# Beethoven piano sonata´s



## Omnimusic

Who is your favourite pianist for Beethoven sonata´s? Please motivate your answer.


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## Delicious Manager

Take that rogue apostrophe out of "sonatas", please! Aargh!


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## Pugg

Can we just post one pianist?


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## chesapeake bay

Beethoven's piano sonatas are my favorite solo piano pieces, and I have found that no one pianist can really represent all of the sonatas to their best, so my favorite is 22 different pianists for the 32 sonatas and 23 if you include the andante favori


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## Omnimusic

Delicious Manager said:


> Take that rogue apostrophe out of "sonatas", please! Aargh!


I am sorry for this mistake! I don´t know how to correct it in the original post (I am new here)


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## Omnimusic

Pugg said:


> Can we just post one pianist?


Well, I would prefer if you post only one pianist (your favourite one). I think that the motivation why you prefer this pianist is more interesting than just make a list of pianists.


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## Headphone Hermit

Difficult to limit myself to just one pianist, hut here goes .....

Artur Schnabel - recorded pre-war on 78s and since re-released on EMI and later on Naxos Historical (where they are reasonably priced) and other companies (eg Nuovo Era). A flawed set in places, with tempi that some find too rushed and with some 'blips' but I think this was (one of) the first complete set on disc and so is a useful starting point (at least chronologically). As one reviewer wrote: ''a blazing intensity of interpretative vision as well as a breathtaking manner of execution"

but do I really only get one choice? sigh!


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## Judith

Omnimusic said:


> Who is your favourite pianist for Beethoven sonata´s? Please motivate your answer.


I like Yuja Wang as she performed an amazing duet with Joshua Bell for Sonata no 9.


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## Genoveva

Omnimusic said:


> Who is your favourite pianist for Beethoven sonata´s? Please motivate your answer.


Favourite pianist for Beethoven's piano sonatas? This must be one of the most frequent questions asked on classical music forums. A typical answer is "it varies according to sonata" followed by a list of pianists. By the time everybody's opinion has been expressed it's very difficult to extract an overall "winner".

Here's a typical previous T-C thread on this topic. http://www.talkclassical.com/12636-beethovens-piano-sonatas-best.html

The above thread contains some interesting comments by several former members.

Looking at my own collection of Beethoven piano sonatas, I have quite a few: Alfred Brendel, Alfredo Perl, Andras Schiff, Andreas Haefliger, Annie Fischer, Anton Kuerti, Charles Rosen, Claude Frank, Daniel Barenboim, Emil Gilels, Friedrich Gulda, Garrick Ohlsson, Glenn Gould, Igor Levit, John Ogdon, Maurizio Pollini, Ronald Brautigam ... the list goes on and on.

Which sonata and which pianist do I like the best? I don't think about this issue all that much, as I like too many of them, and I don't have an overall favourite pianist for these sonatas. If I had to pick just one it might be No 21 "Waldstein", and of all the versions I have I reckon I like the one by Vladimir Ashkenazy best of all. He is among my favourite pianists.


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## chesapeake bay

Schnabel complete sonatas are a good starting point, sounds is not excellent and there are a few mistakes but he definitely understood Beethoven. Other complete cycles worth listening to would be, in no particular order: Gulda, Goode, Gilels, Pollini, Annie Fischer, Kovecevich, Kempff, Brendel and Goodyear. Having read through many of the previous posts about Beethovens sonatas I think that the most often praised cycle is that by Annie Fischer and I agree her renditions are excellent.


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## Pugg

Omnimusic said:


> Well, I would prefer if you post only one pianist (your favourite one). I think that the motivation why you prefer this pianist is more interesting than just make a list of pianists.


As you see from answers above, it's impossible to answer this with just one pianist.


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## Headphone Hermit

chesapeake bay said:


> Schnabel complete sonatas are a good starting point, sounds is not excellent and there are a few mistakes but he definitely understood Beethoven. Other complete cycles worth listening to would be, in no particular order: Gulda, Goode, Gilels, Pollini, Annie Fischer, Kovecevich, Kempff, Brendel and Goodyear. Having read through many of the previous posts about Beethovens sonatas I think that the most often praised cycle is that by *Annie Fischer* and I agree her renditions are excellent.


An interesting and balanced review at http://www.spectator.co.uk/2014/08/...ano-giant-why-didnt-more-people-realise-this/


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## Headphone Hermit

Judith said:


> I like Yuja Wang as she performed an amazing duet with Joshua Bell for Sonata no 9.


Has Wang recorded the Beethoven piano sonatas? I know she has performed some in concert, but wasn't aware of a set on disc (Actually .... has she recorded any of the Beethoven sonatas???)


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## Omnimusic

Genoveva said:


> Favourite pianist for Beethoven's piano sonatas? This must be one of the most frequent questions asked on classical music forums. A typical answer is "it varies according to sonata" followed by a list of pianists. By the time everybody's opinion has been expressed it's very difficult to extract an overall "winner".
> 
> Here's a typical previous T-C thread on this topic. http://www.talkclassical.com/12636-beethovens-piano-sonatas-best.html
> 
> The above thread contains some interesting comments by several former members.
> 
> Looking at my own collection of Beethoven piano sonatas, I have quite a few: Alfred Brendel, Alfredo Perl, Andras Schiff, Andreas Haefliger, Annie Fischer, Anton Kuerti, Charles Rosen, Claude Frank, Daniel Barenboim, Emil Gilels, Friedrich Gulda, Garrick Ohlsson, Glenn Gould, Igor Levit, John Ogdon, Maurizio Pollini, Ronald Brautigam ... the list goes on and on.
> 
> Which sonata and which pianist do I like the best? I don't think about this issue all that much, as I like too many of them, and I don't have an overall favourite pianist for these sonatas. If I had to pick just one it might be No 21 "Waldstein", and of all the versions I have I reckon I like the one by Vladimir Ashkenazy best of all. He is among my favourite pianists.


Thanks Genoveva for your reply and mentioning the TC thread (I had missed that one)


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## Omnimusic

Headphone Hermit said:


> An interesting and balanced review at http://www.spectator.co.uk/2014/08/...ano-giant-why-didnt-more-people-realise-this/


AnnieFischer was indeed a great pianist. Impressive Beethoven performer!


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## Omnimusic

Pugg said:


> As you see from answers above, it's impossible to answer this with just one pianist.


Hello Puck,
Thanks a lot for your reply, and I have got the message! My question may in fact be too difficult, when limiting the answer to only one pianist. Maybe, I should have been more specific (e.g. discussing only one particular sonata).
My personal overall preference goes to Arthur Schnabel. But I have to admit that (particularly for some of the later sonatas) there are more appealing renditions of other pianists.
A pianist, which I greatly appreciate is Wilhelm Kempff. Many years ago, I had the privilege to be present at a piano evening for a small group of people, where he played the Appassionata. This was an unforgettable experience, sitting close to him! That evening, he also played some Schubert (which I think he did even better). 
But for me, most of the time, Schnabel remains unsurpassed! He plays in a characteristic, short (almost abbreviated), fast way, with a minimum of pedaling. Yet, his legato and coherence of the musical line is incredible. To me, this is Beethoven. Listen to his rendition of Op. 10 Nr.3. The Largo e mesto part is particularly impressive. The way he is building up the tension from ms 65, and the release at ms 72 is unsurpassed.
Well, one could go on discussing such things at length, but maybe this is unnecessary. The performance of the Beethoven sonatas has already been discussed so many times.


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## Pugg

I do understand you completely, lately I am drawn to Brendel ( twice recorded )however I do like Annie Fischer * Kempff * Pollini* Uchida to name a few, but the one I play most is the first Barenboim set. on EMI.


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## Genoveva

Omnimusic said:


> Hello Puck,
> Thanks a lot for your reply, and I have got the message!
> 
> ...
> 
> Well, one could go on discussing such things at length, but maybe this is unnecessary. The performance of the Beethoven sonatas has already been discussed so many times.


In my earlier post I forgot to mention that I have a number of Beethoven piano sonatas performed on forte piano. According to some people who fancy themselves as Beethoven specialists, this is the best way to appreciate fully his piano sonatas rather than on a modern day grand such as a Steinway.

I won't get drawn into that debate but I must say that I do enjoy listening to Beethoven on forte piano. I recently acquired a CD by Melvyin Tan on a copy of the Erard piano that Beethoven himself would have been familiar with, playing Les Adieux, Appassionata, and Waldstein. I must say that I'm seriously impressed by this . There are several other very good forte pianists including Paul Badura-Skoda, Ronald Brautigam, both of whom have recorded quite a few sonatas and are definitely worth checking out.

You are right that it is quite amazing getting up close to a well-known concert pianist in action. I was in London a few years ago and managed to get to a chamber Prom, when I heard Alfred Brendel. I've now forgotten what he played in total except one of Schubert's Impromptus. It was just mesmerising watching him perform. For my part, I struggle to get through any of Beethoven sonatas on my Yamaha upright. In fact I can't get through any of them complete, but I do try some of the easier movements, and after a fashion they don't sound too bad, although I think that Beethoven would probably cry.


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## Reichstag aus LICHT

Genoveva said:


> There are several other very good forte pianists including Paul Badura-Skoda, Ronald Brautigam, both of whom have recorded quite a few sonatas and are definitely worth checking out.


Brautigam's complete set of the sonatas is one of my favourites. I collected his cycle CD by CD, but BIS recently collated them together into one box, I believe. Well worth seeking out some, or all, of these recordings.

PS: I share your appreciation of Melvyn Tan, a fine (forte)pianist who is inexplicably under-represented on disc. He used appear on a kids' TV programme on classical music when I was younger; I can't recall the title, but I remember enjoying his contributions to the show.


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## Judith

Headphone Hermit said:


> Has Wang recorded the Beethoven piano sonatas? I know she has performed some in concert, but wasn't aware of a set on disc (Actually .... has she recorded any of the Beethoven sonatas???)


Not that I know of. I found it on You Tube.


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## Marc

Pugg said:


> I do understand you completely, lately I am drawn to Brendel ( twice recorded ) [...].


Thrice even.
Vox and 2x Philips.

I myself don't have a favourite, but I'm _thankful_ towards Wilhelm Kempff who introduced me to Beethoven's _Klavierwerk_.


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## Pugg

Marc said:


> Thrice even.
> Vox and 2x Philips.
> 
> I myself don't have a favourite, but I'm _thankful_ towards Wilhelm Kempff who introduced me to Beethoven's _Klavierwerk_.


You are absolutely right, always forget the that one.


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## Guest

Paul Lewis, François-Frédéric Guy, Emil Gilels (not quite complete), Claudio Arrau, and Michael Korstick are my favorites. Brendel gets an honorable mention.  Igor Tchetuev began a very fine series for Caro Mitis, but alas, they seem to have gone out of business. Some major label should grab him soon!


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## premont

Marc said:


> ..... but I'm _thankful_ towards Wilhelm Kempff who introduced me to Beethoven's _Klavierwerk_.


Me too. Kempff's mono set was my primary introduction to the Beethoven sonatas,

And given the great number of complete recordings it is difficult to have a favorite, because most of the recordings are on a high artistic level. However there are some I tend to listen to more than others.


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## pcnog11

Omnimusic said:


> Who is your favourite pianist for Beethoven sonata´s? Please motivate your answer.


So many to choose from. Alfred Brendel is well rounded in Beethoven sonata. I like how he display different tone color within a passage to emphasis the mood. He does not play music, he express emotions!


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## Razumovskymas

Abdel Rahman El Bacha: legato style and nice tempi. Can's say a bad thing about his complete cycle, good recording sound too.


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## Pugg

Razumovskymas said:


> Abdel Rahman El Bacha: legato style and nice tempi. Can's say a bad thing about his complete cycle, good recording sound too.


Does he play on a normal piano or is it HIP.


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## Razumovskymas

Pugg said:


> Does he play on a normal piano or is it HIP.


He plays a Bechstein, not HIP I think, it's a modern piano but it sounds warmer then a Steinway, less "metallic" and less cristal-clear sounding. Before this recording I only had a Wilhelm Kempff complete cycle, which sounds to me a bit too dynamic in recording, some sounds are just painful to my ears. So it was a real revelation to hear El Bacha's cycle and only then I really started to enjoy the sonatas. I think El Bacha's performance is also technically superior to Kempff although now I can also appreciate Kempffs more dynamic style, maybe more how Beethoven would've liked it.

Apart from these two I also have a Claudio Arrau cycle and all the sonatas that Glen Gould recorded. I haven't really listened a lot to the Arrau but what I can remember is that he does some interesting stuff now and then with rhythm and tempi and that I don't like the sound of his nails ticking on the keys 

And Glenn Gould....wel yeah, I really love his Bach and Baroque stuff but what he does with Beethoven is not really in the spirit of Beethoven I think. It's very interesting to listen to and can be a nice addition if you heard some other cycles but sometimes you get the feeling that he's mocking with a piece (which he actually did with his version of the Appassionata because he didn't like that sonata but his record company wanted him to record it). To my opinion, his versions ad some new light but at the same time take more light away. I have the same feeling with his Mozart sonatas. I'm not really a connaisseur of the Mozart sonata's but I have the feeling Gould plays them much too fast (and I'm someone who likes things fast usually)


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## Razumovskymas

Delicious Manager said:


> Take that rogue apostrophe out of "sonatas", please! Aargh!


chances are he's Dutch speaking, like me.

Forgive us, fools, for offending the english language


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## DavidA

Genoveva said:


> In my earlier post I forgot to mention that I have a number of Beethoven piano sonatas performed on forte piano. According to some people who fancy themselves as Beethoven specialists, this is the best way to appreciate fully his piano sonatas rather than on a modern day grand such as a Steinway.
> 
> I won't get drawn into that debate but I must say that I do enjoy listening to Beethoven on forte piano. I recently acquired a CD by Melvyin Tan on a copy of the Erard piano that Beethoven himself would have been familiar with, playing Les Adieux, Appassionata, and Waldstein. I must say that I'm seriously impressed by this . There are several other very good forte pianists including Paul Badura-Skoda, Ronald Brautigam, both of whom have recorded quite a few sonatas and are definitely worth checking out.
> 
> You are right that it is quite amazing getting up close to a well-known concert pianist in action. *I was in London a few years ago and managed to get to a chamber Prom, when I heard Alfred Brendel. * I've now forgotten what he played in total except one of Schubert's Impromptus. It was just mesmerising watching him perform. For my part, I struggle to get through any of Beethoven sonatas on my Yamaha upright. In fact I can't get through any of them complete, but I do try some of the easier movements, and after a fashion they don't sound too bad, although I think that Beethoven would probably cry.


Many years ago I went to some Alfred Brendel master classes in London. Of course he was telling the students things that were way above me but it was fascinating to hear him.


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## Pugg

> He plays a Bechstein, not HIP I think, it's a modern piano but it sounds warmer then a Steinway, less "metallic" and less cristal-clear sounding. Before this recording I only had a Wilhelm Kempff complete cycle, which sounds to me a bit too dynamic in recording, some sounds are just painful to my ears. So it was a real revelation to hear El Bacha's cycle and only then I really started to enjoy the sonatas. I think El Bacha's performance is also technically superior to Kempff although now I can also appreciate Kempffs more dynamic style, maybe more how Beethoven would've liked it


Thank you for this reply, I do have a friend who owns this set, I give him a ring and try to borrow it from him.


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## chill782002

I am feeling very pleased today as I just managed to pick up an 8 CD copy of the complete Beethoven piano sonatas by Schnabel on the Nuova Era label. I've been looking for this one for quite a while and I can confirm that it blows away the EMI 8 CD set in terms of sound quality as there's much more high end. However, do any afficionados of Ludwig's piano sonatas out there have the Nuova Era set and another that they think sounds even better? If so, what label is it on? I've heard the Pearl and Testament versions are pretty good but have never seen any copies. Thanks!


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## Pugg

Razumovskymas said:


> He plays a Bechstein, not HIP I think, it's a modern piano but it sounds warmer then a Steinway, less "metallic" and less cristal-clear sounding. Before this recording I only had a Wilhelm Kempff complete cycle, which sounds to me a bit too dynamic in recording, some sounds are just painful to my ears. So it was a real revelation to hear El Bacha's cycle and only then I really started to enjoy the sonatas. I think El Bacha's performance is also technically superior to Kempff although now I can also appreciate Kempffs more dynamic style, maybe more how Beethoven would've liked it.
> 
> Apart from these two I also have a Claudio Arrau cycle and all the sonatas that Glen Gould recorded. I haven't really listened a lot to the Arrau but what I can remember is that he does some interesting stuff now and then with rhythm and tempi and that I don't like the sound of his nails ticking on the keys
> 
> And Glenn Gould....wel yeah, I really love his Bach and Baroque stuff but what he does with Beethoven is not really in the spirit of Beethoven I think. It's very interesting to listen to and can be a nice addition if you heard some other cycles but sometimes you get the feeling that he's mocking with a piece (which he actually did with his version of the Appassionata because he didn't like that sonata but his record company wanted him to record it). To my opinion, his versions ad some new light but at the same time take more light away. I have the same feeling with his Mozart sonatas. I'm not really a connaisseur of the Mozart sonata's but I have the feeling Gould plays them much too fast (and I'm someone who likes things fast usually)


I finally met my friend who own this , so now I can start listing.


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## Crystal

I enjoy Barenboim's playing a lot. His playing is fantastic.


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## Fenestella

Les adieux: Robert Casadesus (1930s)
Moonlight: Josef Hofmann (1930s)
Waldstein: Vladimir Ashkenazy (1950s)
Appassionata: Wiatcheslaw Witkowsky (1940s, 1st mvt. only)


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## Holden4th

The Witkowsky is interesting and I like it. Another 1940s first movement only recording which is similar in style is Myra Hess' which an also be found on Youtube. You actually see her playing for wartime audiences in LondonI would love it if the other two movements were found. Fiorentino also had a similar one that floated around on the web for a while but it seems to have vanished. And finally, Rubinstein's classic 1945 recording. You just wouldn't believe that this was "Ruby" playing.


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## jegreenwood

DavidA said:


> Many years ago I went to some Alfred Brendel master classes in London. Of course he was telling the students things that were way above me but it was fascinating to hear him.


Andras Schiff did a series of extensive lectures in advance of his performances of the entire cycle at Wigmore Hall. They were directed to the general public, so they are not that technical. You can find them here.

I'm currently in the process of listening to 5 cycles, one movement at a time (Kempff mono, Brendel second, Goode, Arrau and Annie Fischer). Each day I listen to the relevant portion of Schiff's lecture (and read the relevant excerpt from Charles Rosen's book), and then listen to the 5 different performances of one movement (trying to follow along with the sheet music). I'm currently on Op. 10 No. 2, so I have a ways to go. Don't ask me who my favorite is. It varies from day to day - movement to movement.


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## premont

jegreenwood said:


> Don't ask me who my favorite is. * It varies from day to day *- movement to movement.


This is completely natural.


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