michel devos Posted October 7, 2010 Report Share Posted October 7, 2010 well, if he played it while in a coma, I will be the first one to purchase it. Argh..,sorry for dropping that letter, keyboard fault, evidently.. Nevertheless, I concur, it is very difficult to play in a comma, there are nine between two notes...And one word of caution : stay away from the aethylic commas, they are the worst. Mainly found in the Scotch symphony from Mendelsohnn and all the works of Ignaz von Burgundy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted October 7, 2010 Report Share Posted October 7, 2010 that's ok, I know many jazz musicians who have played while comatose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulpope Posted October 22, 2010 Report Share Posted October 22, 2010 While reading this thread, I wondered that FRIEDRICH GULDA never was mentioned. His Beethoven Sonatas are "state of the art" for sure, either the unbelievable 1968 recordings (available as bargain box) http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Piano-Sonata-Concerto-Box/dp/B000BQV52A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1287739523&sr=1-1 or the just recently released 1954/55 recording(a little pricier) http://www.amazon.de/S%C3%A4mtliche-Klaviersonaten-1-32-Variation-Bag/dp/B003L544SK/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1287739670&sr=1-2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted October 19, 2012 Report Share Posted October 19, 2012 The Gulda (Amadeo 1967) is the most recent of a few great Beethoven cycles I've been playing since I got started in classical music early in June. The Kempff early fifties mono (I posted about buying it in this thread, never really played much of it until this year) was another - but I think my top favorite is Schnabel (I've got the EMI box, sound didn't bother me). Gould I found most enjoyable, too (not quite complete though), and also Solomon with the late sonatas (a little less so with some middle ones included in his ICON box). From Arrau, I have what's in his ICON again, and some of it was fine, I thought, but I found his Liszt better, and Mozart sonatas mo' better than his Liszt (though I do love Gould's Mozart sonatas, too - totally different, but wonderful). Rubinstein's Beethoven is kind of weird. His mid fifties and early sixties recordings are the best (speaking only of his few Beethoven sonatas recordings), but they're not quite up there with Schnabel, Gould, Gulda, Kempff, I think. Horowitz is pretty weak I found, but the few by Gieseking I've heard so far are again most wonderful. A lifetime of enjoyment? I guess so! It only started a few months ago and Beethoven (violin sonatas first, then piano sonatas, piano trios, string trios, the violin concerto a few other thigns) was played most often by a big margin in the first two months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted October 19, 2012 Report Share Posted October 19, 2012 From my very personal Beethoven experience - number 1 Schnabel (by a long distance) - number 2 '50s Kempff (for an intelligent alt view) and finally the Vox Brendels (for a brash first go by a bright guy - I hate his later stuff). Individual sonatas by others are liked, especially Fischer. Much to discuss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 Fischer, Annie or Edwin? Don't know either yet. No Gould for you, Chuck? I'm not sure if I'd have him or Kempff as #2 ... or Gulda's Amadeo cycle, which I've yet to explore more thoroughly (I've only given it one spin this week and found it fantastic). Also, what are the general impressions of Gilels' Beethoven? I've got his fifties and sixties concerto cycles (in the ICON box), but for solo, there's just the variations (again in the ICON). Should I seek some of his sonata recordings? The whole package or rather some select discs/sonatas, and if so, which ones? But Schnabel is *it*! That guy is just plain amazing. Missed notes? Damn, who cares, he is making music of the hightest order. First degree, all the way! (Same goes for his Mozart - I don't think I've heard much that is up there ... Rubinstein with Krips doing K 491, Lipatti with K 467, Gieseking maybe with K 491 and K 488, Weissenberg with K 467 - that's it - but Schnabel is on equal heights in all of those and a few others - but obviously I've got lots left to explore.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Д.Д. Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 Check out Emil Gilels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.W. Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 (edited) I can't speak for Chuck, of course, but if I remember correctly he once posted that he didn't like Gilels in Beethoven. Anyway, Gilels' unfinished cycle (DG) is one of my favourites, along with the earlier Kempff (mono, DG). Annie Fischer (Hungaroton) is an acquired taste in Beethoven, though I like what she does, and I also like most of Solomon's interpretations (Testament, not EMI); Schnabel (Naxos, not the earlier, heavily no-noised EMI set) is hors concours. Edited October 20, 2012 by J.A.W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 Solomon ... I love his late ones, but I think the few additional middle ones (Pathétique, Moonlight, Waldstein, Appassionata, Les Adieux) are enough at this time. Not sure I really need to update Schnabel, as I found no fault in the EMI box and find it easily the best Beethoven I've heard, so I guess for the time being I'm fine with the EMI box. Gilels, to me, is rather different ... he's got a wonderful tone, but somehow I hear him as kind of pointillistic if that makes sense. Not that much attention to shapes, lines, longer stretches of thought. Don't get me wrong, I've liked much of what I heard (i.e. the trio with Kogan and Rostropovich playing Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann and Haydn, and - with Barshai - the Fauré quartet, also his third Rachmaninov and both Beethoven cycles) - but somehow he's still not a favourite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarThrower Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 How about Rudolf Serkin? He recorded quite a bit of Beethoven. There's a bargain 11 CD box on Sony I'm thinking of buying. http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=798192 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 If you can't find something else in the discussion above, go for it. Honest performances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarThrower Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 (edited) If you can't find something else in the discussion above, go for it. Honest performances. I'm taking it all in, and considering others as well. Thanks for everyone's input. I've been doing quite a bit of listening on YouTube, and from a performance aspect I could live with any of a number of great pianists from Serkin, Kempff, Claude Frank, Yves Nat, or Schabel. Whether I'm going to enjoy the sound of the CDs on my stereo is another matter. But I'm willing to take the plunge as the only Beethoven recordings I have are by John O'Conor which are fine, but not exactly full of fire and personality. Edited November 5, 2012 by starthrower Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulpope Posted November 7, 2012 Report Share Posted November 7, 2012 After being out of print for some time (btw only available via Japan), the complete Beethoven Sonatas performed by Maria Grinberg recorded 1964-1967 and released by Melodyia is available again. Her style is probably not for the fainthearted, but to me very interesting nevertheless - admire her interpretation of Sonatas 109-111, which should not be missed !! For another fascinating view on Beethoven Sonatas, try Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli(although he recorded only a couple of these - 3,4,11,12 and 111). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted November 7, 2012 Report Share Posted November 7, 2012 Schnabel is the reference, I think, but I find that the Gulda cycle on Brilliant Classics gets the most repeat play around here. I've also been checking out some of Pollini's interpretations on DG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bogdan101 Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 Yes Schnabel is the best, and best heard on the Pearl transfers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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