# Your favorite recording of Beethoven Sonata 24?



## pasido (Apr 2, 2012)

One of my favorite sonatas but doesn't seem to get as much attention as the more popular Beethoven ones. I grew up on the Gilels recording but I'm wondering if any of you like this sonata too and can recommend a good recording of it.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 24 in F# Op. 78, aka 'À Thérèse'. Had to look it up because I remember the sonatas by opus number!

Lots of good recordings of this. Andras Schiff is excellent, as is Buchbinder (whose newer cycle I'm listening to now). Are you sure about Gilels? It looks like this is one of those that Gilels missed recording due to his death, at least as part of his projected complete cycle.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

KenOC said:


> Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 24 in F# Op. 78, aka 'À Thérèse'. Had to look it up because I remember the sonatas by opus number!


This suggestion is not directed at you personally, pasido,  but is a general recommendation for all TC members. This issue comes up all the time. Yes, as a general rule, if you want knowledgeable people to respond to a query about a Beethoven piano sonata, *always use the opus number* and perhaps one of the well-known nicknames. And with Mozart piano concertos the Köchel number and key are the best bet.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Not my favorite Beethoven sonata. I'm a little alienated by the Rule Brittania-like second movement. But of the few Beethoven sonata sets I've heard, I'm partial to Andras Schiff's, the ones with the interesting ink smear artwork on the covers. I could just be biased. I so enjoyed Schiffs lectures on the sonatas available as a free download somewhere on the web.

(And I will continue to call it whatever I darn well like.)


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

Schiff (ECM, rec.2006).:tiphat:


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Weston said:


> I so enjoyed Schiffs lectures on the sonatas available as a free download somewhere on the web.


That "somewhere" is right here:

http://www.wigmore-hall.org.uk/schiffbeethovenlecturerecitals

Highly recommended. In fact, fabulous.


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

EdwardBast said:


> This suggestion is not directed at you personally, pasido,  but is *a general recommendation for all TC members. *This issue comes up all the time. Yes, as a general rule,if you want knowledgeable people to respond to a query about a Beethoven piano sonata, always use the opus number and perhaps one of the well-known nicknames. And with Mozart piano concertos the Köchel number and key are the best bet.


*All*? It's old school thought that's often utilized when musicians are conversing. Otherwise, it can be considered snooty when such a demand/requirement/recommendation is made. TC is less formal than that, but I'll tip a hat to you anyway.:tiphat:


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## SimonNZ (Jul 12, 2012)

I've been listening to them for 25 years and still the only ones I know by opus number are the last few. All the record guides I learned from list them as "No.24" etc, as do general info places like wikipedia.

My favorite recording of this is probably going to be Kovacevich, his now being my desert island set. But I'll have to play it again when I get home.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Pollini easily for this one . His complete cycle comes out in the US next month and awaiting the iTunes official release.


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## pasido (Apr 2, 2012)

EdwardBast said:


> This suggestion is not directed at you personally, pasido,  but is a general recommendation for all TC members. This issue comes up all the time. Yes, as a general rule, if you want knowledgeable people to respond to a query about a Beethoven piano sonata, *always use the opus number* and perhaps one of the well-known nicknames. And with Mozart piano concertos the Köchel number and key are the best bet.


I'll keep that in mind, newbie here!


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

I think different people remember works in different ways. I was confused for a long time about Haydn's keyboard sonatas until I figured out that some very reputable sources used the Hoboken number and some the Landon! I personally think of the Beethoven quartets by opus number but would never think of the symphonies that way (even though I guess I know the opus numbers).

It's all good. Let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend, as a famous man once said.


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## D Smith (Sep 13, 2014)

I am partial to Kovacevich's performance of this piece, and it's one of my favorite Beethoven sonatas as well.


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## pasido (Apr 2, 2012)

Oh yes this one comes with some commentary too, awesome


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## pasido (Apr 2, 2012)

> That "somewhere" is right here:
> 
> http://www.wigmore-hall.org.uk/schif...ecturerecitals
> 
> Highly recommended. In fact, fabulous.


Oh yes this one comes with some commentary too, awesome


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## dgee (Sep 26, 2013)

Yeah - what's up with using opus numbers? TBH I'm terrible at remembering which is which using any numbering system, keys would be the most helpful for me (FWIW - aaah the F# major!!)

Am now enjoying Ronald Brautigam playing it on fortepiano - I'm not a big time connosieur of Beethoven performances but I think this is a good effort and the old instrument suits the lightness of the music


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

albertfallickwang said:


> Pollini easily for this one . His complete cycle comes out in the US next month and awaiting the iTunes official release.


Here you go:


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

Vaneyes said:


> *All*? It's old school thought that's often utilized when musicians are conversing. Otherwise, it can be considered snooty when such a demand/requirement/recommendation is made. TC is less formal than that, but I'll tip a hat to you anyway.:tiphat:


It's not a matter of tone or professional versus amateur conversation or any other silly social affectation. And, least of all formality versus informality. It is the fact that the opus numbers convey much more information; about a work's position in Beethoven's oeuvre, whether or not it was part of a set (e.g., the Op. 10s), or it's proximity to the landmark symphonies and quartets. Using a tag that conveys more information is better communication and, obviously, a better prompt to the memory of those one is querying.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

KenOC said:


> I think different people remember works in different ways. I was confused for a long time about Haydn's keyboard sonatas until I figured out that some very reputable sources used the Hoboken number and some the Landon! I personally think of the Beethoven quartets by opus number but would never think of the symphonies that way (*even though I guess I know the opus numbers*).
> 
> It's all good. Let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend, as a famous man once said.


And because you know them, you know which piano sonatas were composed in the same time frame as any given symphony. It makes it easier to organize Beethoven's work in ones mind.


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

KenOC said:


> That "somewhere" is right here:
> 
> http://www.wigmore-hall.org.uk/schiffbeethovenlecturerecitals
> 
> Highly recommended. In fact, fabulous.


A very fine lecture series--Schiff has a winning personality, imo. Fwiw, I agree with him that "Schnabel plays this sonata better than anybody." Unless he was just being modest :lol:--Schiff's great too!


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## SimonNZ (Jul 12, 2012)

EdwardBast said:


> And because you know them, you know which piano sonatas were composed in the same time frame as any given symphony. It makes it easier to organize Beethoven's work in ones mind.


I prefer to get the information on close or simultaneous compositions from scholarly writings on Beethoven, rather than merely assuming it from the opus numbers.

Also: are the opus numbers in strict chronological order? Somehow I thought there were areas where that's not the case.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

I suspect that few know the sonatas well enough that they won't get a treasure trove of new knowledge from Schiff''s lectures. Jonathan Biss is offering a series of online video lessons on the sonatas, but they're not even in the running. 18 hours!


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

SimonNZ said:


> Also: are the opus numbers in strict chronological order? Somehow I thought there were areas where that's not the case.


I believe the opus numbers of Beethoven's sonatas agree with the timeline of composition except for the two Op. 49 sonatas (or sonatines) that were written in earlier years.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

SimonNZ said:


> I prefer to get the information on close or simultaneous compositions from scholarly writings on Beethoven, rather than merely assuming it from the opus numbers.
> 
> Also: are the opus numbers in strict chronological order? Somehow I thought there were areas where that's not the case.


Opus numbers indicate order of publication. They don't always correlate precisely to order of composition, but it's close enough for most purposes.

Yes, get information wherever you can! My point is that it is easier to retain any information you do get if one has a chronological framework to which works in all genres relate. Opus numbers do this. For example, by remembering just two opus numbers, one will be able to place any Beethoven work (any work identified by opus number, that is) by stylistic period.

It's not about information acquisition. It's about efficiently organizing information.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

pasido said:


> One of my favorite sonatas but doesn't seem to get as much attention as the more popular Beethoven ones. I grew up on the Gilels recording but I'm wondering if any of you like this sonata too and can recommend a good recording of it.


Backhaus. That's the one that really stands out. As does Arrau, the very late one. Also Gould's is deeply felt and re-thought through, you can tell he loves the music, though for me it's marred by his touch, but that's just me.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Mandryka said:


> Backhaus. That's the one that really stands out. As does Arrau, the very late one. Also Gould's is deeply felt and re-thought through, you can tell he loves the music, though for me it's marred by his touch, but that's just me.


Gould's version is pretty awesome but I still think that Pollini has gotten the slight edge over him this round.


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