# Beethoven best complete works?



## Makis (Feb 22, 2012)

Hello,
i would like make one difficult quenstion (because is for me).
I decide to make a complete and the most nice is possible collection of Beethoven's works(and Vivaldi's, but lets i stay only at Beethoven's).
So i started read, look forums, opinnions, amazon e.t.c.
With a fast look and after visits at various forums and pages about it, i see that opinnions change from people to people(is normal i think), but also that from the thousands performences which you can find(and make you lost your mind), just some of them are little good.
So here is my quenstion exactly: IF YOU DECIDED TO MAKE THE MOST NICER COLLECTION WITH ALL THE WORKS OF BEETHOVEN WHICH WOULD WAS?
Here is a list what i did, after what i read:
Symphonies
Or Abaddo,or Karajan
Piano concertos 
Fleisher, or Murray-Perahia
Piano sonatas
Schnabel, or Gilels, or Pollini, or Arrau
String Quartets
Vegh's, or Talich's, or Takacs's
Violin Sonatas
Oistrakh-Oborin, or Anne Sophie Mutter
Violin Concertos
Francescatti
Cello and Piano Sonatas
Wispelwey-Lazic
Opera (Findelio)
Klemperer
It will be nice?I'm interesting for every opinnion, for people which love this music.
And something lastid i missed some work at the collection? Or isn't right?
P.S. The string quartets i have them from the Wihan Quartet.I never see yet some recommendation about it, so i m wonder if is really nice same like Vegh's or the others what i wrote.
Same and the Symphonies 2, 3, 4 from Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and Lovro Von Mataci (Supraphone).


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Exercising an opportunity to be of no help: If you can handle LPs, look for a complete set of the Deutsch Gramophone Beethoven Bi-centennial Edition. There are a lot of them around in decent shape.

Of somewhat more use: 1) If you use Google to search, you should find the Beethoven 'guestbook' thread here at TC.

2) If you break up your questions, so that each post asks about one genre, you will probably get more responses from other than opinionated old geezers.

You mentioned Karajan. There are certainly a _lot_ of opinions about his recordings; and that LP set contains several of them.

Don't give up; your project will give you pleasure - and use up surplus funds.


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## Il_Penseroso (Nov 20, 2010)

Don't forget to have a complete set of Beethoven's Lieder recorded by Hermann Prey, it's awsome :










For Sonatas I suggest Backhuas or Kempff; as I always say, for Beethoven Sonatas you really need to listen a pianist from the german traditional school.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

IIRC, Kempff is the sonata pianist in the aforementioned DG set.


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## Cyber (Jun 16, 2011)

Beethoven is one of my favorite composers


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## jani (Jun 15, 2012)

http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-The-Symphonies-Helena-Juntunen/dp/B002QEXN6Q


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)




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## Carpenoctem (May 15, 2012)

^ http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Complete-Masterpieces-Germany-Limited/dp/B000NDEMAI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1343051039&sr=8-5&keywords=beethoven+complete+works

Is it good? I've been looking for a Beethoven complete box set for a while, although this one doesn't have all his works.


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## Klavierspieler (Jul 16, 2011)

Go Schiff for Piano Sonatas! They're a bit pricy, but well worth it.


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

Symphonies - BPO/Karajan (1963)

Piano Concertos - Belohlávek/Lewis

Piano Sonatas - Gulda

String Quartets - Takacs Qt.

Violin Sonatas - Cerovsek/Jumppanen

Violin Concerto - Mutter/Karajan

Cello Sonatas - Gastinel/Guy

Fidelio - VPO/Bernstein et al​


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

...and the complete trios as performed by the Beaux Arts Trio are worth investigating. Apart from the 7 core works their 5-disc Philips set includes the transcriptions of both the 2nd symphony and the op. 20 septet, the variations op. 44 and 121a, the early trio (WoO38), the Allegretto from 1812 (WoO39) and the early 'triosatz' (catalogued as H 48).


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

My personal favorites for the Symphonies:

On modern instruments:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Nine-Symp...r=8-3&keywords=Beethoven+Symphonies+Mackerras

On period instruments:
http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Sym...r=1-1&keywords=beethoven+symphonies+immerseel

On DVD:
http://www.amazon.com/Claudio-Abbad...qid=1343094406&sr=1-1&keywords=Claudio+Abbado


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