# Bitten by Beethoven #2



## kungfuthug (Sep 20, 2012)

I love Beethovens Sonatas. I currently own Richard Goodes cycle and love it. The only problem is the recording quality leaves something to be desired. I want another recording. Any suggestions?


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## jani (Jun 15, 2012)

Try his


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## Klavierspieler (Jul 16, 2011)

Andras Schiff all the way:


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

I'd recommend Schnabel, but you wouldn't like the sound (I can get past it). So... Richter.


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## kungfuthug (Sep 20, 2012)

I have heard the Schiff lectures and enjoyed them. I will give his cycle a listen. I am in love with his early Sonatas most. Although I must admit I haven't had much exposure to anything past 14. I have heard them but have not recited them to memory yet. A goal for this winter. 

I am smitten by Maestro's brilliance. I love his quote "god whispers to man, but he screams to Beethoven!"


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## Mephistopheles (Sep 3, 2012)

If you think the recording quality of Richard Goode's cycle isn't good enough, you may have to wait another 50 years until the technology is available to create something to meet your specifications.


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## kungfuthug (Sep 20, 2012)

Richard Goode is one hell of a pianist. Lets clear that up firstly. I adore his interpretations of the sonatas immensely. The problem lies in the recording. The noise floor is quite present throughout. Aside from that the worst part is that there is a spooky sound like something creepily breathing in different parts throughout the whole cycle. It is very annoying to say the least. I wish there wasn't but its there.


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## Mephistopheles (Sep 3, 2012)

kungfuthug said:


> Richard Goode is one hell of a pianist. Lets clear that up firstly. I adore his interpretations of the sonatas immensely. The problem lies in the recording. The noise floor is quite present throughout. Aside from that the worst part is that there is a spooky sound like something creepily breathing in different parts throughout the whole cycle. It is very annoying to say the least. I wish there wasn't but its there.


Ah yes, I actually remember now that I read some reviews complaining about Goode being a "hummer" like Gould. That creepy breathing sound you heard is probably Goode breathing creepily. 

By the way, my recommendation would be the almost-complete Gilels cycle supplemented by your personal preference between Pollini/Uchida/Perahia/Schiff/Kovacevich, all of which are very good.


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## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

I have the Brendel set, for Brillliant. And it is.

Brilliant, that is...


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## Guest (Oct 7, 2012)

Brendel is my go-to pianist for Beethoven and Mozart piano sonatas. I attended a lecture of his last year in Vienna (all in Deutsch) and he has a wide musical interest, from Bach up to the modern composers. But there's something very touching and sensitive about his Mozart Klaviersonaten, also his Schubert Klaviersonaten und vier Klavierstucke.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

CountenanceAnglaise said:


> Brendel is my go-to pianist for Beethoven and Mozart piano sonatas. I attended a lecture of his last year in Vienna (all in Deutsch) and he has a wide musical interest, from Bach up to the modern composers. But there's something very touching and sensitive about his Mozart Klaviersonaten, also his Schubert Klaviersonaten und vier Klavierstucke.


There is something about Brendel's playing of Beethoven that I have never understood. I enjoy his playing/interpretation (moderately, but positively), but a few minutes afterward I remember nothing of the performance. Nothing 'resonates' like Richter or Gilels does.

[This phenomenon started many years ago, when my memory was pretty good...]


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## kungfuthug (Sep 20, 2012)

Speaking of bad breathing on a recording, the Pollini cycle of Chopin is terribly annoying. I cannot get past it, no matter how good the performance is. I cannot focus on the music while hearing a nose whistle every few seconds.


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## Guest (Oct 7, 2012)

Yes, these "extraneous" noises are a consequence of over-sensitive microphones. I can hear car brakes on a recording of Ravel piano music - which was recorded in London!! Also, squeaking piano stools and mechanical action of the piano pedal - not to mention fingernails on the keyboard!! "Too much information" is a consequence of recording technologies but I think these days this problem can be solved by computers simply editing out extra noise. But in the 80's and 90's is was a major problem - in short, a consequence of the comparatively early days of digital sound recording.


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## kungfuthug (Sep 20, 2012)

I listened to Sonata #1 and Sonata #2 by Schiff. I much prefer the interpretation by Goode. The recording is alot cleaner by Schiff, but it is a little mechanical in comparison, although still good. Gonna try Brendel next. There has to be a happy medium.


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## kungfuthug (Sep 20, 2012)

I really love Beethoven's Adagios best, if that makes any sense. It is the slowest movements that I most enjoy.


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## Guest (Oct 8, 2012)

Agree about the Adagios of Beethoven!! And the wonderful thing about Beethoven, in a panoply of wonders, is that he created three separate 'style' periods and you can hear the transformation from one style to another!! Joy.

The Symphony No. 2 by Beethoven is delightful, but I especially love the serene second movement, Andante. Utterly sublime and written in the absolute depths of despair in Heiligenstadt the same year as the suicidal testament was written. There is absolutely no hint of this turmoil and strife in this beautiful symphony. He was not yet 32 years old but coming to terms with the inevitability of a lifetime of deafness.


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## kungfuthug (Sep 20, 2012)

Symphony number 2 Andante is my favourite of anything Beethoven I have heard yet. The beginning is just magical. The first 20 seconds (not sure how many bars) is totally "sublime"


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## Guest (Oct 8, 2012)

Actually, I've just looked at the recording and it's a Larghetto, not Andante - though I think it's probably more like Andantino to my ears. The issue of tempo markings is a separate, complex subject all on its own. Incidentally, the last movement Allegretto of Symphony No. 2 is also wonderful; joyful, rhythmic and oh, so classical in its sensibility. But, still distinctively Beethovenian.


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## kungfuthug (Sep 20, 2012)

That is so funny. I too was talking about the second movement and assumed that is what you were talking about. It is the Larghetto that I was referring to in my post above. 

Whenever I hear a softer side of Beethoven it always makes me focus on nature. Perhaps it is because I happen to listen to these works while walking through the wilderness near my home. I always read how Maestro loved nature, I believe he captured it in his scores perfectly. It is a spiritual experience walking through a mountainous grassy field, leaves falling, cold wind blowing and Symphony #2 caressing my being through high quality headphones. It opens my eyes to a level of heightened enlightenment that isn't normally reserved for men like me. The heights reserved for the select few in history, the heights of Beethoven.


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## kungfuthug (Sep 20, 2012)

I have listened to Schiff and Gilels sonatas. Sound is better but I prefer Goode's interpretation much better.


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

Make sure you're not just pattern matching to whatever you heard first. Instead of thinking about which you like best, try to articulate what they do differently. Avoid value judgements. There's more than one way to skin a cat when it comes to something as deep and rich as Beethoven's piano sonatas.


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