Beethoven's Piano Sonatas

[Todd]

Funnily I can't find this on your list:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8933513--the-complete-beethoven-piano-sonatas

Funnily, that is the same as this:

[prémont]

Funnily, that is the same as this:

I didn't know, and was also mislead by this:

Rudolf Buchbinder (Unitel), Austria, Complete, Male, Unitel, DVD only

[Todd]

Rudolf Buchbinder (Unitel), Austria, Complete, Male, Unitel, DVD only

I am keeping the list for my purposes, not as an objective reference.  You can do that if you'd like.  Or not.

[prémont]

I am keeping the list for my purposes, not as an objective reference.  You can do that if you'd like.  Or not.

OK, but you don't need to post it if it's only for your own purposes.

[Todd]

OK, but you don't need to post it if it's only for your own purpose.

I don't need to do anything.  I can post it if I want to. 

[prémont]

.

[Belle]

I've seen Buchbinder in recital in Vienna 3 times and I regard him as a rather dull musician.

[prémont]

@Todd, are you aware that Pi-Hsien Chen is doing (or has done) a complete LvB piano sonata traversal called the Beethoven Piano Sonata Project? Vol. III (containing CD 7,8,9 and 10) can be had from JPC, but I have not been able to find vol. I or vol. II (or vol. IV if there are that many), neither as CD nor as download.

[Todd]

Pi-Hsien Chen's cycle is listed at CCR in Taiwan, though it shows as out of stock.

https://www.ccr.com.tw/goods/422073

https://www.ccr.com.tw/goods/422072

https://www.ccr.com.tw/goods/440676

[prémont]

Pi-Hsien Chen's cycle is listed at CCR in Taiwan, though it shows as out of stock.

https://www.ccr.com.tw/goods/422073

https://www.ccr.com.tw/goods/422072

https://www.ccr.com.tw/goods/440676

Thanks. Then I suppose it's in reality unavailable. (Or can we hope it will become available as download?)

I have purchased vol. III, so I may get an idea of her style.

[Todd]

Been tinkering with LLMs to use them as agents to search for obscure, OOP cycles (eg, Bernard Roberts I, Fritz Jank).  It will take some fiddling, but I'll get there.  Then I can run them on whatever recurring basis that suits.  I was able to confirm that they work well enough to find what I already found, like Bernard Roberts' first cycle that is 11/12ths complete on eBay.  I also found Mercado Livre in Brazil, though I'd have to use a third party service to buy in the event the Jank cycle, or any other cycle, shows up there.

[Belle]

I've just ordered a boxed set of the complete sonatas by Ronald Brautigam, a wonderful Beethoven musician (as well as Haydn and Schubert).  These sonatas are my 'desert island' music, along with Bach's 2 gigantic Passions and B Minor Mass.

[Todd]

Maurizio Paciariello's cycle is complete.  It has been a while since Volume VII was released, so I went back and looked at the contents of all the releases, and sure enough, it's done.  This is the seventh period instrument cycle recorded, sixth to be released in its entirety for public consumption, and fourth individual pianist cycle released in its entirety.  Hiroaki Ooi's cycle remains only partially released.

In the US market, I have to combine Presto and Qobuz if I want to purchase all the downloads in lossless format.  I think I'll just stream it on Amazon.  I have serious doubts that he will come close to matching PBS, but stranger things have happened.

[kapsweiss2021]

One more cycle. David Korevaar has finished his complete cycle on Prospero Classics:

https://prospero-classical.com/album/beethoven-the-complete-piano-sonatas-vol-5-%C2%B7-david-korevaar-duplicate-1/

You can download the booklet ( .pdf) there.

[Todd]

In addition to tracking complete cycles, I also try to keep abreast of cycles in progress.  Not all finish, and some are iffy.  Below is what I am currently tracking.

Akihiro Sakiya – Japanese market; five volumes released, with last one released in 2019.  Unsure of status.

Kazune Shimizu II – Japanese market; two volumes released.  Seemingly stopped.

Kei Ito – Japanese market; three volumes released.

Yoshihiro Kondo (近藤 嘉宏) – Japanese market; at least five volumes released, but it may have been more.  (Memory indicates he was one volume short at one point.)  Recorded/released in the 2010s.  Been monitoring for years.  Not sure of status.

Davide Cabassi – Decca Italy; four volumes released; slow progress, unsure of status.

Igor Tchetuev – Seemingly stopped.

Letizia Michielon – Five volumes released.

Tobias Koch – Period instrument cycle; two volumes released, one of sonatas and one of other pieces, with six discs in all.  Unsure of status or if it is meant to be complete.

Constantino Mastroprimiano – Period instrument cycle; Four volumes released.

Moritz Winkelmann – Two volumes released; hopefully it is finished because it is on Berlin Classics, which means top notch piano sound.

Alfredo Perl II – Volume I released; Volume II probably coming this year or next.

Daniel Heide – Three volumes released.

Giacomo Franci – Six volumes released.  Unsure of status.

Francesco Libetta – Late sonatas released last year as part of what is described as complete cycle.

Alessandro Cesaro – Part of possible multi-pianist set; unsure of status.

David Ezra Okonsar – Unsure if it is legitimate.

Julian Jacobson – Volume I found, implying possible cycle.  He has performed multiple marathons of all 32 in concert.  No idea if it comes to fruition.

Hyde Schock/Haideh Schok (name uncertain) – Spotted on Japanese sites, but not sure if there is more than one volume.

[Belle]

Just a small sample from Sokolov.  What do you think of his LvB sonatas recordings?  This seems muscular to be, and rather appealing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbOChdr9CvI&list=RDvbOChdr9CvI&start_radio=1

[Kalevala]

I'm currently enjoying this: 

And wishing that I was in that/a tropical botanical conservatory too! 

K

[Mandryka]

Just a small sample from Sokolov.  What do you think of his LvB sonatas recordings?  This seems muscular to be, and rather appealing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbOChdr9CvI&list=RDvbOChdr9CvI&start_radio=1

I saw him play the Hammerklavier in Toulouse once I thought it was OK, more than OK, but somehow I never wanted to listen to the recording, not special enough for that. Same for his op 111 recordings -- though there are some challenging ideas about tempos there --  I've not heard him do that one in concert but somehow I've acquired recordings.

I wish he'd play more sonatas I like -- op 101, op 109!

In concert a lot of the impact comes from the sound he makes, and the fact that he really clearly loves concertising. That gets a bit lost in a recording.

 

[Belle]

I saw him play the Hammerklavier in Toulouse once I thought it was OK, more than OK, but somehow I never wanted to listen to the recording, not special enough for that. Same for his op 111 recordings -- though there are some challenging ideas about tempos there --  I've not heard him do that one in concert but somehow I've acquired recordings.

I wish he'd play more sonatas I like -- op 101, op 109!

In concert a lot of the impact comes from the sound he makes, and the fact that he really clearly loves concertising. That gets a bit lost in a recording.

 

That last line of yours is apposite.  There's no doubt Sokolov has a very individual sound!!

[Mandryka]

@Belle I just listened to him playing op 111 in Turin in 2017. It was exactly as I remembered - beautiful sounds, contentious tempos, lovely moments, unexpected inner details revealed. And the whole seemed less than the sum of the parts.

I also listened to his Diabelli Variations and this seemed a coherent interpretation - as far as I know there's only one recording, I think it's from a concert. I liked it very much, but the music may have something to do with that.

I'm going to hear Stephen Osborne play the Diabelli Variations on Monday, so this was a sort of warm up.