Beethoven piano sonatas

The question is, do I need another set of complete sonatas? I have Barenboims's and Schnabel's recordings of the sonatas, and Kempff's recordings of a few individual sonatas. However, reading reviews of Backhaus's complete set, I am sorely tempted to splash out on them. Am I in danger of having too much of a good thing?

 

Beethoven's piano sonatas are open to a very wide range of interpretation, and pianists with very different approaches can be equally successful.

Don't fall into the trap of believing everything you read on these forums, where 'he who shouts loudest' often seems to prevail (particularly from those who have a Penguin or bluffer's guide at hand), with the result that only a narrow field of performances by pianists with similar approaches is considered.

In music of this depth, there's no problem in owning several different versions. The radio can also help - looking at my catalogue, in the last six months I have recorded recitals by Sokolov, Pollini, Brendel, Hewitt, Kissin, and many others - many of which have included one or two of the Beethoven sonatas, and all of which are very different in tone and approach.

FWIW, my 'reference' recitals of the sonatas are Annie Fischer on Hungaroton (CD), and Claudio Arrau on Philips (vinyl).

 

Thanks, that's helpful. It also reminds me that I really must get round to buying a decent tuner. My ancient Goodman's unit gave up the ghost a year or so back and I'm having to rely on a 'ghetto blaster' that is good for talk radio (the genre not the station!) but no much cop for music broadcasts of R3 quality.

 

Bonjour Madame la Chouette: (tongue in cheek, of course)

I do not remember many members shouting here, and certainly not penguin in hand...

That said, I do agree with you. A single interpretation can do no justice to Beethoven's sonatas.

My preferred version is the first Philips one by Brendel. But I also love dearly the first one Kempff made for DGG (mono, but quite good sound). As an absolutely safe bet, I would suggest Pollini. Arrau, I think, can be rebutting for anyone not truly familiar with the corpus.

 

Fed up with the Kempff mono cycle from early childhood I am certainly biased, but it remains in my mind the most aestetic and poetic interpretation ever. But I am well aware, that he misses some important elements in the music, first and foremost the passion. Anyone listening to Annie Fischer will know what I think of. She misses on the other hand some poetry. The point is, that every great pianist has got something unique and valuable to offer in these works. Regarding Beethovens piano-sonatas as the pinnacle of piano music (not to be confused with harpsichord music), I have investigated quite a number of complete cycles and individual recordings during the last ten years. And the more I listen, the more I find recommendations difficult. If I only owned the Schnabel and one of the Barenboim cycles and part of Kempffs mono cycle, I would surely find one of the Backhaus cycles to be a worthy addition, - he plays in a direct and muscular manner with much understatement. Some more I would tend to recommend before others are O'Connor, Badura-Skoda, Hobson, Scheppard, Annie Fischer and the incomplete Solomon and Gilels cycles.

 

Thanks for the very helpful responses.

By a strange co-incidence, Schnabel was quoted on 'Quote Unquote' on Radio 4 last night:

'Children are given Mozart to play because of the quantity of notes; grown-ups avoid him because of the quality of notes'

 

Perhaps you are in dire need of Gulda's set?