# A Beethoven piano sonatas cycle with good liner notes?



## Steve Wright (Mar 13, 2015)

I fancy treating myself to a Beethoven piano sonatas cycle, and I'd really like one with some good liner notes. A nice chunky read, perhaps a little capsule summary of each sonata in turn (I'm guessing Schiff would be good here - expensive, though).
I know any amount of info can be found online - I just like leafing through a CD booklet while I listen to the music.
Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!
Steve


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

That lets out the Annie Fischer set. Terrific performances. Not very coherent English notes taken from the Hungarian originals, no doubt.


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## lextune (Nov 25, 2016)

Not at home right now to check through all my sets, but the very thought of great liner notes for the Beethoven Sonata brings Richard Goode's set to mind.


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

Or you can listen to any series and use this:

http://www.audiohigh.org/upcoming-events/beethoven-notes

Or maybe this:

https://www.marquisclassics.com/artists/513%20-%20Notes%20by%20Goodyear.pdf


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## Steve Wright (Mar 13, 2015)

DaveM said:


> Or you can listen to any series and use this:
> 
> http://www.audiohigh.org/upcoming-events/beethoven-notes
> 
> ...


Those look really useful, thanks DaveM! 
Alongside that, I still do quite fancy a set with a nice chunky booklet complete with some informative notes. Just something I really enjoy doing while I am listening. But these look great, thank you.


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## premont (May 7, 2015)

Steve Wright said:


> I fancy treating myself to a Beethoven piano sonatas cycle, and I'd really like one with some good liner notes. A nice chunky read, perhaps a little capsule summary of each sonata in turn (I'm guessing Schiff would be good here - expensive, though).
> I know any amount of info can be found online - I just like leafing through a CD booklet while I listen to the music.
> Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!
> Steve


A few pianists offer in the booklet their individual reflections on the sonatas (Kempff second set, Goodyear e.g.), but the general information about the sonatas can be acquired elsewhere, and I would never let booklet notes dictate me which set to purchase.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

By far the best "program notes" on the Beethoven sonatas I know of are Andras Schiff's Wigmore Hall lectures, where he discusses each sonata from the keyboard. In fact, his lectures are considerably longer than the sonatas themselves and have an amazing amount of information, all fascinating. And they're free!

https://wigmore-hall.org.uk/podcasts/andras-schiff-beethoven-lecture-recitals


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## Bruckner Anton (Mar 10, 2016)

I have several sets of the cycle, but I find none of them have really instructive liner notes. They are either vague description on each piece and its history, or even worse, some spam anecdote of the performer or recording.
So, personally I would suggest that you watch lectures on the works, like the one by Schiff or by Dr. Greenberg mentioned above. Or, if you have more knowledge of music analysis, find a book at a library.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

My wife and I sometimes take long drives on the weekends. We often listen to a Schiff lecture from my iPod, played through the stereo, and then the sonata itself. This is a lot of fun and a great learning experience!

Schiff, fortunately, is kind of a humorous guy.


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

As several others have suggested, it's best to choose a cycle for the performer rather than the liner notes. Most liner notes aren't very informative anyway. If you want to read about the sonatas, I recommend Charles Rosen's book Beethoven's Piano Sonatas: A Short Companion.


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## gardibolt (May 22, 2015)

Agreed. Treat Rosen as your liner notes and you're all set.


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