# Favorite recordings of Schoenberg's piano music



## staxomega

I found several threads on Schoenberg but none specifically on his piano music. Lets discuss your favorite performances of these.

For the solo music some of my favorite CDs are with Pollini, Gould, Mitsuko Uchida and my long time favorite that I keep coming back to is Paul Jacobs' Nonesuch recording. If anyone is looking for this the earliest CD sounds closest to my LP (which is also superb and these LPs are usually cheap), I was disappointed with the sound on one of the later CDs. For me whether he is playing Debussy, Schoenberg, Busoni, etc he usually really captures the atmosphere of the music wonderfully. In Bach-Busoni his ardent adherence to Busoni's clear instructions is also what I love. But enough about Paul Jacobs, back to Schoenberg 

For the Piano Concerto I like both of Peter Serkin's commercial recordings but tend to favor the one made with Boulez over Ozawa. Pollini/Abaddo is another favorite. I realize I've posted this to the solo/chamber section as that is my main interest, just thought I'd briefly mention the piano concerto.

Currently listening to Chen Pi-Hsien.


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## Knorf

I like the Pollini Schönberg disc very much myself.

Maybe we should add to the discussion piano music of other Second Viennese composers, especially Berg and Webern.


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## flamencosketches

I like the Pollini, it was the first I heard. I also have Peter Hill on Naxos which is quite good, and includes the Berg Sonata & Webern Variations, two of my favorite works from this school. 

I really want to hear the Chen that you mentioned. She's a killer pianist. I have a disc of her playing works by Stockhausen & Beethoven and it's so good.


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## Knorf

I used to have the Peter Hill disc, and would say it was very good. But I found when I returned to Schönberg's piano music, it was always Pollini that I pulled off the shelf, so at some point I gave the Hill disc away to a friend. It went to a good home!

I regret never having picked up Glenn Gould, although I have heard it on multiple occasions.

For the Piano Concerto besides Pollini/Abbado and Uchida/Boulez I also have a strong fondness for Brendel, with Gielen/SWF, which includes sensational performances of the two Chamber Symphonies as well.


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## Mandryka

staxomega said:


> I found several threads on Schoenberg but none specifically on his piano music. Lets discuss your favorite performances of these.


Eduard Steuermann.


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## flamencosketches

I have the Glenn Gould 4CD with just about all of his Schoenberg recordings. It's good, some of it better than others. His 3 Pieces op.11 & Suite op.25 are great. There's the added bonus of having all that Schoenberg Lieder which is otherwise hard to come across. Don't know why I forgot to mention Gould. But I reach for the Hill more.

For the piano concerto, I have a recording that I really like: Emanuel Ax with Salonen & the Philharmonia. The Gould with Craft & the CBC SO is not as much to my taste.


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## staxomega

Mandryka said:


> Eduard Steuermann.


These recordings?


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## Knorf

flamencosketches said:


> I have the Glenn Gould 4CD with just about all of his Schoenberg recordings. It's good, some of it better than others. His 3 Pieces op.11 & Suite op.25 are great. There's the added bonus of having all that Schoenberg Lieder which is otherwise hard to come across. Don't know why I forgot to mention Gould. But I reach for the Hill more.


You're making me regret giving the Hill away! But it did go to a good home.


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## Mandryka

staxomega said:


> These recordings?


Don't know that. The two I was thinking of are Vol. 1 of the Schoenberg collection on Archiphon, and the 1951 Dial Masters on Soundmark. Generally with Schoenberg I've found it really rewarding to go to the early recordings made with people who knew him.


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## staxomega

Mandryka said:


> Don't know that. The two I was thinking of are Vol. 1 of the Schoenberg collection on Archiphon, and the 1951 Dial Masters on Soundmark. Generally with Schoenberg I've found it really rewarding to go to the early recordings made with people who knew him.
> 
> View attachment 134854
> View attachment 134855


Brilliant, thanks. Even with my rather healthy collection of historical pianists I've never heard of this pianist/composer before. I've listened to the first movement from his Sonata For Piano played by Bruce Brubaker, it's a damn good piece. Wikipedia says Russell Sherman studied piano with Steuermann, that's neat! Not entirely related I've felt Sherman is one of those people that plays like a composer-pianist.


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## Dirge

For a single disc featuring all of Schoenberg's solo piano music, I favor Pollini [DG '74], but my favorite recording of a single work is the unexpected and powerfully compelling one-off account of Three Piano Pieces, Op. 11, by Arrau [ica/BBC Legends, live '59]: 




Like Pollini, Arrau takes the music at a fairly good clip, but Arrau conveys the music with a stronger sense of narrative, generating much tension, suspense, and drama while craftily building climaxes. Pollini's more abstract and analytical approach brings more pointillistic clarity, but the music still has an avant-garde air about it in his hands, whereas it comes across as established repertoire in Arrau's hands-no atonal experimentation, just music-making. The third piece is especially exciting here, exploding out of the blocks and continuing with a sense of sweep and momentum that makes Pollini's account sound overthunk and deliberate by comparison. Arrau has the great advantage of being recording live in recital-which always brings out the best in him-during his absolute prime (from the early/mid 1950s to the early 1960s in my estimation).


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## millionrainbows

I completely agree with staxomega's choice of Paul Jacobs. Never have I heard such precision and nuance. It's perfect!

The piano concerto I imprinted on was a DG vinyl with an impressive cover: it's available on CD. The finale of the violin concerto still always startles me, to this day.


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## millionrainbows

Op. 11, 19, and 23 by Edward Steuermann (rec. 1963) can be had in the RIAS Second Viennese School Project. If you get it, order from Berkshire...much cheaper.


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## Guest

I've long enjoyed Pollini's, but this new recording is quite good:


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## staxomega

Dirge said:


> For a single disc featuring all of Schoenberg's solo piano music, I favor Pollini [DG '74], but my favorite recording of a single work is the unexpected and powerfully compelling one-off account of Three Piano Pieces, Op. 11, by Arrau [ica/BBC Legends, live '59]:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Like Pollini, Arrau takes the music at a fairly good clip, but Arrau conveys the music with a stronger sense of narrative, generating much tension, suspense, and drama while craftily building climaxes. Pollini's more abstract and analytical approach brings more pointillistic clarity, but the music still has an avant-garde air about it in his hands, whereas it comes across as established repertoire in Arrau's hands-no atonal experimentation, just music-making. The third piece is especially exciting here, exploding out of the blocks and continuing with a sense of sweep and momentum that makes Pollini's account sound overthunk and deliberate by comparison. Arrau has the great advantage of being recording live in recital-which always brings out the best in him-during his absolute prime (from the early/mid 1950s to the early 1960s in my estimation).


I have this BBC disc in storage somewhere, I look forward to revisiting it! I can't recall the last time I played it.



millionrainbows said:


> I completely agree with staxomega's choice of Paul Jacobs. Never have I heard such precision and nuance. It's perfect!
> 
> The piano concerto I imprinted on was a DG vinyl with an impressive cover: it's available on CD. The finale of the violin concerto still always startles me, to this day.


Oh yeah the VC is fantastic, I like that performance with Szeryng as well, I think I'll play it now


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## flamencosketches

Thoughts on Ms. Chen's Schoenberg, staxomega?


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## ZeR0

I like both Pollini and Gould for the Second Viennese School. In particular, my favorite is Gould's performance of Alban Berg's piano sonata. For the Schoenberg piano concerto I like Uchida and Boulez.


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## staxomega

flamencosketches said:


> Thoughts on Ms. Chen's Schoenberg, staxomega?


She communicates Schoenberg in a direct, clear way, when I was listening to it several times I forgot I was listening to a pianist and was like looking into Schoenberg. I also like that she recorded those pieces written before Op. 11 which I find very good and give nice insight into his earliest period. I've only listened to it once so I can't say anything more nuanced than that, I did like it enough that I ordered the CD off just that single listen.

Based off what I heard in the Schoenberg I am keen to hear her performances of Boulez.


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## flamencosketches

staxomega said:


> She communicates Schoenberg in a direct, clear way, when I was listening to it several times I forgot I was listening to a pianist and was like looking into Schoenberg. I also like that she recorded those pieces written before Op. 11 which I find very good and give nice insight into his earliest period. I've only listened to it once so I can't say anything more nuanced than that, I did like it enough that I ordered the CD off just that single listen.
> 
> Based off what I heard in the Schoenberg I am keen to hear her performances of Boulez.


Wow! High praise. I didn't know she recorded early pieces. Sounds like something I need to hear ASAP.

I'm also curious about her performances of Boulez & Cage... her Stockhausen/Beethoven disc on the same label is great.


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## staxomega

Dirge said:


> For a single disc featuring all of Schoenberg's solo piano music, I favor Pollini [DG '74], but my favorite recording of a single work is the unexpected and powerfully compelling one-off account of Three Piano Pieces, Op. 11, by Arrau [ica/BBC Legends, live '59]:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Like Pollini, Arrau takes the music at a fairly good clip, but Arrau conveys the music with a stronger sense of narrative, generating much tension, suspense, and drama while craftily building climaxes. Pollini's more abstract and analytical approach brings more pointillistic clarity, but the music still has an avant-garde air about it in his hands, whereas it comes across as established repertoire in Arrau's hands-no atonal experimentation, just music-making. The third piece is especially exciting here, exploding out of the blocks and continuing with a sense of sweep and momentum that makes Pollini's account sound overthunk and deliberate by comparison. Arrau has the great advantage of being recording live in recital-which always brings out the best in him-during his absolute prime (from the early/mid 1950s to the early 1960s in my estimation).


I've located my disc and listened to Arrau play them, these are uniquely individual and damn fine interpretations. There is a dark, haunting quality to Arrau's interpretations that is something else. I think a combination of how he plays pianissimo/pianississimo, bass cord weight and way he hangs on to some sections ala Richter. These are the type of performances that you think about long after they're over.


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## Eramire156

Paul Jacobs and Eduard Steuermann, you can listen to Steuermann's Columbia recordings, along with other Schoenberg historical recordings, including Schoenberg conducting Mahler, at

https://www.schoenberg.at/index.php/en/archiv-2/historische-aufnahmen


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## MrMeatScience

Eramire156 said:


> Paul Jacobs and Eduard Steuermann, you can listen to Steuermann's Columbia recordings, along with other Schoenberg historical recordings, including Schoenberg conducting Mahler, at
> 
> https://www.schoenberg.at/index.php/en/archiv-2/historische-aufnahmen


Wow, thanks for sharing this. I spend a lot of time at the Schoenberg Center but somehow I never realized that they have historical recordings on their website. Loving this Mahler. I'm going to give the Steuermann a listen this evening.


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## staxomega

The one I've been playing most often these days is from Peter Serkin, I have been really impressed with him in these works, easily as good as the others I've mentioned in this thread.


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## SanAntone

I like Glenn Gould, (one of the few instances in which I would recommend Gould) Paul Jacobs, and *Peter Hill*. Of these three, I prefer Peter Hill over the other two.


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