# Best complete sets of Beethoven's and Schubert's Piano Sonatas that aren't Kempff?



## Boldertism (May 21, 2015)

Since I already own Kempff's second cycle of the Beethoven and don't really care for Kempff's Schubert cycle. What are the best complete sets performed by people who aren't Wilhelm Kempff?


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## Faustian (Feb 8, 2015)

For Beethoven Claudio Arrau.


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## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

My favourite for Beethoven is Brendel, though Schiff is also good (but not well recorded on ECM, in my opinion). For Schubert I like Kempff very much. I wonder what it is you don't like about his wonderful, lyrical and always enlightening Schubert readings? Brendel has also been my 'first alternative' (to Kempff) in Schubert.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

For Beethoven it's actually Pollini, not Arrau.


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## gardibolt (May 22, 2015)

Faustian had it right; Arrau for Beethoven.


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## Nereffid (Feb 6, 2013)

Mitsuko Uchida for Schubert.


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## Balthazar (Aug 30, 2014)

There was a recent thread on the Beethoven sonata cycles with a lot of good suggestions. I repeat my post from there:

If I were to have only one set, it would be the Schiff. Scholarly, straightforward interpretations with a judicious balance of virtuosity and expression.

If you want two sets, I would recommend Goode and Lewis. Goode is the height of brilliant musical virtuosity while Lewis is more on the slower, expressive side. They complement each other wonderfully. Together, you get the Yin/Yang, Apollo/Dionysus, Eusebius/Florestan perspective of the works. By far, these are the sets I listen to the most these days (usually back-to-back for a particular work).

Unfortunately, none of these three sets is particularly well-priced at present. The excellent cycle by Jenő Jandó on Naxos is usually available for download for under $10. A lifelong pedagogue, Jandó plays these as they would likely be taught in a conservatory (musically but restrained), and as a reference set it is first rate. I suspect if the price were tripled, it would get more positive attention -- it's an absolute steal.

[I will add that the Annie Fischer set is currently available for download for around $10. While not my first choice, it is an excellent set and well worth having.]


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

Listening to a cycle of Beethoven's sonatas is easy as pie and I regularly do so over my morning coffee (these days, it's Gulda's version), but though I love Schubert infinitely I think I'd find a traversal of his entire piano sonatas would be a little--how should I put this?--maybe too much of a good thing. I think I prefer my hodgepodge of Richter, Lupu, Uchida, Brendel, Lewis, and Sokolov, which I generally listen to 1 or at most 2 disks at a time, over any full set I've heard.


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## calvinpv (Apr 20, 2015)

Has anyone listened to Martino Tirimo's Schubert cycle? I know that it may not have the prestige of other Schubert cycles, but as far as I can tell, it's the only cycle that can actually call itself "complete" in that it has all 21 sonatas plus a couple of sonata fragments. What do people think of it?


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## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

I have Beethoven sets from:

Arrau
Ashkenazy
Backhaus
Barenboim (I & II)
Brendel (I, II & III)
Buchbinder (I)
Fischer
Frank
Goode
Gulda (I & II)
Jando
Kempff (I & II)
Korstick
Lewis
Lortie
O'Connor
Pollini
Schiff
Schnabel
Takacs

I also have many incomplete cycles and various other recordings.

My current favorite complete cycle is Buchbinder's 1st cycle which is available in this nice budget box set with lots of extras.
View attachment 75615


I also like Arrau, Gulda's 2nd cycle and Schiff. I also like Kempff, but if you are looking for something on the other end of the spectrum I would try the Buchbinder or Gulda cycles.

For Schubert, I don't know about complete sets, but I do like Brendel's recordings of the late sonatas.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Beethoven? That's easy. Annie Fischer.

I don't care much for Schubert. Sorry.


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## Vronsky (Jan 5, 2015)

Goode, Kovacevich, Pollini and Schnabel for Beethoven.


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## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

calvinpv said:


> Has anyone listened to Martino Tirimo's Schubert cycle? I know that it may not have the prestige of other Schubert cycles, but as far as I can tell, it's the only cycle that can actually call itself "complete" in that it has all 21 sonatas plus a couple of sonata fragments. What do people think of it?


Yes, I have it. It is interesting - Tirimo wrote completions for some of the fragmentary works, and treats some 'orphaned' Schubert movements as the 'lost' movements of others (he seems to be an acknowledge Schubert scholar, so I assume he has done this with some authentic evidence). It's fairly convincing. His performances, which tend towards the gentle and soft-focused on the whole, although really quite poetic in some places, are interestingly different to Kempff, say. I have heard also him play live.

But what spoils the set more than slightly for me are the awful EMI recordings, which I've seen described as "a bit cavernous and bottom-heavy". I'd say "more than a bit".

I see that Amazon are selling the re-released recordings on Warner for just shy of £12 in the UK, which means it's not much of a risk to buy if you're interested (although I'm kicking myself as I acquired the 8 EMI discs seperately, second hand, for more like £65 a few years ago)


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

IMO, one of the most underrated sets of the complete Schubert Piano sonatas is the one by Walter Klien on Vox, beautifully recorded in 1971-73 and remastered in 1996. The piano sound is comparable to the best one might hear from the 'upper echelon' record producers of the time and Klien's artistry and interpretation are second to none.

Vox was known for recording lesser known artists in the 1950s-70s at a bargain price, but sometimes they managed to equal or even out-perform the higher-priced labels. This is one example. (Digressing- Vox was pretty innovative also such as when they produced 16 2/3 rpm vinyl records that could provide 80 min of music or thereabouts.)

Listen particularly to the Andante Sostenuto from #21, D960 and note how Klien interprets the 2nd subject: It starts at 2min 15sec, but listen more to how glorious the repeat of it is at 3min 14sec. I've never heard any other artist bring out what sounds like such happiness/joy within an Andante. (Please don't listen to this on cheap computer speakers or with iPad/tablet speakers. Headphones are preferable.)


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## gardibolt (May 22, 2015)

Annie Fischer is also an excellent set and would make a nice counterbalance to Kempff.


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