 10, 11 weakest of the 32.

___

Slightly off topic but there's such a large swathe of awful Emperor recordings - Ashkenazy Solti and Ashkenazy Mehta were dull enough to make me quit mid first movement. A shame. His Beethoven PS cycle is more up my speed from my recollections.

___

On topic again - I have generally enjoyed the Buchbinder DG cycle but the EMI 4.I I heard was also rather lacklustre lacking edge you want. Is his EMI cycle considerably worse than the DG one? 

[Mandryka]

I was doing a Kovacevich cycle listen before abruptly turning it into a Gulda Amadeo cycle (now at 28 -- skipping the greatest hits a la 8, 14, 21, 23). Kovacevich is good and Gulda eccentric at times but more my speed with that impetuous and louder playing that I like. I found Brendel rather faceless and bland in the No. 4. I don't feel any urge to listen to any more of his Beethoven.

So far I've found 7, 9, 10, 11 weakest of the 32.

___

Slightly off topic but there's such a large swathe of awful Emperor recordings - Ashkenazy Solti and Ashkenazy Mehta were dull enough to make me quit mid first movement. A shame. His Beethoven PS cycle is more up my speed from my recollections.

___

On topic again - I have generally enjoyed the Buchbinder DG cycle but the EMI 4.I I heard was also rather lacklustre lacking edge you want. Is his EMI cycle considerably worse than the DG one?

Try HJ Lim for impetuous.

[Jo498]

I was doing a Kovacevich cycle listen before abruptly turning it into a Gulda Amadeo cycle (now at 28 -- skipping the greatest hits a la 8, 14, 21, 23). Kovacevich is good and Gulda eccentric at times but more my speed with that impetuous and louder playing that I like.

I think Gulda is more straightforward to a fault than "excentric". What do you find excentric, except maybe some fast tempi?

So far I've found 7, 9, 10, 11 weakest of the 32.

I think op.10/3 is the best earlyish sonata, better than op.13. And both of op.14 are wonderful, although smaller, more lyrical works. I never liked op.22 very much and while I warmed to it a bit more, it's not going to be favorite.

[lordlance]

I think Gulda is more straightforward to a fault than "excentric". What do you find excentric, except maybe some fast tempi?
I think op.10/3 is the best earlyish sonata, better than op.13. And both of op.14 are wonderful, although smaller, more lyrical works. I never liked op.22 very much and while I warmed to it a bit more, it's not going to be favorite.

In one of the 9-11, there was a time where he didn't do a micropause as much as a full pause randomly. Also the tempi accelerated very quickly at one point which also was jarring. Things like this make him eccentric rather than straightforward. Although I guess better to be a bit odd than plain boring. 

[lordlance]

@Todd Two questions:

Q1. There seem to be multiple threads/posts dedicated to your ranking of Beethoven piano sonatas. Which is the latest and most comprehensive one?

Q2. Do you have a comprehensive list of all cycles that exist? The list on ionarts, somewhat annoyingly, is split among multiple pages and I'm not sure if it's truly complete. A simple text list would be far more convenient. 

[prémont]

As to Q2:
At the moment Todd is taking a break from GMG. But there is this:

https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,2302.4820.html?PHPSESSID=2b59f677c6ec36231a0eaa13f6af9ebf

Scroll down to post 4835.

And this:

https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,2302.4880.html

Scroll down to post 4896

[JBS]

As to Q2:
At the moment Todd is taking a break from GMG. But there is this:

https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,2302.4820.html?PHPSESSID=2b59f677c6ec36231a0eaa13f6af9ebf

Scroll down to post 4835.

That simply takes me to the very first post of this thread.
But the direct link to the post should be:
https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php?msg=1557451

[prémont]

That simply takes me to the very first post of this thread.
But the direct link to the post should be:
https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php?msg=1557451

Can't talk for you, but it takes me to the right page and, as I wrote,: Scroll down to the post.