Beethoven's Piano Sonatas

[Fred]

Isn't Kuerti supposed to be a bit slow??? and hasn't he done a couple???

[Philoctetes]

Wow! That took you 18 seconds! 

I don't have that set. Someday...

You can get it pretty cheaply from this website:

http://www.jwentworth.com/pianists/anton_kuerti/order.htm

[Philoctetes]

Isn't Kuerti supposed to be a bit slow??? and hasn't he done a couple???

I don't know if I would call him slow, but he definitely has very interesting takes on the music, which is really what draws my ear to him.

[Antoine Marchand]

I don't have that set. Someday...

... but you must wait at least three months. I'm talking seriously, boy. 

[George]

... but you must wait at least three months. I'm talking seriously, boy. 

Totally. I just got the new Gulda and that will keep me busy for at least that long, plus I have to finish listening to my Silverman set.

[Todd]

Isn't Kuerti supposed to be a bit slow??? and hasn't he done a couple???

In the complete cycle Kuerti is generally slow, and at times exceedingly slow, like in 106.  He has recorded only one complete cycle, a one off of Op 28/2 and 106, and then the last five sonatas.  His cycle is his least compelling LvB, with the most recent recordings the best, and his superb concerto cycle.  Better still is him playing Beethoven in recital based on what I heard earlier this year.

[Holden]

Holden - at the speed Barenboim plays I'm sure he can sight-read everything (he's not a fav either).  But I recently read Kovacevich (who is a fav) saying that it took him two years to learn the hammerklavier and the experience almost drove him to despair.

But I'd be interested to know your comments on Gilel's Hammerklavier.  In the first movement, I keep waiting for lift-off, but all he does is taxi to the runway.   It's as if he's channelling Richter playing Schubert.  What's he up to?

Richter and Gilels are worlds apart in LvB and the Hammerklavier defines this quite well. SR plays with far more bombast than Gilels and this will give the work the 'take-off' that you are talking about. However, the adagio sostenuto is IMO one of the greatest slow movements ever written for the piano and many a performance has foundered on this not inconsiderable 'rock'. Gilels and Richter are like chalk and cheese in this movement. Where Richter is very good, Gilels brings out an atmosphere that is almost 'other worldly' and a portent of what was to come in the Arietta of Op 111.

However, neither performance is my favourite of Op 106. That honour goes to two recordings. One is the justifiably famous Solomon Cutner from the 1950s. The other is by Grigory Sokolov.

[Fred]

Haven't heard Cutner.  Totally agree on Sokolov.  Someone I think very good in the hammerklavier is Ursula Oppens - seems to be almost the only non-contemporary recording she's made. I also think Feltsman is magnificent in the last three: haven't heard his hammerklavier though, which has mixed reviews.

[George]

Haven't heard Cutner.  Totally agree on Sokolov.  Someone I think very good in the hammerklavier is Ursula Oppens - seems to be almost the only non-contemporary recording she's made. I also think Feltsman is magnificent in the last three: haven't heard his hammerklavier though, which has mixed reviews.

My fave Hammerklavier is Pollini's.

[Coopmv]

Totally. I just got the new Gulda and that will keep me busy for at least that long, plus I have to finish listening to my Silverman set.

You bought the Silverman set?  He does nothing for me.

[George]

You bought the Silverman set?  He does nothing for me.

Yes and so far, me neither.

[Fred]

Michael Leslie has recently put out an excellent Hammerklavier (really takes no prisoners).  Then I went looking for his other recordings and found out he's past 60 and the Hammerklavier is about it.  It's as if he spent all his life preparing for just one title match, won and then retired.

[Holden]

My fave Hammerklavier is Pollini's.

I still have not heard the Pollini late LvB set. I must rectify this!

[jlaurson]

I still have not heard the Pollini late LvB set. I must rectify this!

Yes, dear. You certainly must.

[david-jw]

 +1 for Solomon in the 106, but I would also suggest Arrau's 1960's Hammerklavier recording as exceptionally fine.

[Oldnslow]

Todd---have you listened to Gulda's mid 50's set recently released on Orfeo? It is tempting.....

[George]

Todd---have you listened to Gulda's mid 50's set recently released on Orfeo? It is tempting.....

He has. He started a thread on the set on this board.

[Mandryka]

+1 for Solomon in the 106, but I would also suggest Arrau's 1960's Hammerklavier recording as exceptionally fine.

As far as I know Arrau only recorded it once, which is pretty strange. And I agree it's a very good interpretation.

What I want from a performance of 106 is a sort of gushing multiple  orgasm of ideas. 

For years now, the Op106s I return to the most are Gould's and Yudina's . And more recently I've enjoyed Levy a lot.

Gould's rhythmic sense really works for him in this I think -- he brings such an infectious swing to the music all the musical gestures feel totally natural and fresh and easy and right. And there's a great lyrical feel to it. It sings. (He sings )

Yudina is equally creative and spontaneous sounding -- intense and rugged.

And Levy seems to find more ideas here than anyone else -- it's as if every time you listen to him you hear bits of musi, voices, which the others hide.

All three seem totally cool about the long lines, the long filo.

Schnabel's adagio is one of the best things he ever recorded. Shame about the rest of the sonata.

Solomon's  a bit bloodless I think  -- in this as in everything. 

Other ones which I felt very positively about -- but have rarely (if ever) returned to - - are Francois-Frederic Guy's forst recording  and  Paul Lewis's.

I need to listen to Sokolov again in this. And Richter  too.

Listen to this -- it's mad. But who is this guy?
http://www.youtube.com/v/IA2v7ikyuxg

[dirkronk]

Listen to this -- it's mad. But who is this guy?
http://www.youtube.com/v/IA2v7ikyuxg

Hmmm. Beus came into my radar--though only on the periphery, I'm afraid--when a couple of his CDs came into the local library a few months back (less common stuff...Griffes, Bauer, Barber, bit of Scriabin). The most recent addition was on Harmonia Mundi, but not sure if he's signed to that label now. Honestly, I didn't pay that much attention, but based on this wild little outing, I think I'll track those discs down and listen more closely.

I fear I have little to contribute to the Hammerklavier discussion. I have a hard time saying that I even understand, let alone appreciate, the 106. I've always been less impressed than most folks by Solomon's, and I know that the critics have loved it for decades (however, I am a true Solomon fan and I do love his earlier Beethoven sonatas...his Waldstein knocks most other pianists in the dust...so I can hardly concur with your "bit bloodless...in this as in everything" comment). The first pianist to make this sonata even sort of coherent for me was Egon Petri: I have a Columbia Special Products LP and a downloaded transfer of a later Westminster LP, plus I believe there are some live performances floating around. I've paid enough attention to Gilels' versions to know that I prefer his earlier Melodiya. Years ago, I was quite impressed upon first hearing Pollini's DGG and still have the LP set in my collection. And more recently, I too have enjoy listening to Levy. But I also have plenty of other doing the work (including two or more renditions by Richter...so why am I not recalling and gushing over one of his, I ask myself?). Apparently, I am in dire need of an op.106 spin-off session.

Dirk

[SonicMan46]

Well, I've not reviewed all of the back pages in this thread, but today I was perusing the November-December issue of Fanfare, and a complete Beethoven Piano Sonata cycle was reviewed w/ a rather excellent recommendation:

Andre De Groote - never heard of this performer; according to the review he has also done a complete Brahms cycle - so just curious from our 'experts' here - any comments?