# Brahms Complete Piano Works: Favourite Sets



## Eclectic Al (Apr 23, 2020)

I recently bought the complete set of Brahms solo piano works by Gerhard Oppitz (mainly because it was only 199 Czech Koruna on Supraphon).
However, I also noticed a fairly new set by Geoffroy Couteau which seems to have almost no reviews in English, the Barry Douglas set (which does have reviews - generally pretty good) and is reasonably priced. Then there is Martin Jones (less than £10 on Presto) who gets middling reviews, and Idil Biret (but I didn't notice that at low cost).
Complete means different things for different sets, so there is also the older Katchen set, which I am aware of but I was really looking at newer recordings than that.

Anyway, does anyone have a strong liking for any particular "complete" set, and does anyone have any comments on the Couteau set in particular? Thanks.


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

I've known and enjoyed the Katchen set for decades. Unless sound quality is your absolute top priority, even ahead of quality of interpretation, my suggestion would be that you give that a listen after all.


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## Eclectic Al (Apr 23, 2020)

Animal the Drummer said:


> I've known and enjoyed the Katchen set for decades. Unless sound quality is your absolute top priority, even ahead of quality of interpretation, my suggestion would be that you give that a listen after all.


I'm quite happy to do that. Any others, though, that are seen as worth a shot - particularly Couteau (given the lack of reviews)? What I saw about his performance was mainly gleaned from purchaser reviews on Amazon, where the performances were highly rated, but some seemed not to like the recording.

As a bit more background, I have various performances of the late pieces (which are generally my favourite Brahms), but I thought I should explore the earlier pieces a bit more, and fancied complete sets in order to link performances of early and late pieces for the same performer. I understand Katchen is particularly renowned for the various variations (?), which fits well with my gaps, so I'm certainly not avoiding him.


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

There are several recordings of individual sets of the late pieces that I would happily recommend (Angelich, Lupu, Kempff, Gilels, etc.) but since I have not spend too much time with Katchen I will provide a warning against the Martin Jones set - it has about the most unappealing piano tone I’ve ever heard; clangorous, overly reverberant, and out-of-tune, and I find Jones’s playing turgid. I only know the recordings because I like to follow along with Kelly Dean Hansen’s listening guides and those are the recordings synced with the guides.


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## Eclectic Al (Apr 23, 2020)

Allegro Con Brio said:


> There are several recordings of individual sets of the late pieces that I would happily recommend (Angelich, Lupu, Kempff, Gilels, etc.) but since I have not spend too much time with Katchen I will provide a warning against the Martin Jones set - it has about the most unappealing piano tone I've ever heard; clangorous, overly reverberant, and out-of-tune, and I find Jones's playing turgid. I only know the recordings because I like to follow along with Kelly Dean Hansen's listening guides and those are the recordings synced with the guides.


Thanks. Sounds like a less than ringing endorsement for Martin Jones.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

I'll just add my recommendation to avoid Mr. Jones.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

The Brilliant classics set with various pianists is actually quite good. Personally I prefer that to Katchen. 

IMO, avoid Detlef Kraus, who is very boring.

But there are of course benefits from collecting individual recordings.


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## pjang23 (Oct 8, 2009)

Radu Lupu's interpretations are second to none for me, and cover opp. 117-119, the Rhapsodies, and Piano Sonata No. 3. Complement them with Gilels's op. 116.


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## Eclectic Al (Apr 23, 2020)

joen_cph said:


> The Brilliant classics set with various pianists is actually quite good. Personally I prefer that to Katchen.


I'm not sure that is still readily available??


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

Martin Jones for me. First, it's cheap. Second, it's at least well-played, if maybe some others dig deeper. Third, the recorded sound is excellent. I'm not that picky about piano performances - the pianist really isn't that important to me. The music is. When I have it on, it's usually in the background or in the car. So Jones it is.


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## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

mbhaub said:


> Martin Jones for me. First, it's cheap. Second, it's at least well-played, if maybe some others dig deeper. Third, the recorded sound is excellent. I'm not that picky about piano performances - the pianist really isn't that important to me. The music is. When I have it on, it's usually in the background or in the car. So Jones it is.
> View attachment 142848


The fact that several people posted very negative opinions on this record, and that you recommended it highly, has made me very curious about this set. I'm going to check it out. Thanks!


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## Highwayman (Jul 16, 2018)

I think Biret as a "complete" set is a very satisfactory one because it contains everything and more at a very high standard. She takes it very seriously and approaches every single piece with the same respectful manner. There might be things that you cannot find in any other commercial recordings such as the 51 Exercises. Her transcriptions of the last couple of symphonies might not be everyone's cup of tea but they are certainly very impressive and worth listening. With all the solo works plus concerti, transcriptions and bonus chamber works I consider this as the most "complete" set even though my traditional champions for Brahms are Katchen and Lupu.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Eclectic Al said:


> I'm not sure that is still readily available??


There's been a couple of releases; I don't know where you are situated, but here's one, at less than 4 Euros:
https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Various/...omplete+piano+brilliant&qid=1599799771&sr=8-3

Here's the other one:
https://www.amazon.de/-/en/dp/B019G...omplete+piano+brilliant&qid=1599799824&sr=8-2


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

This one ( above) and for budget price: Idil Biret (piano) on Naxos


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## RogerWaters (Feb 13, 2017)

...k-a-t-c-h-e-n...


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Katchen is famous, but I think it's fair to say at least that he's quite subdued in his style, compared to many others (less so in concerto- and ensemble works).


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## Eclectic Al (Apr 23, 2020)

Thanks for all the responses.
Interesting, though, that no one has made any remarks about the Couteau set.
Is this because it is not known outside the French-speaking world?

Also, any views on the Oppitz set that I did pay about £7 for? I have only listened to Op 116 so far. He seemed more at home in the "barnstorming" pieces, but was perhaps trying too hard to show that he had something to say in the more reflective pieces. Just a first impression.


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

Got to admit I hadn't heard of Couteau at all till you mentioned him here.

I don't know Oppitz' Brahms but I've tended to find him slightly bland in other music.


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## Eclectic Al (Apr 23, 2020)

Animal the Drummer said:


> Got to admit I hadn't heard of Couteau at all till you mentioned him here.


Me neither.........


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## Holden4th (Jul 14, 2017)

The few works that Gilels did makes me wish he'd done much more. Kempff has a larger repertoire and is also very good. What I've got came mainly from the GPOTTC recordings.

One recommendation I'm going to make may seem off the wall but the Glenn Gould 10 Intermezzi are simply gorgeous. Somehow, Gould just got Brahms totally and was actually quoted as saying so.


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

Both seem to have had less than impressive social communication skills, so I can understand that.


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## Eclectic Al (Apr 23, 2020)

Just listening to a few performances of the 4th of the Op 116 pieces. (Just because it's on the Gould selection, and I also have quite a few sets kicking around.)
Starting with Gould. Too mannered, spoiling the flow too frequently. Recording not good.
Oppitz is very slow, but may just about carry it off, and the recording is OK.
Couteau seems OK, although the interpretation didn't stand out for me. The recording was not good, but not dreadful.
Jones has an appalling recording, although I thought the performance itself might be not so bad before I gave up on recording grounds. Was this recorded in an old church hall using whatever upright happened to be there?
I have an Imogen Cooper recording and that was pretty good. Not stand out, and the recording also just OK.
Gilels, Kovacevich and (yes) Katchen seemed best for me in this piece from this collection of performers. All had good sound and good performances.

Stepping one piece back to the third in the Op 116 set, I lose Gould (but I'm generally happy to do that). 
Starting with Jones, I think the performance seems pretty good, but unfortunately I'm guessing a bit, as it sounds like he was playing (I think) in a swimming pool.
Cooper seems OK, although the recording is not great. (By contrast, in the final piece of the set I think it gets away from her fingers a bit - and I think it may have been a live performance, so it might otherwise have been re-taken.)
Couteau seems to get an OK recording here (although that is after listening to Jones), and it seems like an acceptable performance - maybe a bit soft-toned, so it perhaps depends how much contrast you want between the "loud" and "quiet" pieces in this set.
Katchen is good, but I think the recording quality is not as good on this as on the earlier (quieter) piece - still acceptable, though.
Oppitz has plenty of oomph, but on this piece the recording gets a bit clangy for me.
Gilels suffers from a bit of a thin recorded sound in comparison with the best. The performance is, of course, impeccable, but (as I note below) I think Kovacevich is a bit more passionato.
Kovacevich gets through it pretty quickly, and the recording is pretty good. This is probably the stand out for me, as I think the piece does well at this slightly faster pace. He is certainly passionato. Maybe I'm imprinted (as this was my first set of these pieces), but at the end of his performance of No 3 I might just be tempted to jump to my feet.


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

Holden4th said:


> The few works that Gilels did makes me wish he'd done much more. Kempff has a larger repertoire and is also very good. What I've got came mainly from the GPOTTC recordings.
> 
> One recommendation I'm going to make may seem off the wall but the Glenn Gould 10 Intermezzi are simply gorgeous. Somehow, Gould just got Brahms totally and was actually quoted as saying so.


Yes, that Gould album is simply one of my favorite piano recordings ever. It shows such a different side to him from his Bach recordings.


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## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)

Sonatas 1 & 2 - Richter
Sonata 3 - Solomon
Ballades - Gilels
Intermezzi, Rhapsodies, Fantasies, Klavierstucke, Waltzes - Backhaus (30s recordings)
Handel variations - Moiseiwitsch
Paganini variations - Petri

Also, my introduction to solo Brahms piano and still one of my favorite discs:


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## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

Allegro Con Brio said:


> Yes, that Gould album is simply one of my favorite piano recordings ever. It shows such a different side to him from his Bach recordings.


Couldn't agree more. One of my very favorites...


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