# Which complete Beethoven piano sonata sets do you have?



## Itullian

Since i have gotten heavily into them lately i was wondering how many complete sets of these you have?
So, how many do you have and which ones?
Thanks
:tiphat:


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## starthrower

I have two. Both of which I think you already have. Louis Lortie, and Stephen Kovacevich. I prefer the Lortie which has uniformly better sound throughout.


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## Oldhoosierdude

I have Jando, Pollini, Taub, Badura-Skoda, Kempff and everything Hungerford did.


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## Jokke

Arrau
Brendel
Kempff
Barenboim
Gilels
Kodama
Goode
Pollini


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## premont

Itullian said:


> Since i have gotten heavily into them lately i was wondering how many complete sets of these you have?
> So, how many do you have and which ones?
> Thanks
> :tiphat:


Quite a lot. Haven't counted recently. Own most of the important sets.


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## The3Bs

Complete I only have the Pollini and then lost of bits and pieces from all major (past and present pianists).

I have been considering getting one of the latest modern cycles from either Igor Levitt or Michael Korstick...


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## premont

The3Bs said:


> I have been considering getting one of the latest modern cycles from either Igor Levitt or Michael Korstick...


Both are rather straight forward perfectionists.


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## DavidA

Kempff (1970s)

Schnabel


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## SanAntone

Most recently, I like the *Andras Schiff* ECM New Series sonatas. Annie Fischer, Pollini, Brendel. Of the younger generation of pianists I like F.F. Guy and Jonathan Biss.


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## D Smith

Barenboim 
Fischer 
Kodama
Kovacevich 
Levit 
Lim


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## jegreenwood

Brendel (Philips analog)
Goode
Annie Fischer
Kempff (stereo)
Arrau


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## Animal the Drummer

The3Bs said:


> Complete I only have the Pollini and then lost of bits and pieces from all major (past and present pianists).
> 
> I have been considering getting one of the latest modern cycles from either Igor Levitt or Michael Korstick...


In my experience Levit tends to be overpraised. Many rate him highly and I'm quite prepared to believe I'm missing something, but his performances just don't hit the spot for me.


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## DavidA

Yeah mostofA Fischer’s as well


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## JAS

As a complete set, I have only the Kempff (as part of the big Beethoven set on DG). I have a 2 CD set of "Favorite Sonatas" by Brendel.


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## Rogerx

Daniel Barenboim (Twice)
Igor Levit 
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet
Maurizio Pollini
Alfred Brendel(Twice )
Jonathan Biss 

This from the top of my head.


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## Manxfeeder

Kempff - Mono cycle
Brendel - 1990 cycle and Vox cycle
Yves Nat
Annie Fischer

I have these not so much from a curation process, but anytime a Beethoven cycle pops up at my used CD store, I bring it home.


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## wkasimer

Kovacevich
Annie Fischer
Korstick
Fazil Say
Biss
Kempff mono
Goodyear
Schnabel
Buchbinder
Brendel (Vox)
Paul Lewis (soon to be culled)
Heidsieck
Gulda (Amadeo and Orfeo)
Takacs
Nat
Badura-Skoda
Lucchesini
Brautigam


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## WildThing

Annie Fischer
Artur Schnabel
Claude Frank
Claudio Arrau
Daniel Barenboim (2006)
Friedrich Gulda
Igor Levit
Richard Goode
Ronald Brautigam
Stephen Kovacevich
Wilhelm Backhaus (stereo)
Wilhelm Kempff (stereo)

+ Emil Gilels mostly complete


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## Allegro Con Brio

If I collected physical music, I can’t imagine that I would ever feel the need to have any more than Schnabel, Annie Fischer, and the incomplete Gilels set. Those three have the most eloquent and meaningful things to say about Beethoven’s sonatas on record IMO. I do enjoy Brendel, Kovacevich, Lortie, Pollini, Kempff and several others but I think they’re all a bit too “safe” to varying extents and Schnabel, Fischer and Gilels sound the most purely “Beethovenian” to me. Of course individual recordings by Richter, Gould, and others would be mandatory for me as well.


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## Itullian

What I have accumulated so far.

Arrau
Barenboim EMI DG
Biret
Bodura-koda
Brendel all 3
Buchbinder Warner
Frank
Gilels
Goode
Gulda DG Orfeo
Kempff both
Korstick
Kovacevich
Lim
Lewis
Lortie
Nat
Oppitz
Pollini
Pommier
Rasche
Roberts
Schnabel

I think that's it right now.
I want to get Annie Fisher and Schiff


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## That Guy Mick

I have not gotten past my almost *FREE* Amazon Prime Alfred Brendel album.


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## The3Bs

Itullian said:


> What I have accumulated so far.
> 
> Arrau
> Barenboim EMI DG
> Biret
> Bodura-koda
> Brendel all 3
> Buchbinder Warner
> Frank
> Gilels
> Goode
> Gulda DG Orfeo
> Kempff both
> Korstick
> Kovacevich
> Lim
> Lewis
> Lortie
> Nat
> Oppitz
> Pollini
> Pommier
> Rasche
> Roberts
> Schnabel
> 
> I think that's it right now.
> I want to get Annie Fisher and Schiff


Oh!!! :tiphat: that is an impressive collection... 
.. and you are still missing Annie Fisher!!!!! 

As I mentioned on my post earlier on ... complete I only have Pollini, but many many CD's of individual sonatas from many of the greats mentioned so far... and from Annie Fisher IMHO one of the best Pastoral I have so far heard from:


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## Itullian

The3Bs said:


> Oh!!! :tiphat: that is an impressive collection...
> .. and you are still missing Annie Fisher!!!!!
> 
> As I mentioned on my post earlier on ... complete I only have Pollini, but many many CD's of individual sonatas from many of the greats mentioned so far... and from Annie Fisher IMHO one of the best Pastoral I have so far heard from:
> 
> View attachment 137064


The Pastoral is my favorite sonata.


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## That Guy Mick

The second movement?


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## Simplicissimus

Now that the thread is dying down a bit, let me throw this out (I haven't wanted to derail the OP's intent): I don't have a complete set, just miscellaneous artists, mostly pre-1970. I've recently become convinced that sound quality is extremely important to my enjoyment of solo piano. That might sound strange, but it's my experience. My most recent CD acquisition is Murray Perahia's 2016 performances of "Hammerklavier" and "Moonlight" on Deutsche Grammophon in 24-bit HD sound, and wow, it sounds great on my system. So I'm wondering what complete set I can set my sights on that will deliver the best sound quality, probably a recent DDD recording,preferably SACD. Of course I have preferences for performers, but I'm pretty flexible. My present collection consists mostly of Horowitz, Rubinstein, Browning, and Gilels.


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## Jokke

Simplicissimus said:


> Now that the thread is dying down a bit, let me throw this out (I haven't wanted to derail the OP's intent): I don't have a complete set, just miscellaneous artists, mostly pre-1970. I've recently become convinced that sound quality is extremely important to my enjoyment of solo piano. That might sound strange, but it's my experience. My most recent CD acquisition is Murray Perahia's 2016 performances of "Hammerklavier" and "Moonlight" on Deutsche Grammophon in 24-bit HD sound, and wow, it sounds great on my system. So I'm wondering what complete set I can set my sights on that will deliver the best sound quality, probably a recent DDD recording,preferably SACD. Of course I have preferences for performers, but I'm pretty flexible. My present collection consists mostly of Horowitz, Rubinstein, Browning, and Gilels.


I think you would be happy with the Kodama set on SACD.


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## rice

Arrau
Three Kempff


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## wkasimer

Simplicissimus said:


> So I'm wondering what complete set I can set my sights on that will deliver the best sound quality, probably a recent DDD recording,preferably SACD.


I'm not focused on sonics per se; I really only notice it when it's seriously flawed, if the performances are worth hearing. That said, you should stay away from two of my favorites, Annie Fischer and Stephen Kovacevich.

Sets that I think have good sound and fine performances are Korstick and Peter Takacs. Korstick's SACD versions are only available as single discs (the inexpensive integral set sounds fine, but it's RBCD) and are very expensive as such. Paul Lewis' set features excellent sound and is dirt-cheap at the moment, but I am not convinced by his interpretations, which sound rather timid to my ears.

I like the sound of Fazil Say's recent set, but be warned that he engages in a lot of extramusical vocalism.

And if you're interested in a version on fortepiano (which would certainly provide a contrast with what you have), try Brautigam on BIS.


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## Helgi

I've only recently started getting into these in any depth, and am currently going through the Wigmore Hall lectures from András Schiff and trying out various recordings. So much brilliant music and so many wonderful artists that have recorded it — lots to explore.

Spent the most time with Richter and Gilels so far and am now listening to Annie Fischer.

Some that I'm curious about:
- Badura-Skoda on fortepiano
- Michael Korstick
- Andrea Lucchesini

I'll probably have a list in a couple months!


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## Helgi

wkasimer said:


> And if you're interested in a version on fortepiano (which would certainly provide a contrast with what you have), try Brautigam on BIS.


Would you rate it above Badura-Skoda? I'm thinking of the one recently reissued on Arcana.


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## wkasimer

> Some that I'm curious about:
> - Badura-Skoda on fortepiano


This is an excellent set, and available cheaply at the moment. I don't think that B-S is as technically adept as Brautigam, and isn't as well recorded, but somehow B-S speaks to me more. I wonder if that's because I hear B-S wrestling more with music that Brautigam plays with such ease.



> - Michael Korstick


This one is a bit controversial. I love it, but some find him a little brutal.



> - Andrea Lucchesini


This is a great set, but good luck finding it on CD. Fortunately, I believe that it's available on streaming services (at least it is on Spotify).

BTW, I love Schiff's lectures on the sonatas, but find his playing on the recordings a bit too tame for my taste.


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## The3Bs

Itullian said:


> The Pastoral is my favorite sonata.


Oh! Then you need to listen to this one!!!! 
Of all the Pastoral recordings I have .. this is the one that always leaves to biggest impression...


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## CnC Bartok

My complete (or as best one can manage as complete) cycles are:

Artur Schnabel
Wilhelm Kempff (2nd DGG set)
Erik Heidsieck
Bernard Roberts
Paul Lewis
Stephen Kovacevich
Daniel Barenboim (EMI)
John Lill
Claudio Arrau (both, 2nd is incomplete, alas)
Emil Gilels (of course incomplete)
Maurizio Pollini
Jeno Jando

My favourite remains John Lill.


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## Helgi

wkasimer said:


> BTW, I love Schiff's lectures on the sonatas, but find his playing on the recordings a bit too tame for my taste.


I agree - his playing in the lectures themselves is much more lively, or maybe it's just the context. But then he seems like the type to overthink things in the studio.

Thanks for your comments, much appreciated. I'm going to give Brautigam a try before I get the Badura-Skoda set.


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## Itullian

A couple with very good DDD sound are Brendel 2nd set, Goode, Barenbim DG, Richard Goode


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## wkasimer

Itullian said:


> A couple with very good DDD sound are Brendel 2nd set, Goode, Barenbim DG, Richard Goode


De gustibus... I owned all three of those, and when I culled my Beethoven sonatas sets six or so months ago, these were the first to go...


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## Malx

I have had a quick read through the thread and haven't noticed any mention of the live set from Francois-Frederic Guy on Zig-Zag Territories - is that because no one rates it at all?

My sets:

Barenboim (EMI),
Frank,
Goode,
Goodyear,
Gulda,
Guy,
Korstick,
Lewis,
Pollini,
Schnabel.

Plus a part set that I like for its muscularity - Hans Richter-Haaser.


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## wkasimer

Malx said:


> I have had a quick read through the thread and haven't noticed any mention of the live set from Francois-Frederic Guy on Zig-Zag Territories - is that because no one rates it at all?


No, it's because I forgot that I had it. I also forgot that I had Schiff's and both of Backhaus' traversals.


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## Helgi

How about Igor Levit for sound and performance?

Excellent on both accounts IMHO. Sounds very much like a live performance without the audience.


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## SanAntone

Malx said:


> I have had a quick read through the thread and haven't noticed any mention of the live set from Francois-Frederic Guy on Zig-Zag Territories - is that because no one rates it at all?
> 
> My sets:
> 
> Barenboim (EMI),
> Frank,
> Goode,
> Goodyear,
> Gulda,
> Guy,
> Korstick,
> Lewis,
> Pollini,
> Schnabel.
> 
> Plus a part set that I like for its muscularity - Hans Richter-Haaser.


I included *F.F. Guy* in my post (#9), I also mentioned *Andras Schiff*, which isn't getting much attention here.



> Most recently, I like the Andras Schiff ECM New Series sonatas. Annie Fischer, Pollini, Brendel. Of the younger generation of pianists I like F.F. Guy and Jonathan Biss.


I like them both a lot.


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## Malx

SanAntone said:


> I included *F.F. Guy* in my post (#9), I also mentioned *Andras Schiff*, which isn't getting much attention here.
> 
> I like them both a lot.


My apologys - it was a quick read through as I said so I missed the reference


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## VitellioScarpia

Full cycles: 
Claudio Arrau 
Vladimir Ashkenazy 
Claude Frank 
Richard Goode
Stephen Kovacevich 
Paul Lewis 
Alfredo Perl
Craig Sheppard 
Russell Sherman 

I also have a smattering of individual recordings (Brautigam, Brendel, Gilels, Giltburg, Kodama, Levit, Lupu, Pletnev, Pollini, Richter, Rosen, Say, Schiff, P. Serkin, Solomon)...


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## Helgi

Helgi said:


> I agree - his playing in the lectures themselves is much more lively, or maybe it's just the context. But then he seems like the type to overthink things in the studio.


Re: Schiff/ECM, these are live recordings, got it mixed up.

Listening again on Spotify and I like them a lot more than last time.


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## Itullian

Anyone heard of this guy?


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## DaddyGeorge

Itullian said:


> Anyone heard of this guy?


I responded elsewhere: *a link*


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## Itullian

Just got this set today.
I love it!
The playing is clean and crisp but warm.
The mono sound is very good. Quiet and clear and warm.
Great set!!! 

This is the kind of cycle that keeps you interested the whole way.


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## Itullian

wkasimer said:


> De gustibus... I owned all three of those, and when I culled my Beethoven sonatas sets six or so months ago, these were the first to go...


He might like them 

I'm glad my taste isn't quiet so discriminating. i enjoy all my sets.


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## DarkAngel

Itullian said:


> Just got this set today.
> I love it!
> The playing is clean and crisp but warm.
> The mono sound is very good. Quiet and clear and warm.
> Great set!!!
> 
> This is the kind of cycle that keeps you interested the whole way.


I am looking into this, I have the 1960s Gulda set which includes Piano concertos 1-5 (with Horst Stein), do I need more? it will not take much to push me over the edge......ha ha


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## DarkAngel

wkasimer said:


> This is an excellent set, and available cheaply at the moment. I don't think that B-S is as technically adept as Brautigam, and isn't as well recorded, but somehow B-S speaks to me more. I wonder if that's because I hear B-S wrestling more with music that Brautigam plays with such ease.


I am with WK love my LVB sonatas on forte piano, both Badura Skoda and Brautigam are great, a big plus for Brautigam is besides sonatas there are 5-6 Cds of extra solo pieces some rarely recorded but still very worthy...........these both really should be combined into one larger boxset

















Badura Skoda uses 7 different keyboards over 9CDs that follow evolution of instrument during LVB time, I love the historical effort put into this set, last few sonatas done on Graf keyboard..........buy buy buy


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## Itullian

DarkAngel said:


> I am looking into this, I have the 1960s Gulda set which includes Piano concertos 1-5 (with Horst Stein), do I need more? it will not take much to push me over the edge......ha ha


Go over the edge DA. o have the DG set as well and like it.
His interpretations are less radical on the Orfeo set. The sound is very good.
The playing is beautiful and i like it a bit better than the DG. And you know what a classy package ORFEO puts together. 
buy buy buy....


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## Helgi

DarkAngel said:


> Badura Skoda uses 9 different keyboards over 9CDs that follow evolution of instrument during LVB time, I love the historical effort put into this set, last few sonatas done on Graf keyboard..........buy buy buy


Yes, I looked through the booklet on the Outhere Music site and that sold me on getting it.

I can't make up my mind about which one to get so I'll probably end up with Brautigam as well, but I'm in no hurry.


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## Marc

I'm actually too lazy to check my sets out... I'm a lazy git. 

The thing I'd like to bring in is: it occurs to me that every pianist is well aware of the quality of these compositions, and they do their utmost, which means that no set so far has really let me down. I'm not very fond of f.i. HJ Lim (for 'idiosyncratic' sets I would recommend Heidsieck and Pienaar), but imho most pianists deliver a satisfying to very good set.

I have 3 fortepiano sets (Badura-Skoda, Bilson & pupils, Brautigam), and Badura-Skoda offers most depth and lyricism. The other two are very nice too though.

I 'learned' my Beethoven-am-Klavier through Kempff, and I still like him a lot. He is still the trustworthy premise/starting point for 'my' Beethoven. 
Many well known names are mentioned in this thread and elsewhere on the internet… one of the less mentioned names that I like a lot is Louis Lortie. Overall, maybe my favourite modern piano integral is the one by Andrea Lucchesini. Such a pity it turned OOP. (It might be available on Spotify though.)


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## Allegro Con Brio

^I agree, Lortie is a very underrated set. I learned the sonatas through his recordings and still have a certain fondness for them, if only because of his refreshingly colorful, more detailed approach that screams so much more than “Drama! Power!” like so many seem to aim for. Kempff is good in this regard too though I think Lortie’s playing has more character. I simply despise the sound of the fortepiano, partially because it reminds me of old honky-tonk pianos in a 1920s tavern, and because my musician’s ear is driven crazy by the out-of-tuneness by today’s standards


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## Marc

Allegro Con Brio said:


> ^I agree, Lortie is a very underrated set. I learned the sonatas through his recordings and still have a certain fondness for them, if only because of his refreshingly colorful, more detailed approach that screams so much more than "Drama! Power!" like so many seem to aim for. Kempff is good in this regard too though I think Lortie's playing has more character. I simply despise the sound of the fortepiano, partially because it reminds me of old honky-tonk pianos in a 1920s tavern, and because my musician's ear is driven crazy by the out-of-tuneness by today's standards


Not sure if "out of tune-ness" is what I hear myself, but perhaps it's the prominent distinction between the direct touch and the more floating sound afterwards that you are referring to. Of the three sets I mentioned, maybe Brautigam would be worth a try-out listening though.

Kempff's mono set has got more depth and is more 'secure' and therefore more convincing than his 1960s stereo set.. for those who don't mind the mono sound, it might be a nice surprise.


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## Itullian

i recently committed sacrilege picked up this set. 
Yeah, i know its different and willful in spots.
But i like it.
The sound is beautiful and the playing is always musical 
and Ms Lim can really play.
Different? Yes, but i find myself glued to the whole set.

Don't be too hard on me.


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## premont

wkasimer said:


> Korstick's SACD versions are only available as single discs (the inexpensive integral set sounds fine, but it's RBCD) and are very expensive as such.


What is RBCD???


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## premont

Itullian said:


> i recently committed sacrilege picked up this set.
> Yeah, i know its different and willful in spots.
> But i like it.
> The sound is beautiful and the playing is always musical
> and Ms Lim can really play.
> Different? Yes, but i find myself glued to the whole set.
> 
> *Don't be too hard on me*.


Certainly not. I also have a weak spot for this set.


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## flamencosketches

The only full cycle I have is Schnabel. I keep dithering between Kempff stereo and one of the Brendel Philips sets as to which will be my next one. I don't want to own more than 2 Beethoven sonatas sets (maybe 3, tops) but the competition out there is really excellent. But few have a fuller understanding of the Beethovenian idiom than Kempff and Schnabel.


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## premont

CnC Bartok said:


> My complete (or as best one can manage as complete) cycles are:
> 
> Artur Schnabel
> Wilhelm Kempff (2nd DGG set)
> Erik Heidsieck
> Bernard Roberts
> Paul Lewis
> Stephen Kovacevich
> Daniel Barenboim (EMI)
> John Lill
> Claudio Arrau (both, 2nd is incomplete, alas)
> Emil Gilels (of course incomplete)
> Maurizio Pollini
> Jeno Jando
> 
> My favourite remains John Lill.


Nice to see some one advocate Lill and Jando. Both much underrated IMO.


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## premont

flamencosketches said:


> The only full cycle I have is Schnabel. I keep dithering between Kempff stereo and one of the Brendel Philips sets as to which will be my next one. I don't want to own more than 2 Beethoven sonatas sets (maybe 3, tops) but the competition out there is really excellent. But few have a fuller understanding of the Beethovenian idiom than Kempff and Schnabel.


Brendel is very good, but Kempff is superior. However I would chose his mono set.


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## flamencosketches

premont said:


> Brendel is very good, but Kempff is superior. However I would chose his mono set.


I've also heard the mono set is very good, and from what I heard the sound is quite good too. But I need at least one stereo set, so I've ruled it out by default.


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## Marc

Itullian said:


> i recently committed sacrilege picked up this set.
> Yeah, i know its different and willful in spots.
> But i like it.
> The sound is beautiful and the playing is always musical
> and Ms Lim can really play.
> Different? Yes, but i find myself glued to the whole set.
> 
> Don't be too hard on me.


Different and willful for sure.

It's far from my favourite set, but strangely enough I have played it quite a lot, maybe to try to get myself more used to it. But in most cases, it did not work. I still prefer (too) many others.
I kinda like the sound of the Yamaha piano in these pieces though. It's a bit dry, and I can appreciate that. Lim does not play the youthful 'sonatines' of opus 49 in this less-than-complete integral, which I find a pity, because I think the instrument would have fitted these pieces quite well.


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## Bogdan

Schnabel
Fischer
Brautigam
Badura-Skoda x2
Frank
Nikolayeva
Grinberg
Jando


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## Marc

premont said:


> What is RBCD???


My (un)educated guess would be that it stands for 'red book compact disc' audio, which refers to the original stereo .cda-format (so no 'high-resolution' or 'sacd').


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## Itullian

flamencosketches said:


> I've also heard the mono set is very good, and from what I heard the sound is quite good too. But I need at least one stereo set, so I've ruled it out by default.


The Kempff stereo is excellent. No need to over think it.
The Kovacevich set on EMI is a great set too.


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## premont

Of course the Kempff stereo is excellent, I just think the mono is musically even more satisfying and in very good sound. When it's about solo piano the difference between stereo and mono is of minor importance.


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## DavidA

premont said:


> Of course the Kempff stereo is excellent, I just think the mono is musically even more satisfying and in very good sound. When it's about solo piano the difference between stereo and mono is of minor importance.


I have the stereo set but also some of the mono set and the mono set is better as Kempff had more virtuosity earlier on.


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## premont

DavidA said:


> I have the stereo set but also some of the mono set and the mono set is better as Kempff had more virtuosity earlier on.


I own both sets and also the incomplete prewar/wartime "set". As to virtuosity the oldest recording is far the best and the sound is acceptable for its time, but of course not up to the sound of the two later sets.


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## wkasimer

premont said:


> What is RBCD???


Sorry - it stands for "Red Book Compact Disc", which is shorthand for a typical audio CD (i.e. not SACD, DVD-audio, or BluRay).


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## wkasimer

DavidA said:


> I have the stereo set but also some of the mono set and the mono set is better as Kempff had more virtuosity earlier on.


Of course, if it's virtuosity that you want, neither Kempff set will suffice.


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## annaw

wkasimer said:


> Of course, if it's virtuosity that you want, neither Kempff set will suffice.


Just out of curiosity, which set would you recommend for hearing just virtuosic playing? I love Kempff's set but I've only heard the stereo so far.


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## DavidA

wkasimer said:


> Of course, if it's virtuosity that you want, neither Kempff set will suffice.


I used the term relatively. Kempff was not a 'virtuoso' in that sense. What I meant was by the time he made his later set his technique was more fallible. You can hear this in the last movement of the Moonlight.


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## wkasimer

annaw said:


> Just out of curiosity, which set would you recommend for hearing just virtuosic playing?


Off the top of my head, Korstick, Gulda, and Buchbinder.

Definitely NOT Schnabel :devil:


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## annaw

wkasimer said:


> Off the top of my head, Korstick, Gulda, and Buchbinder.
> 
> Definitely NOT Schnabel :devil:


Thanks! I keep getting great recommendations from you .


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## wkasimer

wkasimer said:


> Off the top of my head, Korstick, Gulda, and Buchbinder.
> 
> Definitely NOT Schnabel :devil:


I neglected to mention Stewart Goodyear, another fantastic set.


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## JAS

I have ordered the Badura-Skoda set based on good reviews and the appeal of hearing them on historic pianos.


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## premont

annaw said:


> Just out of curiosity, which set would you recommend for hearing just virtuosic playing?


Fortunately I still have to hear a pianist who offers just (only) virtuosic playing.


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## VitellioScarpia

wkasimer said:


> I neglected to mention Stewart Goodyear, another fantastic set.


Which set by Buchbinder do you recommend? The one live from the Mozarteum (2014) or the earlier one he recorded for Telefunken in the 70's and 80's which has been rereleased by Warner?


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## wkasimer

VitellioScarpia said:


> Which set by Buchbinder do you recommend? The one live from the Mozarteum (2014) or the earlier one he recorded for Telefunken in the 70's and 80's which has been rereleased by Warner?


I prefer the more recent live one, but it may be hard to find.


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## CnC Bartok

premont said:


> Nice to see some one advocate Lill and Jando. Both much underrated IMO.


I am glad someone else likes John Lill. And over the years, Jando has grown on me in some of the key Sonatas, although I only had a handful of these, I found the entire cycle as a download for less than £6 recently.

Lill is another who is short on showy-offy stuff, and I like that approach. Same as Lewis in some ways, but there are one or two very personal touches as well. I saw him perform the Waldstein live a couple of years back, and the transition into the finale was just exquisite. Bells, distant bells, waking you up gently. Wonderful!!


----------



## Helgi

What about Gilels for virtuosity?

Listening to his Appassionata as I write, after having just listened to Kempff's '51 recording, and with Gilels it's like a concerto.

I don't really prefer one approach over the other, just depends on my mood.


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## Animal the Drummer

CnC Bartok said:


> I am glad someone else likes John Lill. And over the years, Jando has grown on me in some of the key Sonatas, although I only had a handful of these, I found the entire cycle as a download for less than £6 recently.
> 
> Lill is another who is short on showy-offy stuff, and I like that approach. Same as Lewis in some ways, but there are one or two very personal touches as well. I saw him perform the Waldstein live a couple of years back, and the transition into the finale was just exquisite. Bells, distant bells, waking you up gently. Wonderful!!


Count me in over John Lill. I've loved his Beethoven ever since I was a little boy (a LONG time ago) when I used to listen out for his concerts on Radio 3, especially with what's now the BBC Philharmonic (then the BBC Northern Symphony), and collected his Beethoven concertos with the Halle on Classics for Pleasure LPs.


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## realdealblues

Off the top of my head I have:

Arrau I & II (almost complete)
Ashkenazy
Backhaus I & II
Badura-Skoda
Barenboim I, II & III
Brautigam
Brendel I, II & III
Buchbinder I & II
Fischer
Frank
Goode
Goodyear
Gulda
Levit
Lewis
Jando
Kempff I & II
Korstick
Kovacevich
Lortie
Pollini
Schiff
Schnabel
Takacs

Probably forgetting a couple.

Levit & Buchbinder (I) are my go to boxes but I will often dig out Arrau, Kempff, Goode & Kovacevich for certain performances. I usually listen to more incomplete cycles and one off favorite performances these days.


----------



## Itullian

realdealblues said:


> Off the top of my head I have:
> 
> Arrau I & II (almost complete)
> Ashkenazy
> Backhaus I & II
> Badura-Skoda
> Barenboim I, II & III
> Brautigam
> Brendel I, II & III
> Buchbinder I & II
> Fischer
> Frank
> Goode
> Goodyear
> Gulda
> Levit
> Lewis
> Jando
> Kempff I & II
> Korstick
> Kovacevich
> Lortie
> Pollini
> Schiff
> Schnabel
> Takacs
> 
> Probably forgetting a couple.
> 
> Levit & Buchbinder (I) are my go to boxes but I will often dig out Arrau, Kempff, Goode & Kovacevich for certain performances. I usually listen to more incomplete cycles and one off favorite performances these days.


Wow, you have me beat by a mile. Congratulations. :tiphat:


----------



## Itullian

Just received this one. Very glad i didn't listen to the negative reviews.
I'm loving it.


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## realdealblues

Itullian said:


> Wow, you have me beat by a mile. Congratulations. :tiphat:


I'm sure others have more. I only collect the works I truly love and I love to hear different viewpoints on those works and decide for myself what I like or dislike. Ask me how many recordings of Wellington's Victory I have...lol...I think it's 2 and I only have them because they came in box sets.


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## Itullian

realdealblues said:


> I'm sure others have more. I only collect the works I truly love and I love to hear different viewpoints on those works and decide for myself what I like or dislike. Ask me how many recordings of Wellington's Victory I have...lol...I think it's 2 and I only have them because they came in box sets.


Same here. That's why i have a bunch of the sonatas and string quartets.


----------



## realdealblues

Itullian said:


> Same here. That's why i have a bunch of the sonatas and string quartets.


For me it's Symphonies, Piano Sonatas and Piano Concertos. I don't have near as many String Quartet recordings as I probably should but I am pretty happy with what I have for most of the other works, Violin Sonatas & Concerto, Cello Sonatas, etc.


----------



## Itullian

realdealblues said:


> For me it's Symphonies, Piano Sonatas and Piano Concertos. I don't have near as many String Quartet recordings as I probably should but I am pretty happy with what I have for most of the other works, Violin Sonatas & Concerto, Cello Sonatas, etc.


I've picked up quite a few symphony sets lately and have really liked them.


----------



## premont

realdealblues said:


> Off the top of my head I have:
> 
> Arrau I & II (almost complete)
> Ashkenazy
> Backhaus I & II
> Badura-Skoda
> Barenboim I, II & III
> Brautigam
> Brendel I, II & III
> Buchbinder I & II
> Fischer
> Frank
> Goode
> Goodyear
> Gulda
> Levit
> Lewis
> Jando
> Kempff I & II
> Korstick
> Kovacevich
> Lortie
> Pollini
> Schiff
> Schnabel
> Takacs
> 
> Probably forgetting a couple.


Ooh, you are not far from urging me to post my list


----------



## dennisdeems

How do you evaluate a set? What do you listen for? Are you paying attention to particular sonatas that reveal good/bad qualities of the recording more readily than others?
I don't own any, but I am listening to Brendel as I write this, and I have difficulty imagining a performance I would prefer to his.


----------



## Itullian

Brendel is very good. His style to me is waem, detailed, middle of the road and very well recorded

There are 2 things to decide on.
1. the performance. exciting? calm? relaxed? barnstorming? do they play it straight? or with personality or emotion? tempo/speed is important too.
2 the sound. close to the piano? fairly close? distant with some air around it?

So a lot of it is personal preference.
i love them so i enjoy many perspectives.


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## SanAntone

I've recently been listening to the cycle by *Konstantin Scherbakov*

View attachment 138143


I enjoy his way of playing these works, not indulgent, but not flat - a very nice balance, possible thumbnail description would be objective but deliberately nuanced. A poster on another forum put it like this, "His style is that he just puts his head down and plays Beethoven, but with guts and determination and a little bit of need for speed."


----------



## AClockworkOrange

Just two, the EMI Barenboim and the Brautigam. 

Of the two, I prefer the Brautigam. I love the fortepiano in this music (as well as his recordings of the Sonatas of Haydn & Mozart and Mendelssohn’s Lieder Ohne Worte) and I enjoy his performances. 

The Barenboim set is very good too but I simply prefer the Brautigam recordings. I prefer Barenboim in the Concertos with Otto Klemperer.

I have looked at a few other sets but I haven’t decided as yet. I’m happy with the two I have so I’m in no hurry.


----------



## CnC Bartok

Animal the Drummer said:


> Count me in over John Lill. I've loved his Beethoven ever since I was a little boy (a LONG time ago) when I used to listen out for his concerts on Radio 3, especially with what's now the BBC Philharmonic (then the BBC Northern Symphony), and collected his Beethoven concertos with the Halle on Classics for Pleasure LPs.


1) Glad to see another John Lill fan here. We're coming out of the woodwork
2) I was a little boy a LONG time ago as well. Glad there are more old farts here
3) Pedant alert, the CfP Concertos were with Alexander Gibson and the Scottish National Orchestra
4) You were my favourite Muppet!


----------



## Animal the Drummer

Haha. :tiphat: Point taken about the orchestral accompaniment. It was indeed a very long time ago and at the time I was getting regularly battered about the head playing hooker for my school and college. 

Regarding matters Muppetational, in fairness Rowlf's Beethoven had something to commend it also.


----------



## annaw

premont said:


> Fortunately I still have to hear a pianist who offers just (only) virtuosic playing.


Luckily it's probably not even possible .


----------



## Barbebleu

One of the sets I have hasn’t (as far as I can see) been mentioned. It is the set by the very under-rated late Danish pianist Anne Øland. I got it a number of years ago and she gives a very interesting interpretation that lets the music speak for itself without investing too much of her own personality onto it. Well worth looking out for.


----------



## CnC Bartok

Animal the Drummer said:


> Haha. :tiphat: Point taken about the orchestral accompaniment. It was indeed a very long time ago and at the time I was getting regularly battered about the head playing hooker for my school and college.
> 
> Regarding matters Muppetational, in fairness Rowlf's Beethoven had something to commend it also.


I always had a soft spot for Beaker myself! Not sure about his Beethoven, though!

The Lill Concertos were the first records I actually bought in the classical genre. I made a point of permanently borrowing my father's Beethoven Symphonies (Cluytens, again CfP!), but he didn't have these works on his shelf. Started me on collecting music, and tens of thousands of pounds later......

I've got them on CD now, I don't think I can say I have a favourite set of the Concertos (maybe Perahia?), but these ones remain more than competitive.


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## Barbebleu

I don’t have many sets

Anne Øland
Vladimir Ashkenazy 
Stewart Goodyear
Paul Badura-Skoda 1969 set
Maurizio Pollini
Daniel Barenboim
Wilhelm Kempf - not sure which iteration 

Odd sonatas by Gould and Perahia


----------



## dennisdeems

Barbebleu said:


> One of the sets I have hasn't (as far as I can see) been mentioned. It is the set by the very under-rated late Danish pianist Anne Øland. I got it a number of years ago and she gives a very interesting interpretation that lets the music speak for itself without investing too much of her own personality onto it. Well worth looking out for.


I will have to look into this one. Sounds like I would enjoy her performance; letting the music speak for itself is just how I would describe Brendel.


----------



## Animal the Drummer

CnC Bartok said:


> I always had a soft spot for Beaker myself! Not sure about his Beethoven, though!
> 
> The Lill Concertos were the first records I actually bought in the classical genre. I made a point of permanently borrowing my father's Beethoven Symphonies (Cluytens, again CfP!), but he didn't have these works on his shelf. Started me on collecting music, and tens of thousands of pounds later......
> 
> I've got them on CD now, I don't think I can say I have a favourite set of the Concertos (maybe Perahia?), but these ones remain more than competitive.


Fleisher/Szell or Kempff/Leitner would probably be top of my Beethoven concerto hit parade, with an honourable mention for Ashkenazy's set with Solti and the Chicago Symph.Orch. I might have to go get Lill's survey now though. It'd be good to hear those again. This place can be murder on one's wallet.


----------



## Marc

premont said:


> Ooh, you are not far from urging me to post my list


Please do. 
(I guess you have around 60+ sets. Maybe 30 more, I don't know. )

I thought I had about 20 sets myself... well...  … apparently a bit more.
I must say, that I did not listen to each and every set in its entirety (yet ), but, as I said before, all performers have more than a few goodies to offer.

Arrau (a mixture of his analog and digital recordings)
Ashkenazy
Backhaus (stereo)
Badura-Skoda x2 (modern piano & fortepiano)
Barenboim x2 (EMI young Barenboim & EMI 'old' Barenboim on DVD)
Bilson & pupils
Brautigam
Brendel x2 (the Philips sets)
Buchbinder (Teldec)
Del Pueyo
Fischer, A.
Gilels (even though he did not complete it)
Goode
Goodyear
Gulda (Amadeo/Brilliant)
Guy
Jandó
Heidsieck
Hewitt (not complete yet, I have the first 6 volumes)
Kempff x2 (studio mono & stereo)
Kodama
Korstick
Kovacevich
Laul (mp3 download)
Lewis
Lim
Lortie
Lucchesini
Muller
Nat
Ohlsson
Perl
Pienaar
Pollini
Pommier
Schnabel
Schiff
Serkin (not complete)
Silverman (incomplete download (22 sonatas) from AudioHigh)
Yokoyama (I don't have the complete set, about 2/3 was in a Brilliant Classics box)
Zhao

Of Levit, I only have his recording of the late sonatas. For the moment, I have no plans to buy his (or any other's) complete set though. After all, it's only Beethoven's year, let's give it a rest. :lol:

My personal favourite dozen are (in alphabetical order): Badura-Skoda (fortepiano), Brautigam, Annie Fischer, Gulda, Guy, Heidsieck, Kempff, Lortie, Lucchesini, Pienaar (despite the harsh audio), Pommier (especially for the young Beethoven) and Serkin.
But you can't go wrong with Arrau, Backhaus, Gilels, Goodyear or Kovacevich either.
Goode, Kodama and Lewis are very solid, but maybe not the most exciting.

BTW, for those interested: at this moment, Annie Fischer's integral is available for around 12/13 euros at the (legal) download website of 7Digital.


----------



## premont

Marc said:


> Please do.
> (I guess you have around 60+ sets. Maybe 30 more, I don't know. )


If I have counted correctly 72, the 5 sets I have culled not included. I am still far from competing with him - you know whom.


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## Marc

premont said:


> If I have counted correctly 72, the 5 sets I have culled not included. I am still far from competing with him - you know whom.


Yeah, I can make an educated guess… 

I was happy with my Kempff stereo, Brendel, Gulda, some Arraus, Barenboims and a few other 'war horses' for years, but funny enough I became suddenly much more interested in the '32' after listening to HJ Lim, even though she only offered 30 and her set was far from my favourite. 
I was also lucky with the possibilties of our library system here.


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## VitellioScarpia

Barbebleu said:


> I don't have many sets
> 
> Anne Øland
> Vladimir Ashkenazy
> Stewart Goodyear
> Paul Badura-Skoda 1969 set
> Maurizio Pollini
> Daniel Barenboim
> Wilhelm Kempf - not sure which iteration
> 
> Odd sonatas by Gould and Perahia


How do you like the Stewart Goodyear set?


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## Dimace

I have everything (or almost) from what you have written. I'm not sure if I have seen the Anton Kuerti's & Robert Silverman's circles. (very nice to see Anne Oeland's set among the others. Her death was a great loss for our instrument). 

(I definitely don't have Mr. Goodyear...)


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## Itullian

i received the Pollini cycle today.
Awesome. i love it.


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## The3Bs

VitellioScarpia said:


> How do you like the Stewart Goodyear set?


I have started playing (Spotify to test) Goodyear's Hammerklavier and was majorly put off by his approach.. stopped listening after about 40 secs....

Will have a go at some of the other sonatas at a later date to see if I change my opinion...

I did listen to his Beethoven Piano Cycle and liked it in places (concertos 1, 2 and bits of 3 and 4). That is why I tried the sonata...


----------



## Dimace

The3Bs said:


> I have started playing (Spotify to test) Goodyear's Hammerklavier and was majorly *put off* by his approach.. stopped listening after about 40 secs....
> 
> Will have a go at some of the other sonatas at a later date to see if I change my opinion...
> 
> I did listen to his Beethoven Piano Cycle and liked it in places (concertos 1, 2 and bits of 3 and 4). That is why I tried the sonata...


Moin-moin Nachbar! I want (I take simply the opportunity from you) to comment the ''put off'' you have written. In music we have this effect in many cases. Brendel, for example, sometimes, puts me off (I had it also with his Beethoven) But he is GREAT pianist. His Beethoven circles are legends and monuments of how the Sonatas must be play. To the other side now, Barenboim, Arrau, Kempf etc, are making me crying and Skoda (I consider him, after Daniel) the GREATEST teacher and scholar of Beethoven, lives me indifferent. Believe me, all these names are the top of the top and they are playing the Sonatas the best possible way. What happens? Nothing! It is my taste (UNIMPORTANT) and the moment. (ALSO unimportant for the quality of the performances). For this reason, with the exception of VERY heavy mistakes and misreading of the score, I avoid to comment Bach and Beethoven, the same moment I comment heavily Liszt, Chopin and most of the romantic performances. For the two greatest, you see, I need the score and a very serious hearing (not from my Kitchen, smoking, chatting, eating, drinking Kaffee AND listening the music playing in the other room, as I'm doing with almost every other composer…) After these considerations, I can really say that ONLY with MASTER Gould I have really problems (from the great interpreters), when he plays the Beethoven. The reason is he is talking when he plays and his Beethoven reminds me a lot Bach. But, after all, also this is a matter of taste... A very nice WE I wish you, my dearest.


----------



## Marc

Dimace said:


> Moin-moin Nachbar! I want (I take simply the opportunity from you) to comment the ''put off'' you have written. In music we have this effect in many cases. Brendel, for example, sometimes, puts me off (I had it also with his Beethoven) But he is GREAT pianist. His Beethoven circles are legends and monuments of how the Sonatas must be play. To the other side now, Barenboim, Arrau, Kempf etc, are making me crying and Skoda (I consider him, after Daniel) the GREATEST teacher and scholar of Beethoven, lives me indifferent. Believe me, all these names are the top of the top and they are playing the Sonatas the best possible way. What happens? Nothing! It is my taste (UNIMPORTANT) and the moment. (ALSO unimportant for the quality of the performances). For this reason, with the exception of VERY heavy mistakes and misreading of the score, I avoid to comment Bach and Beethoven, the same moment I comment heavily Liszt, Chopin and most of the romantic performances. For the two greatest, you see, I need the score and a very serious hearing (not from my Kitchen, smoking, chatting, eating, drinking Kaffee AND listening the music playing in the other room, as I'm doing with almost every other composer…) After these considerations, I can really say that ONLY with MASTER Gould I have really problems (from the great interpreters), when he plays the Beethoven. The reason is he is talking when he plays and his Beethoven reminds me a lot Bach. But, after all, also this is a matter of taste... A very nice WE I wish you, my dearest.


Well, a huge part of this board is filled with very personal and subjective opinions and preferences. So, if you want, please share some of your Bach and Beethoven views.  Because, maybe, when you succeed in explaining why you (dis)like certain recordings/performances, the reader can draw his/her own conclusions what to make of your review and whether to take your opinions seriously. I realize though that explaining why you like or dislike music and art can be very difficult and complicated.


----------



## Marc

Itullian said:


> i received the Pollini cycle today.
> Awesome. i love it.


I did not give Pollini an 'extra' mention, but yes, it's a very worthwhile add-on to the catalogue imho. I remember him being a bit too harsh in some early sonatas though. But his legendary late sonatas recordings belong to my favourites, too.


----------



## Allegro Con Brio

I like Pollini despite his alleged lack of emotional connection. For purely accomplished piano playing he’s hard to beat, and he’s not afraid to put it all out there - listen, for example, to the first movement of Sonata 25 and you’ll notice how joyful and extrovert it sounds compared to so many others. And of course his Hammerklavier is an outstanding achievement of technical accomplishment.


----------



## CnC Bartok

Animal the Drummer said:


> Fleisher/Szell or Kempff/Leitner would probably be top of my Beethoven concerto hit parade, with an honourable mention for Ashkenazy's set with Solti and the Chicago Symph.Orch. I might have to go get Lill's survey now though. It'd be good to hear those again. This place can be murder on one's wallet.


Look carefully on Amazon, you can pick up the three individual CDs pretty cheaply. The set is harder to get and more expensive....


----------



## DaddyGeorge

I think I have about 40 sets. The way I read posts here made me think. For simplicity, let's say one complete set has 10 hours. I usually listen to music (focused - not as a background) for 3-4 hours a day (currently much more, because I'm at home office). So it would normally take me about 120 days to listen to all the sets. At the same time, I couldn't listen to anything else, and since I'm in a similar situation with many other (not only) sets, it starts to scare me that I don't actually have time to listen to the collected music. In addition, the collection is still growing. The more I read, study, search, the more recordings I collect out of curiosity, enthusiasm and maybe in fear of losing anything. I think it's become too much for me to handle. Do you ever have similar feelings?


----------



## Dimace

Marc said:


> Well, a huge part of this board is filled with very personal and subjective opinions and preferences. So, if you want, please share some of your Bach and Beethoven views.  Because, maybe, when you succeed in explaining why you (dis)like certain recordings/performances, the reader can draw his/her own conclusions what to make of your review and whether to take your opinions seriously. I realize though that explaining why you like or dislike music and art can be very difficult and complicated.


Thanks for the question. You slightly didn't understand my spirit. I like everything. Not every day, but there are certain days I find the way to get inside to a performance which the day before I didn't. In the top level on which are most of the Sonatas circles (we are commenting here) everything is fine.


----------



## Manxfeeder

DaddyGeorge said:


> The more I read, study, search, the more recordings I collect out of curiosity, enthusiasm and maybe in fear of losing anything. I think it's become too much for me to handle. Do you ever have similar feelings?


My feeling is, a live concert costs at least as much if not twice as much as a recording, and I only hear that performance once. So if I hear a recording more than once, it's relatively not that great of an expense, and I can revisit it any time. The only problem I have with collecting recordings is space. And that's becoming too much for me to handle.


----------



## Itullian

Maybe no one will agree with me on this set.
And maybe it wouldn't be a first choice but,
i absolutely love it.
Oppitz brings out so much beauty and warmth to me.
And the small room ambiance has a magical effect for me.
One of my very favorite sets.


----------



## KenOC

VitellioScarpia said:


> How do you like the Stewart Goodyear set?


I have had Goodyear's cycle for quite a while and turn to it often. Mr. G has a very stylish and virtuosic approach, and most of his performances sound "just right" to me. They also sound like he's really enjoying the music.

This is especially true of the early and mid-life sonatas. His performances of the late sonatas aren't bad, but they don't stand out as anything special. Perhaps he will become more attuned to this music as his years pile up.


----------



## Barbebleu

VitellioScarpia said:


> How do you like the Stewart Goodyear set?


It's pretty good. Of the ones I've got I have to say I do like the Pollini and I do like what Gould does with Beethoven. Not for everyone but hey ho. At the end of the day everyone brings something to the party and they all have their high points and, imho, very, very few low ones.


----------



## Allegro Con Brio

> How do you like the Stewart Goodyear set?


A love it or hate it thing. Very fast, sleek, and, for me, mechanical; with oddly inexpressive phrasing. Very Gouldian. If you want a thoroughly modern pianism for Beethoven, I'm sure it would be exactly what you're looking for. He's famous for his feat of performing all 32 sonatas in a single day. I just wish his recordings didn't sound like he was trying to do that.


----------



## VitellioScarpia

Thank you KenOC, Barbeblue, and Allegro con Brio for your thoughts about Goodyear's traversal of the 32 sonatas. I appreciate your opinions.


----------



## Marc

VitellioScarpia said:


> Thank you KenOC, Barbeblue, and Allegro con Brio for your thoughts about Goodyear's traversal of the 32 sonatas. I appreciate your opinions.


Maybe you'd also like to read this:

http://www.classicalmusicsentinel.com/KEEP/keep-beethoven-goodyear.html


----------



## The3Bs

KenOC said:


> I have had Goodyear's cycle for quite a while and turn to it often. Mr. G has a very stylish and virtuosic approach, and most of his performances sound "just right" to me. They also sound like he's really enjoying the music.
> 
> This is especially true of the early and mid-life sonatas. His performances of the late sonatas aren't bad, but they don't stand out as anything special. Perhaps he will become more attuned to this music as his years pile up.


Well... your post will push me to try Goodyear's earlier sonatas!!! Like in the Beethoven Piano Concerti I like his rendition of the earlier ones better than the later...


----------



## The3Bs

Dimace said:


> Moin-moin Nachbar! I want (I take simply the opportunity from you) to comment the ''put off'' you have written. In music we have this effect in many cases. Brendel, for example, sometimes, puts me off (I had it also with his Beethoven) But he is GREAT pianist. His Beethoven circles are legends and monuments of how the Sonatas must be play. To the other side now, Barenboim, Arrau, Kempf etc, are making me crying and Skoda (I consider him, after Daniel) the GREATEST teacher and scholar of Beethoven, lives me indifferent. Believe me, all these names are the top of the top and they are playing the Sonatas the best possible way. What happens? Nothing! It is my taste (UNIMPORTANT) and the moment. (ALSO unimportant for the quality of the performances). For this reason, with the exception of VERY heavy mistakes and misreading of the score, I avoid to comment Bach and Beethoven, the same moment I comment heavily Liszt, Chopin and most of the romantic performances. For the two greatest, you see, I need the score and a very serious hearing (not from my Kitchen, smoking, chatting, eating, drinking Kaffee AND listening the music playing in the other room, as I'm doing with almost every other composer…) After these considerations, I can really say that ONLY with MASTER Gould I have really problems (from the great interpreters), when he plays the Beethoven. The reason is he is talking when he plays and his Beethoven reminds me a lot Bach. But, after all, also this is a matter of taste... A very nice WE I wish you, my dearest.


Oh yes!!! I am not a music expert and can not read the notes (a project that is slowly coming to fruition) but when I come to Beethoven (maybe my favorite composer) I stop and listen... and yes doing any parallel activities is hard...

That is why when I put the Goodyear's Hammerklavier ... I stopped and my heart accelerated in anticipation .... It is one of the master's Great Works... and I do not come often to it as it requires quite a big commitment to sit through it all...and then his first notes come in ... and argh... Some other poster did describe it so well, it sounded Mechanic....

A very nice Sunny Sunday to you...


----------



## VitellioScarpia

Marc said:


> Maybe you'd also like to read this:
> 
> http://www.classicalmusicsentinel.com/KEEP/keep-beethoven-goodyear.html


Marc, thank you for pointing me to that review. I am more intrigued than ever...


----------



## pianoforever

Contributing as a recent newcomer to the forum. Follows a mixed list of complete and incomplete cycles I own with, for whatever it's worth, an indication of preference

I choice group:
Richter
Annie Fischer
Solomon
Lucchesini (absolutely wonderful and thankfully discovered through the forum's posts...even though I'm Italian :tiphat
Pollini late sonatas (Well, I'm breaking the Pollini cycle)

II choice group
Gilels,
Arrau (the 60s cycle)
Brendel II

III choice group
Goode 
Kempff II
Brendel III
Pollini (1-27)
Hungerford

IV choice group
Kempff III
Barenboim I

Not classified Schnabel. The mix of greatness, sloppiness and old sound make it compare


----------



## pianoforever

pianoforever said:


> Contributing as a recent newcomer to the forum. Follows a mixed list of complete and incomplete cycles I own with, for whatever it's worth, an indication of preference
> 
> I choice group:
> Richter
> Annie Fischer
> Solomon
> Lucchesini (absolutely wonderful and thankfully discovered through the forum's posts...even though I'm Italian :tiphat
> Pollini late sonatas (Well, I'm breaking the Pollini cycle)
> 
> II choice group
> Gilels,
> Arrau (the 60s cycle)
> Brendel II
> 
> III choice group
> Goode
> Kempff II
> Brendel III
> Pollini (1-27)
> Hungerford
> 
> IV choice group
> Kempff III
> Barenboim I
> 
> Not classified Schnabel. The mix of greatness, sloppiness and old sound make it difficult to comapre


----------



## Itullian

Have added this set to my hoard.
This guy is great!


----------



## pianoforever

Thanks. I've just listened to a couple of sonatas on you tube. Terrific indeed!


Itullian said:


> Have added this set to my hoard.
> This guy is great!


----------



## DarkAngel

Itullian said:


> Have added this set to my hoard.
> This guy is great!


Since this LVB sonatas set is so cheap I will give it a try, also have his Goldberg CD in watch basket at Presto UK......


----------



## Itullian

DarkAngel said:


> Since this LVB sonatas set is so cheap I will give it a try, also have his Goldberg CD in watch basket at Presto UK......


It's live remember.
The sound is closely miced.
Fantastic playing

His Goldbergs are great.

Looks like he's doing Mozart for Hanssler as well.


----------



## Merl

Itullian said:


> i recently committed sacrilege picked up this set.
> Yeah, i know its different and willful in spots.
> But i like it.
> The sound is beautiful and the playing is always musical
> and Ms Lim can really play.
> Different? Yes, but i find myself glued to the whole set.
> 
> Don't be too hard on me.


I like it too. :lol:


----------



## Itullian

This is rapidly becoming a favorite set.


----------



## Itullian

Finally found a set of Lill's cycle on ebay for 30usd.
Great set!


----------



## Marc

After a heavy struggle (problems with unzipping), I managed to grab the Levit integral for a bargain price.
Check this thread (the last few pages):
Ridiculous bargains, CDs and MP3s thread

I already had Levit's recording of the last sonatas, and I really enjoyed them. 
I'm listening to opus 2 right now. The experience feels a bit like listening to Gilels for the first time, not because of the interpretation, but because it sounds as if the instrument's keys are in love with Levit's fingers, which, I must say, is a delightful experience. 
Let's just continue that my impressions are positive and that, especially considering the laughable low price (check that other thread again), this set will be a very worthwhile addition to 'my' collection. Recommended.


----------



## Mathias Broucek

Marc said:


> After a heavy struggle (problems with unzipping), I managed to grab the Levit integral for a bargain price.
> Check this thread (the last few pages):
> Ridiculous bargains, CDs and MP3s thread
> 
> I already had Levit's recording of the last sonatas, and I really enjoyed them.
> I'm listening to opus 2 right now. The experience feels a bit like listening to Gilels for the first time, not because of the interpretation, but because it sounds as if the instrument's keys are in love with Levit's fingers, which, I must say, is a delightful experience.
> Let's just continue that my impressions are positive and that, especially considering the laughable low price (check that other thread again), this set will be a very worthwhile addition to 'my' collection. Recommended.


I did the same. I am VERY impressed with the four or five sonatas I've heard so far. It's pretty near the top of my list....


----------



## Itullian

Picked up the Levit set on ebay, like new for 35 usd.
Thought I'd give it a try.


----------



## elgar's ghost

I have the Kempff cycle from the 1950s and that's it. I've long thought about augmenting it with a well-regarded stereo cycle but my attention always seems to shift to something else.


----------



## Itullian

Couldn't resist.
Very good.


----------



## Itullian

My first listen


----------



## Itullian

Itullian said:


> My first listen


Really liking this set.


----------



## DarkAngel

Itullian said:


> My first listen


The packaging for this set has nice deluxe appearance and feel, each CD cardboard sleeve has unique interesting photo and is double thickness....nice attention to detail and far superior to typical generic white blank paper sleeves


----------



## Itullian

DarkAngel said:


> The packaging for this set has nice deluxe appearance and feel, each CD cardboard sleeve has unique interesting photo and is double thickness....nice attention to detail and far superior to typical generic white blank paper sleeves


True, there's definitely nothing cheap about it.


----------



## Chopin Suey

Here are my sets, in rough order of preference:

Richard Goode - my first cycle, and maybe still my favorite. Seems to capture the multiple facets of Beethoven's musical personality really well.
Friedrich Gulda (Orfeo) - recent acquisition, but I'm really liking what I hear. Straightforward, exceptionally well played
Igor Levit - recent acquisition, a bit fast at times but very attentive to details. May move up as I keep listening.
Alfred Brendel (70s) - not bad at all, fairly middle of the road, but doesn't really grab my attention.
Garrick Ohlsson - some hits and misses. A more deliberate pace and sound.
Malcolm Bilson et al. - haven't finished listening yet. Interesting for the period instruments and variety of interpretations/performers, but not entirely consistent.
Stephen Kovacevich - a bit too hard-driven for my taste.


----------



## CnC Bartok

Itullian said:


> Finally found a set of Lill's cycle on ebay for 30usd.
> Great set!


Hope you're still enjoying this, Lill is a very fine Beethoven interpreter, and his cycle is probably my favourite (something I might have mentioned at some stage in the past, maybe...:angel


----------



## starthrower

Just bought the Richard Goode set. 20 bucks from an Amazon vendor and there was no shp charge. A lucky break!


----------



## flamencosketches

starthrower said:


> Just bought the Richard Goode set. 20 bucks from an Amazon vendor and there was no shp charge. A lucky break!


Nice find. Let me know what you think.


----------



## starthrower

flamencosketches said:


> Nice find. Let me know what you think.


I've streamed a fair bit recently and they sound great to my ears. I love the piano sound, feel, phrasing, just great playing. I'm really looking forward to digging into this set.


----------



## Oldhoosierdude

I have been going back and forth streaming selected sonatas from these two sets. I can get them through hoopla with a library card. I chose them as they get some good mentioned as recent releases.

These cats can play.

Biss has a beautiful and gentle touch for the most part. Sounds well thought out. Maybe too well recorded. For those who dislike performer noise, there is some breathing, etc. Not Canadian choking goat noises, but some sounds issue forth.

Goodyear is playful by comparison. Lighter and fun. Competent and almost precise, quicker for the most part. The miking or whatever it's called is more distant than the other recording. To me the sound is not as full. On a normal audio player I can adjust for this and it would be perfect to my ears. But hoopla only barely functions with almost no features. It does playback for which I am grateful.

Both of these deserve the accolades. Their love for the music shines through.

Will I shell out $50 to purchase? Nah. Why, when it's free?


----------



## Itullian

My monthly Beethoven sonata purchase is Schiff's new cycle.
A bit precious in my opinion, but still very enjoyable.
Excellent notes. Package is a bit bulky though.


----------



## Helgi

^ This is a favourite of mine. Listened to a bit of it last night in fact, Nos. 24, 25 and 26.

What I hear in it is _clarity_, both in the performance itself and the recorded sound. It sounds perfect!

Packaging and presentation is superb as well - it's a bulky package but to me it just underlines what a massive project it is to record the 32 sonatas.


----------



## DarkAngel

This 3CD set arrives in a few days, sampled at Presto UK very nice for period instrument fans



> A leading authority on the fortepiano, Jos Van Immerseel has devised a programme focusing on the music Beethoven composed for a Viennese piano with a range of five octaves. This includes the finest keyboard music from Beethovens *early Viennese period*, more specifically works written between 1795 and 1804. For this recording, the Flemish pianist has used the composers extant autograph manuscripts or the first editions published shortly after composition, as well as the latest critical edition by Jonathan Del Mar (Kassel: Bärenreiter-Verlag, 2017-18). The writings of Carl Czerny, one of Beethovens most important pupils, were also a significant source of information. With his customary attention to the instrumentarium, Jos Van Immerseel has opted for a five-octave Viennese grand fortepiano by Christopher Clarke, a masterly replica, built in 1988, of an instrument by Walter, whom Beethoven himself selected in 1802 from among the sixty or so Viennese piano makers of the time.


Long ago Immerseel came out with similar 2CD Mozart "vienna years" sonata set which is really great.....


----------



## hoodjem

JAS said:


> I have ordered the Badura-Skoda set based on good reviews and the appeal of hearing them on historic pianos.


FYI

http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/beethoven-piano-sonatas-complete-paul-badura-skoda-period-pianos/


----------



## Geoff48

Two Barenboim, EMI and DGG. The first was a gift with a magazine subscription
Two Brendel, Brilliant and Phillips. The later was a gift from a friend.
My preferences are the older versions in both cases where the enthusiasm of youth overcomes the more thoughtful approach and better recorded sound. 
I have multi sonatas from various other interpreters including Gilels, Ashkenazy and many others. But my favourite Beethoven interpreter is Solomon. A tragedy his stroke prevented its completion but those he recorded are probably unequalled. I particularly love the first movement of his moonlight, wery slow but so evocative. And the mono sound doesn’t detract from its beauty.


----------



## Itullian

The holy grail came today. 
So we'll see.


----------



## Caroline

Itullian said:


> My monthly Beethoven sonata purchase is Schiff's new cycle.
> A bit precious in my opinion, but still very enjoyable.
> Excellent notes. Package is a bit bulky though.


How nice for you! Do you have the recording information?


----------



## Itullian

Caroline said:


> How nice for you! Do you have the recording information?


Not sure what you mean. I have the set. ?


----------



## Itullian

I have listened to several discs from this set now and I agree with the praise heaped upon this set.
It is phenomenal!!!! 
The playing is powerful and nuanced. 
I have no problem at all with the recorded sound. There's enough bass and clarity.
It was tough to pay the asking price, but I hope to enjoy this set for many years.


----------



## Caroline

Itullian said:


> Not sure what you mean. I have the set. ?


Thank you for sending it along as a PM


----------



## Caroline

DarkAngel said:


> This 3CD set arrives in a few days, sampled at Presto UK very nice for period instrument fans
> 
> Long ago Immerseel came out with similar 2CD Mozart "vienna years" sonata set which is really great.....


How beautiful and very interesting. I ordered Badura-Skoda's complete sonatas on period instruments. I wonderd if he referred to Czerny's book, "On the Proper Performance of all Beethoven's Works for the Piano."

I just added both of these to my order with Presto.


----------



## Caroline

hoodjem said:


> FYI
> 
> http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/beethoven-piano-sonatas-complete-paul-badura-skoda-period-pianos/


Are you enjoying them, I hope? I opted for them instead of the Brautigam. I haven't received mine, yet.


----------



## Caroline

I ordered my first two complete sets today -

Emil Geiles Complete Sonatas (released 2006)









Paul Badura-Skoda - The Complete Piano Sonatas Played on Period Instruments (released Jan 2020)


----------



## flamencosketches

Caroline said:


> I ordered my first two complete sets today -
> 
> Emil Geiles Complete Sonatas (released 2006)
> 
> View attachment 142929
> 
> 
> Paul Badura-Skoda - The Complete Piano Sonatas Played on Period Instruments (released Jan 2020)
> 
> View attachment 142930


I'm not saying this to be pedantic, but I do hope you realize that the Gilels is not quite complete. He didn't get to finish the cycle before his death. The Paul Badura-Skoda definitely is though. Either way, enjoy! I think you've just picked up two extremely rewarding sets.


----------



## Josquin13

Caroline,

Sorry to tell you this, but frustratingly, the Gilels DG set isn't "complete", as he passed away unexpectedly in 1984 before he could finish the cycle (EDIT: I see flamencosketches beat me to it). So, there is no Op. 111, for instance; nor sonatas nos. 1, 9, 22, 24, either. Nevertheless, it's an essential set; even though Gilels' Beethoven could sometimes be even more profound live in concert--depending on how you see this music--such as with his live Russian accounts of the "Moonlight" & "Hammerklavier" Piano Sonatas:






His final concert in Moscow, in 1984:





Nor would I want to be without his live 1980 account of the "Eroica" Variations on the Hanssler label; although I've never actually sat down and directly compared this live performance to the DG studio account (as they're both wonderful): 




Trust me, you don't want to miss Gilels' earlier 1970s analogue recordings in the DG box set (most of the cycle was digitally recorded during the 1980s)--such as his "Waldstein" Sonata, Op. 53, No. 27, Op. 90, and No. 26 "Les Adieux", Op. 81a--all recorded in 1974 in Berlin, and his No. 28, Op. 101, recorded in 1972. These are some of the most treasurable performances in the set, IMO, and to be set aside for special listening.










Gilels is in very good company though, having not finished his cycle. As the majority of "greatest" Beethoven pianists on record, IMO, didn't leave us complete cycles: such as Rudolf Serkin, Sviatoslav Richter, Youra Guller, Solomon, & Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, most notably, but also Mieczyslaw Horszowski, Clara Haskil, Edwin Fischer, Glenn Gould, and Bruno Leonardo Gelber (though Gould & Gelber's Beethoven could be inconsistent).

Annie Fischer, mono Wilhelm Kempff (the earlier the better with Kempff--such as on APR, where his technique is more brilliant), Artur Schnabel, Wilhelm Backhaus, and Yves Nat are some of the exceptions (along with several others).


----------



## Caroline

flamencosketches said:


> I'm not saying this to be pedantic, but I do hope you realize that the Gilels is not quite complete. He didn't get to finish the cycle before his death. The Paul Badura-Skoda definitely is though. Either way, enjoy! I think you've just picked up two extremely rewarding sets.


Thank you for the heads up - I hadn't reviewed the list - _assuming_ and quite wrongly. I enjoyed Gilels' artistry and it was a tough call. I have an assortment of Serkin, Brendel and Gould recordings.


----------



## Caroline

Josquin13 said:


> Caroline,
> 
> Sorry to tell you this, but frustratingly, the Gilels DG set isn't "complete", as he passed away unexpectedly in 1984 before he could finish the cycle (EDIT: I see flamencosketches beat me to it). So, there is no Op. 111, for instance; nor sonatas nos. 1, 9, 22, 24, either. Nevertheless, it's an essential set; even though Gilels' Beethoven could sometimes be even more profound live in concert--depending on how you see this music--such as with his live Russian accounts of the "Moonlight" & "Hammerklavier" Piano Sonatas:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> His final concert in Moscow, in 1984:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Nor would I want to be without his live 1980 account of the "Eroica" Variations on the Hanssler label; although I've never actually sat down and directly compared this live performance to the DG studio account (as they're both wonderful):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Trust me, you don't want to miss Gilels' earlier 1970s analogue recordings in the DG box set (most of the cycle was digitally recorded during the 1980s)--such as his "Waldstein" Sonata, Op. 53, No. 27, Op. 90, and No. 26 "Les Adieux", Op. 81a--all recorded in 1974 in Berlin, and his No. 28, Op. 101, recorded in 1972. These are some of the most treasurable performances in the set, IMO, and to be set aside for special listening.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Gilels is in very good company though, having not finished his cycle. As the majority of "greatest" Beethoven pianists on record, IMO, didn't leave us complete cycles: such as Rudolf Serkin, Sviatoslav Richter, Youra Guller, Solomon, & Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, most notably, but also Mieczyslaw Horszowski, Clara Haskil, Edwin Fischer, Glenn Gould, and Bruno Leonardo Gelber (though Gould & Gelber's Beethoven could be inconsistent).
> 
> Annie Fischer, mono Wilhelm Kempff (the earlier the better with Kempff--such as on APR, where his technique is more brilliant), Artur Schnabel, Wilhelm Backhaus, and Yves Nat are some of the exceptions (along with several others).


Hello Josquin - thanks for your information and youtube links. It is most appreciated as I hadn't thought to look for them myself. I was able to find all of the Gilels works you mentioned. The DG release in '96 (Berlin) contains recordings from both the '70s and '80s. 

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7930911--beethoven-piano-sonatas

Tomorrow I'll have the time to enjoy (some) of the links you sent me and see which resonate the most.


----------



## CnC Bartok

^^^ I'll be very happy to back up all those who are saying the DGG Gilels box is essential! Worth every penny!!


----------



## Guest

I own sets by Arrau, Brendel, Korstick, Buchbinder, Lucchesini, Lewis, Pollini, Guy, Bavouzet, Say, Levit, Lifschitz, Fischer, Schnabel, all that Gilels recorded, and I'm working obtaining Scherbakov's. That's probably enough...


----------



## Animal the Drummer

Famous last words, those.


----------



## Guest

Animal the Drummer said:


> Famous last words, those.


I did leave the possibility open with the use of "probably."  Seriously, though, I can't imagine who it would be. I don't think any of the current crop of pianists I particularly like (Trifonov, Matsuev, Rana, Gavrylyuk, Buniatishvili, or Khozyainov, just to name a few) are likely to record complete sets.


----------



## Caroline

Josquin13 said:


> Caroline,
> 
> Sorry to tell you this, but frustratingly, the Gilels DG set isn't "complete", as he passed away unexpectedly in 1984 before he could finish the cycle (EDIT: I see flamencosketches beat me to it). So, there is no Op. 111, for instance; nor sonatas nos. 1, 9, 22, 24, either. Nevertheless, it's an essential set; even though Gilels' Beethoven could sometimes be even more profound live in concert--depending on how you see this music--such as with his live Russian accounts of the "Moonlight" & "Hammerklavier" Piano Sonatas:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> His final concert in Moscow, in 1984:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Nor would I want to be without his live 1980 account of the "Eroica" Variations on the Hanssler label; although I've never actually sat down and directly compared this live performance to the DG studio account (as they're both wonderful):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Trust me, you don't want to miss Gilels' earlier 1970s analogue recordings in the DG box set (most of the cycle was digitally recorded during the 1980s)--such as his "Waldstein" Sonata, Op. 53, No. 27, Op. 90, and No. 26 "Les Adieux", Op. 81a--all recorded in 1974 in Berlin, and his No. 28, Op. 101, recorded in 1972. These are some of the most treasurable performances in the set, IMO, and to be set aside for special listening.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Gilels is in very good company though, having not finished his cycle. As the majority of "greatest" Beethoven pianists on record, IMO, didn't leave us complete cycles: such as Rudolf Serkin, Sviatoslav Richter, Youra Guller, Solomon, & Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, most notably, but also Mieczyslaw Horszowski, Clara Haskil, Edwin Fischer, Glenn Gould, and Bruno Leonardo Gelber (though Gould & Gelber's Beethoven could be inconsistent).
> 
> Annie Fischer, mono Wilhelm Kempff (the earlier the better with Kempff--such as on APR, where his technique is more brilliant), Artur Schnabel, Wilhelm Backhaus, and Yves Nat are some of the exceptions (along with several others).


The '72 recordings you mentioned are available on media (hoorah!) on Amazon - new CDs. They are backordered on Archiv (2+ weeks....) and unavailable on Presto, should anyone be interested. The poignant recording of the 'Moonlight' at his last Moscow performance is apparently unavailable. The Olympia recordings don't appear to be same as the video you attached about, Josquin.

Glad to have the '72s on their way.

My next cycle will be Schnabel so I will be counting my pennies. Leschetizky, his instructor, was born only 3 years' after Beethoven's death, and had been a pupil of Cznery.


----------



## CnC Bartok

I've recently been listening to quite a lot of the Levit cycle.

My pat diagnosis would be that I am amazed by the virtuosity, but less enamoured of Beethoven. He plays brilliantly, but often too fast for my tastes, and misses some of those glorious intimate moments that make so many of these works such masterpieces.

Am I being too uncharitable? Please tell me if I am.....!


----------



## realdealblues

CnC Bartok said:


> I've recently been listening to quite a lot of the Levit cycle.
> 
> My pat diagnosis would be that I am amazed by the virtuosity, but less enamoured of Beethoven. He plays brilliantly, but often too fast for my tastes, and misses some of those glorious intimate moments that make so many of these works such masterpieces.
> 
> Am I being too uncharitable? Please tell me if I am.....!


It all comes down to your tastes. I don't feel any of them are too fast. I hear many small details that he is able to flesh out, that others haven't. Especially with rhythmic phrasings that don't really achieve Beethoven's desired effect performed at slower tempos.

All that said, I wouldn't give up any of my other favorite recordings from Kempff, Serkin, Rubinstein, Richter, Perahia, Goode, Arrau, etc. Just like the Symphonies, there are many ways to perform them successfully.


----------



## KenOC

CnC Bartok said:


> I've recently been listening to quite a lot of the Levit cycle.
> 
> My pat diagnosis would be that I am amazed by the virtuosity, but less enamoured of Beethoven. He plays brilliantly, but often too fast for my tastes, and misses some of those glorious intimate moments that make so many of these works such masterpieces.
> 
> Am I being too uncharitable? Please tell me if I am.....!


I have only listened to a half-dozen sonatas so far, and I don't find them "too fast" -- although some movements, especially first movements, are played at unusually fast tempi. However, I am finding Levit's approach a bit clinical. This is the same feeling I had about Korstick's performances...

I agree with realdealblues that Levit brings out quite a bit of detail with unusual clarity, which is a real plus.


----------



## Animal the Drummer

CnC Bartok said:


> I've recently been listening to quite a lot of the Levit cycle.
> 
> My pat diagnosis would be that I am amazed by the virtuosity, but less enamoured of Beethoven. He plays brilliantly, but often too fast for my tastes, and misses some of those glorious intimate moments that make so many of these works such masterpieces.
> 
> Am I being too uncharitable? Please tell me if I am.....!


No. I react very similarly to what I've heard (quite a bit) of the set. It comes across to me as described by KenOC, namely clinically. There is of course much to admire on a technical level but musically I find I can't warm to the performances.


----------



## CnC Bartok

Interesting responses, Gents, much appreciated.

And it's nice to see I am not entirely out of sync with the rest of the world! Of course there are little details and emphases on different rhythms here, and it seems nobody is questioning Levit's technical prowess (I wouldn't dare, anyway!!). But I suppose the "clinical" comments are the ones that chime most true for me. "Too fast" is a matter of taste, naturally, and if I can't hear any fluffy or fluffed bits, it can't be "too" fast, but it can seem a tad breathless, and matter-of-fact.

A couple of other sets I have invested in over the last year or so - completing Stephen Kovacevich's EMI cycle, and Paul Lewis, have both sounded more Beethoven-y, without drawing attention to the pianist, than Levit. And for me, it seems Lewis is becoming a favourite.....alongside Gilels and my "eccentric" choice of John Lill.


----------



## flamencosketches

Paul Lewis's Beethoven cycle (sonatas and concerti) is going for dirt cheap right now on Presto Music, $22 for 14 discs. That's so tempting! Unfortunately I don't really like what I've heard of his work, but now would be the time to jump on it for anyone interested.


----------



## DavidA

Schnabel 

Kempff (2)

Most of A Fischer


----------



## wkasimer

flamencosketches said:


> Paul Lewis's Beethoven cycle (sonatas and concerti) is going for dirt cheap right now on Presto Music, $22 for 14 discs. That's so tempting! Unfortunately I don't really like what I've heard of his work, but now would be the time to jump on it for anyone interested.


I bought this set for a similar price when it was first issued. Unfortunately, it's not to my taste - very well recorded, but very tame, bland playing.


----------



## KenOC

My favorite cycle remains Andras Schiff's. Listen to the Grazioso finale of Sonata No. 2 and compare with Levit or anybody you like!

His love for this music is apparent and he has the chops to make it shine through. And his Beethoven lectures are delights.


----------



## KenOC

KlavierKing said:


> I own sets by Arrau, Brendel, Korstick, Buchbinder, Lucchesini, Lewis, Pollini, Guy, Bavouzet, Say, Levit, Lifschitz, Fischer, Schnabel, all that Gilels recorded, and I'm working obtaining Scherbakov's. That's probably enough...


Fazil Say has a Beethoven cycle? How did I miss that? But there it is on Amazon, as either LPs (!) or CDs. After his Mozart sonata cycle, which was great, this might be very interesting.

If anybody here has listened to Say's Beethoven cycle, I'd appreciate reading your comments.


----------



## wkasimer

KenOC said:


> Fazil Say has a Beethoven cycle? How did I miss that? But there it is on Amazon, as either LPs (!) or CDs. After his Mozart sonata cycle, which was great, this might be very interesting.
> 
> If anybody here has listened to Say's Beethoven cycle, I'd appreciate reading your comments.


By sheer coincidence, I'm listening to Say's set right now (just finished Op. 10/2). I really like his playing - alert and witty, doesn't shy away from dynamic contrasts, but doesn't overdo anything. Excellent sonics. So far, so good.

The fly in the ointment, at least for some, will be Say's extramusical noises - mostly grunts, which are quite noticeable in the early sonatas (I haven't gotten to the later ones yet).


----------



## Caroline

KenOC said:


> My favorite cycle remains Andras Schiff's. Listen to the Grazioso finale of Sonata No. 2 and compare with Levit or anybody you like!
> 
> His love for this music is apparent and his Beethoven lectures are delights.


Couldn't agree more. He is passionate about the work - and his lectures are thoroughly enjoyable.


----------



## Caroline

CnC Bartok said:


> .....alongside Gilels and my "eccentric" choice of John Lill.


Interesting comment about Lill. Why do you consider him eccentric? While this thread is about sonatas, how do you feel about the bagatelles? My frame of reference on a piano are Lill's '93 recordings and Brendel ('64). Schiff on the Broadwood (incomplete assortment), and Demus on a Graf (incomplete set as well) are interesting for historical reference.

I am curious about why you would say 'eccentric.' I find tempo of the bagatelles slower than Brendel, Graf and Schiff - is that what you mean?


----------



## Open Lane

i just bought Gould's beethoven sonatas. After poking around here, i feel like i may have made a mistake. Hope i'm wrong


----------



## DavidA

Open Lane said:


> i just bought Gould's beethoven sonatas. After poking around here, i feel like i may have made a mistake. Hope i'm wrong


They are eccentric but well worth hearing apart from the appassionato


----------



## Open Lane

Good to know. I really don't know much at all about classical music. I do love it, though, especially the piano stuff! Love good technique as well as sense of melody. I read that the gould beethoven sonatas are a bit eccentric. I don't think i'll mind that. Will see!!


----------



## Eclectic Al

Open Lane said:


> i just bought Gould's beethoven sonatas. After poking around here, i feel like i may have made a mistake. Hope i'm wrong


I got the Columbia Complete collection of Gould recordings (- on the basis of a ludicrously low price).
This prompted me to listen to the Beethoven Sonata No 1 using the performances I have to hand. These were Gould, Jando, Kempff (50s recording), Kovacevich, Levit, and Perahia. (As ever with me they were acquired because of some deal being available.)

The performances were all fine to my ears (- I liked Perahia and Kovacevich most, with Perahia seeming to have more Haydn-like wit, and Kovacevich more Beethovenian gruffness) apart from ...... wait for it ..... Gould. How can someone be so irritating? It wasn't even an especially heavily hummed performance.

I have then moved on to Sonata No 2. So far I have listened to one movement from Gould and then given up on grounds of humming, and have also listened to Jando and Kempff. For this sonata Jando seemed to be a bit matter of fact, whereas Kempff found more in the piece. (Also the recording quality here seemed OK for Kempff, whereas for Sonata No 1 it showed its age a bit more.) I will plough on.

I paid 199 Czech Koruna (about £7) for the Gould set of 81 discs from Supraphon. I'm still not sure if that will prove good value! Surely there must be something lurking in there which will do something other than irritate, but I haven't found it yet. I have hopes for some of the concertos, as maybe the existence of a conductor will keep Gould in check, and his humming may be less audible in a larger scale recording canvas.


----------



## Open Lane

I have one other medium of beethoven sonatas, which is a disc of vladimir horowitz playing his favorite beethoven sonatas. I do like those, too. Curious to hear the Gould.


----------



## realdealblues

Open Lane said:


> Good to know. I really don't know much at all about classical music. I do love it, though, especially the piano stuff! Love good technique as well as sense of melody. I read that the gould beethoven sonatas are a bit eccentric. I don't think i'll mind that. Will see!!


Being a fan of Gould, I listen to everything he did with interest because he was a true artist in his own right. That said, you hear much more of Gould than you do Beethoven. Gould specifically would modify tempos to suit an inner flow that he had in mind for the work.

There's a great interview of him playing a Mozart sonata where he shows how as he called it something like "Hollywood" would play it. More of a traditional approach, sustaining notes, etc., then he launches into his version changing the tempo and phrasing more akin to his style of playing Bach, very staccato, etc. You will find similar things in his Beethoven.

They are well worth hearing, but to me you would want to supplement Gould's Beethoven (which isn't complete by the way) with perhaps a full cycle of the piano sonatas from a less idiosyncratic interpreter in order to get a chance to hear all of them and become familiar with them.


----------



## Animal the Drummer

Caroline said:


> Interesting comment about Lill. Why do you consider him eccentric? While this thread is about sonatas, how do you feel about the bagatelles? My frame of reference on a piano are Lill's '93 recordings and Brendel ('64). Schiff on the Broadwood (incomplete assortment), and Demus on a Graf (incomplete set as well) are interesting for historical reference.
> 
> I am curious about why you would say 'eccentric.' I find tempo of the bagatelles slower than Brendel, Graf and Schiff - is that what you mean?


I'd hazard a guess that our fellow poster was applying the epithet "eccentric" to his choice of John Lill, not the biggest name nor a common nomination hereabouts, rather than to Mr.Lill's far from eccentric pianism. I say that as a fellow fan of John Lill's Beethoven who also feels a tad out on a limb sometimes!


----------



## Eclectic Al

Open Lane said:


> I have one other medium of beethoven sonatas, which is a disc of vladimir horowitz playing his favorite beethoven sonatas. I do like those, too. Curious to hear the Gould.


If you are willing to go down the Supraphon route then the Levit complete set and the Perahia incomplete one are each available to 199 Koruna (about £7). Levit gets rave reviews for technique, and more mixed opinions regarding his tempo choices. However, his late sonatas were very well received. At £7 that would certainly give you another interesting perspective on these works at low cost. (I'm a Perahia fan too, so I wouldn't be without those for the same low cost.)


----------



## CnC Bartok

Caroline, why "eccentric"? Because he never gets much of a mention!

Lill specialises in Beethoven, let's be honest, and it shows. But he's not showy, and his cycle on ASV is hard to get, unless you trawl the internet's "remainder bins"!

I don't know his Bagatelle recordings, and I haven't seen a Diabellis or Eroicas either.....

If you like John Lill, we are slowly coming out of the woodwork! Kudos!!! :tiphat:


----------



## Caroline

CnC Bartok said:


> Caroline, why "eccentric"? Because he never gets much of a mention!
> 
> Lill specialises in Beethoven, let's be honest, and it shows. But he's not showy, and his cycle on ASV is hard to get, unless you trawl the internet's "remainder bins"!
> 
> I don't know his Bagatelle recordings, and I haven't seen a Diabellis or Eroicas either.....
> 
> If you like John Lill, we are slowly coming out of the woodwork! Kudos!!! :tiphat:





Animal the Drummer said:


> I'd hazard a guess that our fellow poster was applying the epithet "eccentric" to his choice of John Lill, not the biggest name nor a common nomination hereabouts, rather than to Mr.Lill's far from eccentric pianism. I say that as a fellow fan of John Lill's Beethoven who also feels a tad out on a limb sometimes!


I see!

Lill, IMO, doesn't get much notice and I don't know why. His recording of the bagatelles is crisp and clear - the slower tempo may allow us to hear more of the work than Brendel (for example) ...


----------



## Eclectic Al

Eclectic Al said:


> I got the Columbia Complete collection of Gould recordings (- on the basis of a ludicrously low price).
> This prompted me to listen to the Beethoven Sonata No 1 using the performances I have to hand. These were Gould, Jando, Kempff (50s recording), Kovacevich, Levit, and Perahia. (As ever with me they were acquired because of some deal being available.)
> 
> I have then moved on to Sonata No 2.


In case anyone's interested, I finished my little mini-listen of 6 versions of Sonata No 2. I think I again favoured Perahia and Kovacevich over the rest, while consigning Gould to the "will never listen to that again" bucket. All the others were fine, but Perahia came out on top for me because the recording quality was fine, and he found light and shade. Kempff was similarly interesting, but with poorer recording quality (as would be expected), whereas Kovacevich was a little gruff for me - but the best performance for those with a taste for the gruff. Jando and Levit seemed a bit closer to just playing the notes in this sonata.

I don't have Schiff personally, but just listened to No 2 on Spotify. This was a live performance, and while it might be great if you were there, for me he seemed to be doing a bit too much point scoring for a rendition that I would want to have on the shelves as my go to version. I also didn't like the piano that much - I guess it's his choice, but it goes a bit "pingy" in places. Maybe he's aiming for a sound a bit closer to instruments of Beethoven's time, but it didn't add to the experience for this 21st century listener.


----------



## Caroline

Intersting findings about Perahia - but I have listening knowledge of him on Mozart only (not to mention a lot of Barenboim - but these were purchased before I started listening for comparison of performances etc). I can't imagine what Perahia on Beethoven would sound like. I'll check out youtube. 

The Schiff box set is well received - is it live performances?

Your suggestion that he would be applying his approach to a piano forte to pianos is a very good thought.

The recording on 'Beethoven's Broadwood' is not recommended as a purchase _(by me)_ unless you really want to know what it sounded like to audiences of the day (and to a certain extend what Beethoven could hear at that time). I never listen to this performance. Beethoven finished writign the Hammerklavier on that instrument - now in the Hungarian Museum. Liszt purchased it after Beethoven died so it is now in Hungary.


----------



## Eclectic Al

Caroline said:


> The Schiff box set is well received - is it live performances?


I believe so. From reading a few reviews, I understand they were recorded live in the Tonhalle Zurich. However, there is no applause (or audience noise, according to the reviews - I can't confirm having only listened to the one!).


----------



## Itullian

The Schiff set is live, but you'd never know it.
It is a superb set. One of my favorites.


----------



## Caroline

Eclectic Al said:


> I believe so. From reading a few reviews, I understand they were recorded live in the Tonhalle Zurich. However, there is no applause (or audience noise, according to the reviews - I can't confirm having only listened to the one!).


I dont' recall when and where recorded - but they do accompany his wonderful lectures.


----------



## Caroline

Open Lane said:


> i just bought Gould's beethoven sonatas. After poking around here, i feel like i may have made a mistake. Hope i'm wrong


It's good to have different interpretations so having the Gould is another investment. I have a few of his CDs but they are not a go to. I have some John O'Conor and they were also a choice I made before learning about other pianists.


----------



## annaw

Itullian said:


> The Schiff set is live, but you'd never know it.
> It is a superb set. One of my favorites.


I got to hear Schiff perform "Waldstein" and Schubert last year. An amazing pianist who seems to approach every composer with great respect.


----------



## Caroline

annaw said:


> I got to hear Schiff perform "Waldstein" and Schubert last year. An amazing pianist who seems to approach every composer with great respect.


How wonderful. What size was the concert hall? Or perhaps in another small venue?


----------



## annaw

Caroline said:


> How wonderful. What size was the concert hall? Or perhaps in another small venue?


The concert hall might have been ~800 seats. I got the ticket only a couple days before but the seat was quite bad and I was only able to see the piano, not Schiff. Because the concert going is a bit more laid-back in Estonia and the hall enabled that, I was able to stand near the most expensive seats which provided an amazing view and was totally worth it. Schiff was invited back so many times with ovations that he also ended up playing some other repertoire. A memorable experience also because that's when solo piano finally "clicked" with me and I became truly hooked.

Correction: I don't know why I wrote Schubert earlier (must have been the "Sch" beginning :lol. It was Schumann actually - Fantasie in C.


----------



## Itullian

^^^^^^^In his Beethoven cycle Schiff includes a disc with his encores on it.


----------



## Caroline

annaw said:


> The concert hall might have been ~800 seats. I got the ticket only a couple days before but the seat was quite bad and I was only able to see the piano, not Schiff. Because the concert going is a bit more laid-back in Estonia and the hall enabled that, I was able to stand near the most expensive seats which provided an amazing view and was totally worth it. Schiff was invited back so many times with ovations that he also ended up playing some other repertoire. A memorable experience also because that's when solo piano finally "clicked" with me and I became truly hooked.
> 
> Correction: I don't know why I wrote Schubert earlier (must have been the "Sch" beginning :lol. It was Schumann actually - Fantasie in C.


What a wonderful experience to be in a small venue with access to the stage - 800 people.  They are gems. To have access to a small concert hall is really nice. Their intimacy and acoustics is superb - IMO I don't appreciate large venues even in the better seats. It shows that Schiff loves to perform for an audience who appreciates his talent and ability.


----------



## Caroline

Deleted. Technical goof.


----------



## flamencosketches

Working through Kempff stereo now. It's been a long time since I've listened to the Beethoven sonatas like this, and I'm finding it extremely rewarding. I really love Kempff's way with Beethoven. It's very raw and "homey". Not at all sweet like his recordings of Bach and Schubert.


----------



## jegreenwood

Caroline said:


> What a wonderful experience to be in a small venue with access to the stage - 800 people.  They are gems. To have access to a small concert hall is really nice. Their intimacy and acoustics is superb - IMO I don't appreciate large venues even in the better seats. It shows that Schiff loves to perform for an audience who appreciates his talent and ability.


Don't know how close Northeast USA is to Manhattan  but the 92nd St. Y has a 900 seat hall. I've seen Schiff there several times (including two concerts featuring books 1 and 2 of the WTC). Angela Hewitt is another regular visitor. Daniil Trifonov has appeared (although not in a solo recital as far as I can recall). Many others as well. Of course these days the concerts are virtual.


----------



## Caroline

jegreenwood said:


> Don't know how close Northeast USA is to Manhattan  but the 92nd St. Y has a 900 seat hall. I've seen Schiff there several times (including two concerts featuring books 1 and 2 of the WTC). Angela Hewitt is another regular visitor. Daniil Trifonov has appeared (although not in a solo recital as far as I can recall). Many others as well. Of course these days the concerts are virtual.


250 miles is a bit of a hike for me  I'm closer to Boston - where we have a few nice venues - Jordan Hall (New England Conservatory), Sanders Theatre in Cambridge, and Mechanics in Worcester (1000 and 800 respectively). I heard the Emperor and the Fifth Symphony in Sanders and it was stunning. Years and years ago I heard Arthur Rubstein there (I was a kid!). Symphony Hall is IMO too large and unappealing for a solosit or chamber group. I don't believe Schiff has been to Boston in recent memory.

I can tell you that the Yankees come here with some frequency, though. 

Have you sampled any virtual concerts?


----------



## Caroline

Friday was a big day for me as my order from Presto arrived - which included a few recordings of Beethoven's piano sonatas: Paul Badura-Skoda's complete recordings on period instruments, Gilels' '72 recording of the Waldstein, Les Adieux and Appassionata, Gilesls' DG collection (1996 release). Oh, also received Piano Works of the Young Beethoven (Jos van Immerseel). 

Skoda recorded his performances on instruments Beethoven 'wrote with' for the piece (i.e., Schantz, Walter, Broadwood, Graf) as does van Immerseel. I can't comment (yet) on comparison between these and 2 or 3 other recordings I have. Will post if anyone is interested.


----------



## wkasimer

Caroline said:


> I don't believe Schiff has been to Boston in recent memory.


That depends on what you call "recent". I believe that he was last here in 2016 for a Jordan Hall recital. I missed that one, but I did hear him play in Jordan Hall in 2013, playing the Goldberg and Diabelli Variations.

He's scheduled to play a concert here in March, as part of the Celebrity Series; unfortunately, since Jordan Hall is closed for the season, he'll be playing in Symphony Hall, which is, I agree, too large for a solo recital.


----------



## Eclectic Al

Caroline said:


> Gilels' '72 recording of the Waldstein, Les Adieux and Appassionata,


That disc was the one which sold me on Beethoven piano sonatas. Love it.


----------



## Animal the Drummer

There's no other single recorded Beethoven sonata performance that I enjoy quite as much as I do Gilels' "Waldstein". If I were picking desert island recordings rather than repertoire, this one would be on the list.


----------



## Caroline

wkasimer said:


> That depends on what you call "recent". I believe that he was last here in 2016 for a Jordan Hall recital. I missed that one, but I did hear him play in Jordan Hall in 2013, playing the Goldberg and Diabelli Variations.
> 
> He's scheduled to play a concert here in March, as part of the Celebrity Series; unfortunately, since Jordan Hall is closed for the season, he'll be playing in Symphony Hall, which is, I agree, too large for a solo recital.


I also missed the 2016 recital and had overlooked that he was here then. I appreciate the heads up about his appearance in March.


----------



## Caroline

Animal the Drummer said:


> There's no other single recorded Beethoven sonata performance that I enjoy quite as much as I do Gilels' "Waldstein". If I were picking desert island recordings rather than repertoire, this one would be on the list.


It is recording to which I listen with undiluted pleasure. It has quickly become an indispensable part of my collection and increased my appreciation for this sonata.


----------



## Luchesi

Caroline said:


> It is recording to which I listen with undiluted pleasure. It has quickly become an indispensable part of my collection and increased my appreciation for this sonata.


Does anyone know what the cover art








means?


----------



## KenOC

Luchesi said:


> Does anyone know what the cover art
> View attachment 143354
> 
> 
> means?


Maybe that the Beethoven sonatas are a real train wreck? :lol:


----------



## Marc

wkasimer said:


> I bought this set for a similar price when it was first issued. Unfortunately, it's not to my taste - very well recorded, but very tame, bland playing.


I prefer him in Schubert I think.


----------



## Animal the Drummer

KenOC said:


> Maybe that the Beethoven sonatas are a real train wreck? :lol:


In a way that's closer than you might think. Its title is "The Sea of Ice" but it's subtitled "The Wreck of Hope". :tiphat:


----------



## Caroline

Animal the Drummer said:


> In a way that's closer than you might think. Its title is "The Sea of Ice" but it's subtitled "The Wreck of Hope". :tiphat:


The image reminded me of man's foray's' into the Antarctic - thinking of Shackleton and The Endurance. This was referred to as the period of 'Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.' It fits in well with 'the wreck of hope. Could not agree that Beethoven's sonatas are a train wreck.


----------



## Josquin13

It's a painting by the German Romantic landscape painter, Caspar David Friedrich, entitled, "The Polar Sea", painted in 1824. Friedrich was more or less a contemporary of Beethoven's, which is likely why it was chosen for the cover. It also may represent the state of Beethoven's pianos in 1824.

Caroline,

I'm afraid you misunderstood my earlier post. Sorry, if I wasn't clear enough, but the early 1970s analogue DG Berlin studio performances by Gilels that I singled out so favorably are included in Gilels' DG Beethoven cycle box set. It's the live Russian recordings that are not a part of the DG set. So I'm afraid by additionally buying the Waldstein/Les Adieux/Appassionata DG disc and the DG box set, you've now got two of that CD. Which isn't a bad disc to duplicate--as back up, if you don't download (considering that it won a rosette award from the old Penquin Guide)--but obviously that wasn't your intention. If it upsets you, perhaps you can return the CD?

In regards to acquiring Gilels' beautiful "Moonlight" sonata recorded live in Russia, I've only ever heard it on You Tube. It's probably been made available by Melodiya on CD (or Olympia?)--as part of one of their various Gilels editions--but I'm not sure about that. Does anyone know how to purchase the following Gilels' "Moonlight" performance on CD?, or know if it's ever been transferred to CD? (as the You Tube clip was obviously taken from an old LP): 



.

His other beautiful "Moonlight" sonata performance--which I also prefer to the DG recording--was recorded live at Carnegie Hall in 1969. That concert is one of the treasures of my piano collection, and it can be heard on You Tube via an LP transfer: 



. I own the 1969 concert on two Japanese import CDs, but it was also once made available by the Music & Arts label here in the states. However, I believe the M&A issue has gone out of print, so finding it may be tricky; although the old LP set is available on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Carnegie-Hall-Recital-1969-Gilels/dp/B000001OFO
https://www.amazon.com/Live-Carnegie-Hall-Emil-Gilels/dp/B071VMGBPL

As for Gilels' live Hammerklavier recorded from his final concert at the Moscow Conservatory in Janurary, 1984 (which I again prefer to his studio Hammerklavier on DG): 



, it's been available via a two CD Melodiya set: https://www.amazon.com/Concert-Grea...rvatory&qid=1600706021&s=music&sr=1-1-catcorr. However, unfortunately, that's the one concert in the Gilels live series from Moscow on Melodiya that appears to be hard to find now (the other concerts are all still available on Amazon).

By the way, Melodiya has been recently sold in early 2020 (for the equivalent a mere $5 million). So, it is no longer a record company of the Russia state, and who knows what will happen to their catalogue in the future. I hope the new owners won't destroy the label, or withhold its valuable catalogue. (In other words, if there's something that you particularly want to own from the Melodiya catalogue, folks, now is probably a good time to purchase it.)


----------



## Manxfeeder

Luchesi said:


> Does anyone know what the cover art means?


I think this reflects the fascination with "the sublime" during this time, what Edmund Burke called an artistic effect productive of the strongest emotion the mind is capable of feeling. He wrote 'whatever is in any sort terrible or is conversant about terrible objects or operates in a manner analogous to terror, is a source of the sublime'. The Tate Museum's website notes, "The notion that a legitimate function of art can be to produce upsetting or disturbing effects was an important element in Romantic art and remains fundamental to art today."


----------



## Caroline

Josquin13 said:


> It's a painting by the German Romantic landscape painter, Caspar David Friedrich, entitled, "The Polar Sea", painted in 1824. Friedrich was more or less a contemporary of Beethoven's, which is likely why it was chosen for the cover. It also may represent the state of Beethoven's pianos in 1824.


_How interesting about Friedrich._ He is regarded is the pre-eminent painter of the movement you mentioned wherein nature was a 'divine creation' much as Beethoven believed.

I am quite pleased with all of the recordings and I appreciate your information. The Russian performances (thank you for the album titles!) and DG are noted for the future. For the time being I have quite a lot to listen to!


----------



## wkasimer

For anyone interested, Scherbakov's set is now on Spotify, and presumably other streaming services:


----------



## staxomega

My personal best (only the first tier is ranked in order, the rest are not)

Titans:
Andrea Lucchesini
Annie Fischer (all EMI recordings superior to Hungaroton but in poor sound, Hungaroton for complete)
Rudolf Serkin (i)
Wilhelm Backhaus (earlier mono cycle on Decca, many of his live recordings are in this tier)

Exceptional
Claudio Arrau (i EMI first, earlier analog recording on Philips second)
Eric Heidsieck
Russel Sherman
Maurizio Pollini
Sviatoslav Richter (i)
Emil Gilels (i - live recordings on Melodiya generally better than the DG. Several late in life live recordings as late as the mid 80s are still fantastic)
Artur Schnabel

Excellent:
Wilhelm Kempff (earlier mono DG for complete, pre-war recordings are even better)
Wilhelm Backhaus (stereo)
Bernard Roberts
Solomon (i)


----------



## flamencosketches

staxomega said:


> My personal best (only the first tier is ranked in order, the rest are not)
> 
> Titans:
> Andrea Lucchesini
> Annie Fischer (all EMI recordings superior to Hungaroton but in poor sound, Hungaroton for complete)
> Rudolf Serkin (i)
> Wilhelm Backhaus (earlier mono cycle on Decca, many of his live recordings are in this tier)
> 
> Exceptional
> Claudio Arrau (i EMI first, earlier analog recording on Philips second)
> Eric Heidsieck
> Russel Sherman
> Maurizio Pollini
> Sviatoslav Richter (i)
> Emil Gilels (i - live recordings on Melodiya generally better than the DG. Several late in life live recordings as late as the mid 80s are still fantastic)
> Artur Schnabel
> 
> Excellent:
> Wilhelm Kempff (earlier mono DG for complete, pre-war recordings are even better)
> Wilhelm Backhaus (stereo)
> Bernard Roberts
> Solomon (i)


What do you mean by (i)? I wasn't aware there was a complete set by Sviatoslav Richter.


----------



## premont

staxomega said:


> My personal best (only the first tier is ranked in order, the rest are not)


Good to see Heidsieck and Lucchesini on your list. I suppose "i" means incomplete.

My list:

Titans:
Andrea Lucchesini
Rudolf Serkin (i)
Wilhelm Backhaus (earlier mono cycle on Decca, many of his live recordings are in this tier, there are at least two live op.106's which are better than the mono studio recording)
Wilhelm Kempff (earlier mono DG for complete, pre-war recordings are even better)

Exceptional
Claudio Arrau (i EMI first, earlier analog recording on Philips second)
Eric Heidsieck
Sviatoslav Richter (i)
Emil Gilels (i - live recordings on Melodiya generally better than the DG. Several late in life live recordings as late as the mid 80s are still fantastic)
Annie Fischer (all EMI recordings superior to Hungaroton but in poor sound, Hungaroton for complete)
Paul Badura-Skoda (both sets)
Paul Komen (i)
Wilhelm Kempff stereo

Excellent:
Claude Franck
Wilhelm Backhaus (stereo)
Bernard Roberts
Solomon (i)
Louis Lortie
Daniel Barenboim (EMI ca 1970)


----------



## Itullian

My monthly Beethoven sonata addition


----------



## DarkAngel

I didn't see any comments or listed version of this recent 2017 set, is it worthy?


----------



## premont

DarkAngel said:


> I didn't see any comments or listed version of this recent 2017 set, is it worthy?


Let me say it in that way, that if I only owned 10 sets, Bavouzet's would not be among them.


----------



## MusicInTheAir

I have two by Brendel (both Philips sets). I have the Kovacevich on EMI. I have the mono Kempff. The Schnabel, of course. I have the Badura Skoda on Astree. I also have the Claude Frank set. So, that makes seven. I'm thinking of getting the Badura Skoda cycle he played on the modern piano. I should listen to more of the Kempff. So far, I haven't warmed up to that set. There are things I like about all the other sets. Of course, the Schnabel was the groundbreaker. His "Waldstein" is THE "Waldstein" as far as I'm concerned.


----------



## Itullian

Dyn O Mite


----------



## Luchesi

Which ones have the most unorthodox playing?

I know about Gould. Others?


----------



## Itullian

Luchesi said:


> Which ones have the most unorthodox playing?
> 
> I know about Gould. Others?


----------



## Guest

wkasimer said:


> For anyone interested, Scherbakov's set is now on Spotify, and presumably other streaming services:
> 
> View attachment 143868


That's one of the best recent releases that I've heard.


----------



## Bwv 1080

Been enjoying this


----------



## Jokke

New release!

Integral Beethoven Piano Sonatas by Daniel Barenboim, release today.


----------



## Kev

I've just bought this for £14.08. How do they make a living?


----------



## Kev

For clarity, I should have said I bought the Kovacevich box set.


----------



## Gothos

This is the only complete set I own.I have a few others.


----------



## Itullian

Added this one to my hoard.


----------



## Itullian

Finally found the Heidsieck at a decent price.
A great cycle with a lot of character.
Worth the wait..


----------



## Malx

Itullian said:


> Added this one to my hoard.


Is that the cycle thats recorded live?


----------



## Itullian

Malx said:


> Is that the cycle thats recorded live?


Yes, it's re released.


----------



## wkasimer

Itullian said:


> Finally found the Heidsieck at a decent price.
> A great cycle with a lot of character.
> Worth the wait..


Probably because Warner just issued Heidsieck's complete recordings on Erato:









So folks are unloading their copies of the LvB set. Mine will be departing shortly.


----------



## Itullian

I liked his Beethoven cycle so much i went ahead and got his box.
Incredible player.
Love every disc.


----------



## DarkAngel

Itullian said:


> Added this one to my hoard.


I almost picked that up also (great price), but instead went with his older set that includes many other great solo piano works besides sonatas, 16 CDs total.........












> Probably because Warner just issued *Heidsieck's complete recordings on Erato:*
> So folks are unloading their copies of the LvB set. Mine will be departing shortly.


BTW the new 27CD erato boxset does not contain all the LVB sonatas, so best to keep both boxsets.....


----------



## MusicInTheAir

This reply is for Gothos: That's the most recent set I've bought. I own it on LP and also have Brendel's last set. I haven't compared two Philips Brendel sets of the sonatas. But I generally prefer this earlier Philips set. As in his '70s set of the Schubert piano solo music, the playing is more legato and singing than in the later set. Which doesn't mean I don't "like" the later version. The different approach plays better in some of the later sonatas, I think. But on the whole, I prefer this version which came out as a boxed set in the late 70s.


----------



## wkasimer

DarkAngel said:


> BTW the new 27CD erato boxset does not contain all the LVB sonatas, so best to keep both boxsets.....


I believe that the Heidsieck set does contain all of the sonatas, some of them in more than one recording.


----------



## DarkAngel

wkasimer said:


> I believe that the Heidsieck set *does contain all of the sonatas*, some of them in more than one recording.


On closer look you are correct, now I might be a buyer.....


----------



## Itullian

DarkAngel said:


> I almost picked that up also (great price), but instead went with his older set that includes many other great solo piano works besides sonatas, 16 CDs total.........
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> BTW the new 27CD erato boxset does not contain all the LVB sonatas, so best to keep both boxsets.....


It does have the whole cycle.
It had doubles of some of the sonatas,
My only disappointment was that it didnt include all of the Handel keyboard suites.
I think he did them all, at least the youtube site says complete Handel Sonatas.
But they're oop anyway so i'm glad i got whats in the box.


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## Itullian

Also added this to my hoard.
Fantastic sound!
Live with applause at the end.


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## Itullian

DarkAngel said:


> I almost picked that up also (great price), but instead went with his older set that includes many other great solo piano works besides sonatas, 16 CDs total.........
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> BTW the new 27CD erato boxset does not contain all the LVB sonatas, so best to keep both boxsets.....


I have that set as well.


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## AndorFoldes

I have Kempff (mono) and Gulda (Amadeo). They complement each other nicely. The one I regret a little bit I didn’t get is Backhaus (stereo). I like the old school approach in the Beethoven sonatas as represented by Kempff and Backhaus. Sound quality is less of an issue in recordings of solo piano in my opinion.


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## wkasimer

AndorFoldes said:


> I have Kempff (mono) and Gulda (Amadeo). They complement each other nicely. The one I regret a little bit I didn't get is Backhaus (stereo).


The Original Masters set of the Backhaus stereo recordings shows up on eBay from time to time. The complete Decca Backhaus, of course, sold out quickly and is now OOP and expensive, like most such products.


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## AndorFoldes

wkasimer said:


> The Original Masters set of the Backhaus stereo recordings shows up on eBay from time to time. The complete Decca Backhaus, of course, sold out quickly and is now OOP and expensive, like most such products.


Who would have thought that those complete boxed sets would become rare and sought after so quickly? I suppose it would still be possible to get the Backhaus set. However, I don't know if it's really worth getting since I already have two really good sets.


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## wkasimer

AndorFoldes said:


> Who would have thought that those complete boxed sets would become rare and sought after so quickly?


It's pretty consistent, and the larger the box, the more it's true. Having regretted not purchasing some of them - the RCA Munch and Monteux boxes in particular - I now buy any of them that have any appeal at all. Yeah, they're expensive, but if you look at prices on eBay, it's pretty easy to recoup the investment if you decide not to keep it. Well, that was my excuse to buy the Szell box...


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## Great Uncle Frederick

I have John Lill on ASV, which I bought years ago in a charity shop for only a few pounds.


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## Itullian

wkasimer said:


> It's pretty consistent, and the larger the box, the more it's true. Having regretted not purchasing some of them - the RCA Munch and Monteux boxes in particular - I now buy any of them that have any appeal at all. Yeah, they're expensive, but if you look at prices on eBay, it's pretty easy to recoup the investment if you decide not to keep it. Well, that was my excuse to buy the Szell box...


I've been eyeing that Bruno Walter box.


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## SixFootScowl

I only have two. 









I grabbed this one because it was a 99 cent download at Amazon. Not sure if I ever even listened to it yet.


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## Itullian

Great set


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## Itullian

First listen


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## Animal the Drummer

How have you found it? Scherbakov's a pianist whose work I've enjoyed in other contexts but I'd have little or no idea what to expect from his Beethoven.


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## Itullian

Animal the Drummer said:


> How have you found it? Scherbakov's a pianist whose work I've enjoyed in other contexts but I'd have little or no idea what to expect from his Beethoven.


It's a beautifully done cycle.
The sound is beautiful and the playing always interesting.
He has a great left hand sound.
Approach varies for each sonata.
His playing is flawless.
I wouldn't replace my favorites, but a very nice set.


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## Kreisler jr

about 6 +

Schnabel
Gulda/Amadeo (in the first? CD incarnation with one track per sonata!)
Gilels/DG (missing 5 sonatas)
Arrau (analogue)
Heidsieck (in a 50 disc Beethoven box from EMI ca. 10 years ago)
Lucchesini
Serkin (incomplete, "white box" from Sony)

And lots of singles and partial sets. I have all of the Gelber/Denon (my candidate for the best incomplete, I guess), all of Gould's (odd but often oddly interesting), about 5 with Brautigam on a historical instrument, the late sonatas with Rosen, Pollini, Levit, Brendel, Peter Serkin (again on a historical instrument). Kovacevich's 70s recordings (I didn't like the sound on the more recent EMI and got rid of the few singles I had had from this series) and many more.
As I have become short of shelf space, something needs to be rather special to entice me into buying it nowadays and I am not actively looking for more LvB piano sonatas.


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## Richard di Calatrava

JAS said:


> I have ordered the Badura-Skoda set based on good reviews and the appeal of hearing them on historic pianos.


Great choice, preferably to supplement one of the "classic" sets (in my opinion: Gulda/Brendel 3/Kempff 1 [mono]/Barenboim 1/Arrau/Fischer/Biret/maybe Kovacevich/maybe Buchbinder/maybe Lill/maybe Lewis).

I love Badura-Skoda's use of his own, historical (not copies) instruments, each sonata carefully matched with a suitable fortepiano. The accusations that fortepianos are inadequate for the middle and later works is -in this case- entirely unfounded. I love this set...and it's refreshingly different to the 16/17 other sets I own!


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## Richard di Calatrava

Itullian said:


> What I have accumulated so far.
> 
> Arrau
> Barenboim EMI DG
> Biret
> Bodura-koda
> Brendel all 3
> Buchbinder Warner
> Frank
> Gilels
> Goode
> Gulda DG Orfeo
> Kempff both
> Korstick
> Kovacevich
> Lim
> Lewis
> Lortie
> Nat
> Oppitz
> Pollini
> Pommier
> Rasche
> Roberts
> Schnabel
> 
> I think that's it right now.
> I want to get Annie Fisher and Schiff


Goodness, quite a few...it's a collecting bug, isn't it?! I "only" have 17 sets, plus the Solomon box plus lots of separate discs!

My favourites (not in order...how could I choose?) are: Brendel 3, Kempff 1 (mono), Fischer, Barenboim 1, Badura-Skoda (on period fortepianos - love this one), Biret.

I have the following still unplayed and waiting(!): Lill, Buchbinder, Kovacevich, Arrau, Nat, Williams.

By the way, I also have 58 Fidelios and countless recordings of the Piano Concertos, Violin Concerto, Cello Sonatas, Violin Sonatas, Symphonies...

...and thousands of CDs and downloads of other composers' works + plays and audiobooks - I suppose the word "obsessive" comes to mind - will I ever manage to get through everything??? I'm going to be 70 in August...that must mean more CDs for presents!


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## Itullian

^^^^Yeah, i guess it's a collecting bug, but i really love these works and always want to hear other interpretations of them.
I have even more of Ludwig's string quartet cycles.
I never tire of them.

PS I have recently added Hrinsieck, Fisher, Schiff and Sherbakov.


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## Parley

I have Schnabel and Kempff (2) and most of A Fischer

Also sonatas by Gilles, Pollini, Kempff (1), Kovacevich, Ogden, Richter.


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## DarkAngel

This 16 CD set was a pleasant surprise and Tirimo was unknown to me previously, better than I expected with modern sound and includes all solo keyboard works in addition to sonatas, the catch is a chronological layout so you often get a mixture of variations and sonatas on same CD, this actually makes for a refreshing way to listen to these works instead of keeping them rigidly separated, I love most of the 20+ sets of variations and wonder why they are not recorded more often.......price very good for 16 CD set 

One obvious mistake is using resealable paper sleeve flaps which I replaced right away, why would any company use these since without doubt eventually some rubber glue will end up on CD surface


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## Itullian

^^^^^I HATE the layout of that set. :scold:
You cant listen to the sonatas with all the other works interspersed between the.
Consequently it sits on the shelf.
It should have been formatted like Buchbinders analog set which has the other works grouped in the last cds.


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## Itullian

I got my Tirimo set down off the shelf and have been listening to it after Dark Angel brought it to mind.

The playing and sound are first class. Great piano sound.
My dislike for the layout remains.
The performance is excellent however.
If you don't mind the works arranged willy nilly it's a great set.


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## DarkAngel

^^^^^ I guess it all depends how you feel about the solo piano variations, I find them refreshing interludes between the sonatas and the chronological listing prevents any jarring style change, kinda like Brahms symphony set with 2 overtures mixed in, all good.......


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## premont

DarkAngel said:


> ^^^^^ I guess it all depends how you feel about the solo piano variations, I find them refreshing interludes between the sonatas and the chronological listing prevents any jarring style change, kinda like Brahms symphony set with 2 overtures mixed in, all good.......


I'm with Itullian here, because I most often listen to individual works, and the Tirimo arrangement is rather impractical for that purpose.

On the other hand I'm with you as to the paper sleeves, which may be devastating.


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## Marc

I just ordered this set for 29 euro... I hope it's a good catch.
Delivery will take 2 to 3 weeks though... but I can be patient.

DarkAngel, thanks for alerting me/us!


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## premont

Marc said:


> I just ordered this set for 29 euro... I hope it's a good catch.
> Delivery will take 2 to 3 weeks though... but I can be patient.
> 
> DarkAngel, thanks for alerting me/us!


I think it is a good catch, it's just completely impractically organized and packed.


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## Itullian

Buchbinder's first set is billed as "complete piano works" as well.
The misc works are placed in the back and the sonatas are all together on the first cds.
It's an excellent set too, but the recorded analog sound is not quite as good as Tirimo's. It's good sound though.


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## Marc

premont said:


> I think it is a good catch, it's just completely impractically organized and packed.


Will manage...


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## Marc

Itullian said:


> Buchbinder's first set is billed as "complete piano works" as well.
> The misc works are placed in the back and the sonatas are all together on the first cds.
> It's an excellent set too, but the recorded analog sound is not quite as good as Tirimo's. It's good sound though.


It's mixed analog and digital by the way.
A bit 'glassy' sometimes.


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## premont

Marc said:


> It's mixed analog and digital by the way.
> A bit 'glassy' sometimes.


I own the original Teldec release of the sonatas. I find the sound crystal clear, but that is probably not what you call glassy?


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## Marc

premont said:


> I own the original Teldec release of the sonatas. I find the sound crystal clear, but that is probably not what you call glassy?


I should check some of it probably again, but my first acquaintance with the Buchbinder Teldec sonatas was through a sample disc with Pathétique, Mondschein, Waldstein and Appassionata... I remember that the oldest digital recording(s) sounded a bit more 'glassy' than the more recent ones. But I never had a real problem with that. It was more like "oh it sounds different... it got from good to better".


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## premont

I was never dissatisfied with the sound, but your post is probably a fair description of the situation, and I think my memory of the sound in the first hand stems from some of the later recordings, which also was the ones I heard most recently.

BTW LvB's piano sonatas are some of the most addictive music I know, only surpassed by Bach's keyboard music (organ,harpsichord et.c.)


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## Marc

premont said:


> I was never dissatisfied with the sound, but your post is probably a fair description of the situation, and I think my memory of the sound in the first hand stems from some of the later recordings, which also was the ones I heard most recently.
> 
> BTW LvB's piano sonatas are some of the most addictive music I know, only surpassed by Bach's keyboard music (organ,harpsichord et.c.)


I've always liked many of the keyboard compositions of Beethoven, mainly listening to Kempff and 'loose' compilation discs of others, and funnily enough I more or less expanded my listening experiences at the same moment as when I expanded my Bach organ and harpsichord listening again. I rediscovered them during the same years, almost hand in hand. Both terrific oeuvres to keep coming back to.


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## premont

Marc said:


> I've always liked many of the keyboard compositions of Beethoven, mainly listening to Kempff and 'loose' compilation discs of others, and funnily enough I more or less expanded my listening experiences at the same moment as when I expanded my Bach organ and harpsichord listening again. I rediscovered them during the same years, almost hand in hand. Both terrific oeuvres to keep coming back to.


We didn't talk much about the Beethoven sonatas by then, but it was also at the time of my intensive Bach keyboard listening, that I intensified my LvB sonata listening and acquired several sets of both genres. Incidentally my first serious LvB sonata listening was Kempff's recordings (mixture of mono and stereo integrals), but this was when I was a child, and it engaged me rather much at that time, but it was Backhaus' stereo integral, which I inherited by chance many years later, which sent me upon a long LvB journey.


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## Chatellerault

Itullian said:


> Buchbinder's first set is billed as "complete piano works" as well.
> The misc works are placed in the back and the sonatas are all together on the first cds.
> It's an excellent set too, but the recorded analog sound is not quite as good as Tirimo's. It's good sound though.


Brautigam's set is like this, but on copies of historical instruments. 8 CDs with the 32 sonatas, 1 CD with the sonatas without opus number, 6 CDs with the other pieces.

I can't think of any complete set I like better.

On the modern grand piano I tend to prefer separate CD's: Kempff playing the first half, Brendel on the variations, individual sonatas by Pollini, Pires, Arrau, Gilels, Richter, Richter-Haaser...


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## DarkAngel

Chatellerault said:


> Brautigam's set is like this, but on copies of historical instruments. 8 CDs with the 32 sonatas, 1 CD with the sonatas without opus number, 6 CDs with the other pieces.
> 
> I can't think of any complete set I like better.
> 
> On the modern grand piano I tend to prefer separate CD's: Kempff playing the first half, Brendel on the variations, individual sonatas by Pollini, Pires, Arrau, Gilels, Richter, Richter-Haaser...


Agree that Brautigam rules the forte piano variations version for LVB, but having to buy two boxsets (hybrid SACDs) no doubt increases the price for complete solo keyboard works in stead of one complete boxset (sonatas & variations).....BIS might issue future combined complete boxset since I recall the Mozart works starting as two boxsets and later released as cheaper complete boxset

















For Mozart and Haydn he has complete solo keyboard boxsets......


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## 89Koechel

Brautigam - I'm sure he's fine ... but how does he compare to the Schnabel set? Just a question.


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## premont

89Koechel said:


> Brautigam - I'm sure he's fine ... but how does he compare to the Schnabel set? Just a question.


They can't be compared, they are just too different not only as to recorded sound but also as to instrument and general approach. However, of these two I think Brautigam reigns most of the time, while Schnabel has some almost incomparable intense slow movements eg. the second movement of sonata no 7.


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## Marc

premont said:


> We didn't talk much about the Beethoven sonatas by then, but it was also at the time of my intensive Bach keyboard listening, that I intensified my LvB sonata listening and acquired several sets of both genres. Incidentally my first serious LvB sonata listening was Kempff's recordings (mixture of mono and stereo integrals), but this was when I was a child, and it engaged me rather much at that time, but it was Backhaus' stereo integral, which I inherited by chance many years later, which sent me upon a long LvB journey.


(I deliberately directed our talks to Bach, because I wasn't listening as 'posessed'  to Beethoven's piano than to Bach's organ - and, in a lesser way: Bach's harpsichord. Despite everything, I'm still a _Bach freak_. There, I said it.)


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## starthrower

I'm currently listening to Goode which sounds good to me.


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## PeterAccettola

The only one I have is Von Karajan with the Berliner Philharmoniker and have always loved it.
I did sample Vallery Gergiev, but seemed a bit put off by his choices in tempo. 
I have not had the pleasure of hearing other versions yet.


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## PeterAccettola

As for the sonatas, I have Alfred Brendel's box set and think that it is just wonderful.
This is on the Decca label.


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## RufusGunderson

How is the sound quality on the Andrea Lucchesini or the Andras Schiff new series? I'm a noob but I have the Kovacevich set and I generally like it, but the sonics don't quite blow me away.


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## Kreisler jr

The Kovacevich has uncommonly harsh/bad sound for such a recent recording. Lucchesini is live (and Schiff maybe as well) and they may not be winning audiophile awards but I think they have much better/more pleasant sound than the EMI Kovacevich (the incomplete 70s Philips Kovacevich has good sound). Admittedly, I found Schiff's lectures more interesting and stopped buying the recordings after I got two volumes. But he is interesting, one the more interesting op.27/2 in existence, I think.


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## wkasimer

Kreisler jr said:


> The Kovacevich has uncommonly harsh/bad sound for such a recent recording. Lucchesini is live (and Schiff maybe as well) and they may not be winning audiophile awards but I think they have much better/more pleasant sound than the EMI Kovacevich (the incomplete 70s Philips Kovacevich has good sound). Admittedly, I found Schiff's lectures more interesting and stopped buying the recordings after I got two volumes. But he is interesting, one the more interesting op.27/2 in existence, I think.


I completely agree with all of this. The EMI Kovacevich set is terrific, but the sonics are not - really a shame. I believe that Schiff is a studio recording, and I agree with Kreisler jr that his lectures were more interesting than the actual recordings. Lucchesini's is one of my favorite sets, but I don't recall the sound being anything special, even if it's better than Kovacevich in that respect.

If you want great sonics, you might want to consider the cycles of Michael Korstick or Francois-Frederic Guy.


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## shadowdancer

Schiffs Beethoven sonatas are live recordings, at least, it is what ECM website claims.

"This specially-priced 11 CD edition contains the complete piano sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven, recorded live in concert at the Tonhalle in Zürich."

From: https://www.ecmrecords.com/shop/1475760982


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## CnC Bartok

Just invested in this Buchbinder set, another daft bargain from Supraphonline at Kčs 199.


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## wkasimer

CnC Bartok said:


> Just invested in this Buchbinder set, another daft bargain from Supraphonline at Kčs 199.
> 
> View attachment 157289


This is among my favorite sets, recently reissued in BMG's "Masters" series. There's a third Buchbinder cycle coming out in September, recorded at Salzburg in 2014.


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## Malx

wkasimer said:


> I completely agree with all of this. The EMI Kovacevich set is terrific, but the sonics are not - really a shame. I believe that Schiff is a studio recording, and I agree with Kreisler jr that his lectures were more interesting than the actual recordings. Lucchesini's is one of my favorite sets, but I don't recall the sound being anything special, even if it's better than Kovacevich in that respect.
> 
> If you want great sonics, you might want to consider the cycles of* Michael Korstick or Francois-Frederic Guy.*


Agree with both of these recommendations - Guy has long been a fav' of mine a live set with personality but not too much.


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## RufusGunderson

Thank you all for the suggestions! I must've listened to 20 different performances of Waldstein on Spotify over the past couple days and Korstick's is definitely one of my favs. I may buy his whole cycle based on his Waldstein lol.


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## CnC Bartok

Just as a heads up, new release from Melodiya soon, due 3rd September:

Melodiya releases these live recordings of the outstanding Soviet pianist for the first time. Tatiana Nikolayeva performed and recorded a complete cycle of Beethoven's sonatas at the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory in 1984, but it was not released on records back in the day.

Also, does this mean Melodiya are back in business after their disappearance a couple of years ago?


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## JohnP

Bavouzet (2 of 3 volumes)
Brautigam
Fischer, A.
Frank
Gilels
Goode
Jando
Lortie
Kovacevich
Schnabel
Sheppard

This is embarrassing, since I also have many singletons. These sonatas and the Bach Sacred Cantatas are the most important bodies of music I know. That's my excuse. I might be headed in the same direction with the String Quartets, and I just bought another set of the Symphonies. Help!


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## SanAntone

Her complete set on Hungaroton is excellent - but this old EMI recording is one I think is especially exceptional.

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos 8 "Pathétique" & 21 "Waldstein"
*Annie Fischer*










The complete cycle:


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## premont

CnC Bartok said:


> Just as a heads up, new release from Melodiya soon, due 3rd September:
> 
> Melodiya releases these live recordings of the outstanding Soviet pianist for the first time. Tatiana Nikolayeva performed and recorded a complete cycle of Beethoven's sonatas at the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory in 1984, but it was not released on records back in the day.
> 
> Also, does this mean Melodiya are back in business after their disappearance a couple of years ago?
> 
> View attachment 158512


This set is the one which was released by Scribendum in 2004. It is heavily marred by frequent fingerslips and even worse, slips of memory, bordering the unlistenable.

https://www.discogs.com/Beethoven-Tatiana-Nikolayeva-Complete-Piano-Sonatas/release/1995805


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## Bruckner Anton

Ranked list:
Gilels (incomplete)
Arrau (1960s)
Brautigam (HIP)
Buchbinder (1970s)
Brendel (1970s)
Backhaus (stereo)


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