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Beethoven Piano Sonata Cycle Journal (Redux)

Todd

The Bavouzet and Jumpannen have indeed both landed. Am now eager for you to share your updated index of all the recordings by tier. This should be a doozy of a list.
 
Todd, have you reviewed Andras Schiff's cycle on ECM?



I wrote some comments on the earlier installments, but stopped after volume three or four. The short of it is that as much as I like Schiff - and he's one of my favorite living pianists - I'm not a big fan of his Beethoven. It's an uneven cycle, and his willful and/or fussy playing doesn't always work. Sometimes, though, he is superb. Volume 2 is probably the best of the cycle overall, and his Op 10/3 is something special.
 
Updated tiering below. Turns out I miscounted. I have 92 cycles. I had already slotted Jumppanen into third tier based on his first four volumes.


Top Tier – The Holy Tetrarchy
Annie Fischer (Hungarton)
Friedrich Gulda (Amadeo)
Wilhelm Kempff (DG, mono)
Wilhelm Backhaus (mono)

[Rudolf Serkin; OK, he didn't complete a cycle, but this is where he belongs]



Top Tier – The Rest of the Top Ten (sort of in order)
Wilhelm Kempff (DG, stereo)
Eric Heidsieck
Russell Sherman
Andrea Lucchesini
Emil Gilels
Daniel-Ben Pienaar

[Sviatoslav Richter; OK, he didn't complete a cycle, but this is where he belongs]



Second Tier (in no particular order)
Artur Schnabel
Bernard Roberts
Claude Frank
Claudio Arrau (1960s)
Daniel Barenboim (EMI, 2005)
Francois Frederic Guy
Friedrich Gulda (Orfeo)
Maurizio Pollini
Michael Levinas
Paul Badura-Skoda (JVC/Astree; needs A/B with top 10 contenders)
Peter Takacs
Robert Silverman
Seymour Lipkin
Takahiro Sonoda (Denon)
Takahiro Sonoda (Evica; needs A/B with top 10 contenders)
Wilhelm Backhaus (stereo)
Younwha Lee
Yu Kosuge
Yusuke Kikuchi

[Bruce Hungerford; OK, he didn't complete a cycle, but this is where he belongs]



Third Tier (in no particular order)
Abdel Rahman El Bacha (Mirare)
Akiyoshi Sako
Alfred Brendel (Philips, 1970s)
Alfred Brendel (Vox)
Alfredo Perl
Andras Schiff
Craig Sheppard
Daniel Barenboim (DG)
Daniel Barenboim (EMI, 1960s)
David Allen Wehr
Dieter Zechlin
Friedrich Gulda (Decca)
Garrick Ohlsson
Gerard Willems
Gerhard Oppitz
Ichiro Nodaira (may be second tier stuff – Op 31 is so freakin' good . . .)
Irina Mejoueva
John O'Conor
Kun-Woo Paik
Louie Lortie
Malcolm Binns (borderline tier four?)
Michael Houstoun (Rattle)
Michael Korstick
Paul Badura-Skoda (Gramola)
Pavaali Jumppanen
Peter Rösel
Rudolf Buchbinder (Teldec)
Stephen Kovacevich
Stewart Goodyear
Wilhelm Kempff (1961, King International)
Yaeko Yamane
Yves Nat



Fourth Tier (in no particular order)
Abdel Rahman El Bacha (Forlane)
Aldo Ciccolini
Alfred Brendel (Philips, 1990s)
Andre De Groote
Anton Kuerti
Christian Leotta
Dino Ciani
Georges Pludermacher
Idil Biret
Ikuyo Nakamichi
Jean Bernard Pommier
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet
Jean Muller
Jeno Jando
John Lill
Mari Kodama
Maria Grinburg
Melodie Zhao
Paul Lewis
Richard Goode
Ronald Brautigam
Rudolf Buchbinder (RCA)
Steven Herbert Smith
Timothy Ehlen
Vladimir Ashkenazy
Walter Gieseking (Tahra)
Yukio Yokoyama



Bottom Tier (in sorta particular order)
[Glenn Gould; OK, he didn't complete a cycle, but this is where he belongs]
HJ Lim
Rita Bouboulidi
Tatiana Nikolayeva
Anne Oland
 
Found my next cycle: Eduardo del Pueyo's set from the 70s. Just learned of it today, and I figured I might as well order. Fifty bucks, shipping included from La Boîte à Musique. Link to cycle.
 
Which Francois Frederic Guy cycle did you review? He seems to have live one out on Zig-Zag territories, but has also recorded a while ago for Harmonia Mundi and Naive.

I don't know if the older recordings form a complete cycle.
 
Which Francois Frederic Guy cycle did you review? He seems to have live one out on Zig-Zag territories, but has also recorded a while ago for Harmonia Mundi and Naive.

I don't know if the older recordings form a complete cycle.



The Zig Zag. He He didn't record a complete set before, though he did record 106 twice before.
 
Santa was looking at my Amazon wish list and brought me the Gulda cycle, the Amadeo one re-issued by Decca Germany.

I have not listened to more than half-a-dozen of the sonatas so far but its clear that there is something unarguable about the way Gulda plays, it just sound right even at the fairly brisk tempos he takes. In the later sonatas I have heard a bit more fantasy and poetry from the likes of Pollini & Levitt - but still Gulda just sounds right. I did think his Appassionata was just too brisk though.... will need to try it again soon.

I also have the 1970s Brendel set which I find a mixed bag (eg his op 101 no 28 floats my boat but 30,31,32 don't) and the Francois-Frederic Guy set on Zig Zag - but I find its sound is too heavy and reverberant and spoils my enjoyment. The Gulda will be my standard set for now.
 
thanks Todd!

Its too tempting, rude not to at the price...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000BQV52A/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

Same here. First impressions (first cd): - dynamic, and beautiful Decca sound. Not that I really needed another set......but my first one from the 'top tier': I tend to rank mine in twos and threes rather than entire cycles, as that's how I listen, one cd at a time. But a great excuse(?) to listen to them all again and make new discoveries. :) Thanks Todd!
 
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When I take our lad back to Leicester uni I always make time to visit Loros on Queens Road. I found the 1964 set of Beethoven's piano sonatas by Kempff for £7. It's 11 LPs and I'm playing some now - very nice indeed. The box is well-worn but the LPs look and sound unplayed, although I can't think they will be because there are pencilled annotations in the accompanying booklet.
 
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It was almost four years in a row. In January 2014, 2015, and 2016, I learned of heretofore unknown (to me) complete LvB sonata cycles and snatched them up. Yaeko Yamane, Younwha Lee, and Steven Herbert Smith, hardly household names in the western world, all offered different takes, and offered their own rewards of varying degree. Lee’s is probably the best of the three overall, though Yamane’s is the most individual, and if it varies more qualitatively, it has the most to say. I learned about Eduardo del Pueyo’s complete cycle at the end of 2016, promptly snapped it up, and proceeded to listen. Pueyo is not a new name for me, though I had never seen it associated with a complete cycle. So, it arrived early, but I did what I had to do.

Disc one starts with the first sonata, and Op 2/1 starts with a nicely paced Allegro, though the piano is a bit plinky in the upper registers, and bass light. (Pleyel? Bösendorfer recorded/mastered to produce light bass? Petrov?) His playing is interventionist, with healthy dollops of rubato throughout, and a fondness for using it noticeably in slower passages or at the end of phrases. It all flows quite nicely. Pueyo plays the Adagio slow, and plays with a steady yet fluid left hand that rises and falls in volume nicely while the melody is slightly emphasized. There is a slight air of stiffness, but it sounds purposeful. The Menuetto, graced with the slightest vocalizing, is slow and deliberate and dynamically constrained, with each note paid its due attention. Some may find it too saccharine. The repeatless Prestissimo is faster, with wider dynamics than in the prior movements, but a good portion of the playing lacks clarity, though the right hand playing takes on a pleasing sharpness. A pretty good opener. 2/2 opens with what can only be described as an alternately joyous and rambunctious Allegro vivace, with Pueyo deploying his rubato effectively, accenting notes, and accentuating phrases, and vigorously pounding out runs with just the right effect. The slow Largo is, like in the first sonata, very deliberate, again to good effect. Pueyo keeps dynamics under control, building to a reasonably strong climax, and radiates a sort of above-it-all calm. Some might find it a bit stilted, though. The Scherzo has fast, light, fun outer sections, dashed off with real pizazz, but the trio is slow to the point of exaggeration, though Pueyo manages to keep it moving forward. The Rondo, small in scale, light in demeanor in the quicker material, displaying delight-filled (delightful just doesn't seem adequate) right hand playing throughout and never slow or heavy, caps off an idea-filled, most enjoyable second sonata. 2/3 ends the disc. Pueyo opens just a bit slowly, almost like an Andante, then revs up a bit in the chords and octaves section, though he never plays truly fast. The overall tempo speeds up a bit as the movement progresses, and Pueyo displays more dynamic range than in the first couple sonatas - or more accurately, the recording does. The Adagio is nicely paced, a quicker than the two preceding sonatas. Pueyo plays with nice tension, and the close recording allows him to create a nearly late-LvB sound during some of the right hand playing. The tolling left hand chords are weighty but lean initially, but then, as the tempo slows, he belts out near-thundering chords near the middle, before promptly going right back to more soft, slow and nuanced playing, complete with a bit of embellishment. The Scherzo, rather like in the second sonata, finds Pueyo playing with admirable verve and drive in the outer sections, but almost Celibidachean slowness in the trio, though the transition back to the opening material is downright masterfully done. The Rondo is taken at a reasonable clip, but hardly sets standards of unlimited virtuosity. Instead, Pueyo imparts more of his deliberate style and accompanying insights, or quirks, as one prefers. The overall feel is one of energy and levity. The excellent opening disc reveals a player of ideas and individualism.

The second disc skips to the Op 10 and 49 sonatas. Not surprisingly, Pueyo opens the first movement of 10/1 with slow ascending arpeggios, with some notes held for longer than normal, which serves, rather effectively, to establish some dramatic tension, and then the exposition and development are both quicker, though not speedy. Pueyo applies rubato and accents effectively, and his frequent but discreet vocalizing indicates that he is fully involved. The Adagio is Largo slow, and as in prior slow movements, Pueyo manages to maintain the musical line even when playing very slow. His playing also emphasizes melody again, and sounds more middle or late period in mien. It's very effective. The Prestissimo closer is then played with plenty of verve and rhythmic brio, offering an almost extreme contrast. Outstanding. 10/2 starts with an Allegro that alternates between surprisingly frisky and a bit heavy, with personal rubato and accents popping up everywhere. The slow movement is once again rather slow, and it is very cool, with Pueyo introducing serenity to the mix in a sonata that generally doesn't get such treatment. And the prominence he gives to specific, repeated sforzandi draws much wanted attention to itself. The repeatless Presto is all fun and energy, bopping along joyfully for the duration. 10/3 once again starts off slowly, with a somewhat ponderous, yet strangely still effective, Presto. The playing seems to imperceptibly gather momentum, weight, and purpose. The great Largo is, as expected by this point, slow, as it ought to be, and once again Pueyo delivers, lavishing equal attention on just about every note and phrase and chord. As the movement proceeds, it sounds almost like an early Op 106 Adagio in terms of desolation, and the little touches - a slightly extended and last note accented arpeggio at around 5'30", for instance - work fabulously well. The build up to the climax is increasingly tense, and if Pueyo doesn't deliver wall rattling power, he does offer intensity followed by release in the form of resignation. The Menuetto thus sounds like the pianistic equivalent of relief, though again, the middle section is slower than normal, in what seems an interpretive quirk. Pueyo closes the work out with an effective and nearly conventional Rondo. A great recording. The disc closes with the Op 49 sonatas, and Pueyo pays them the same degree of loving attention as the bigger works. These are no mere afterthoughts, or sonatinas fit to be left out of a cycle; no, Pueyo plays, slowly, with uncommon weight and depth. A peach of a disc.

Disc three opens with Op 7, and here Pueyo plays the opening Allegro molto e con brio with much brio. The sound is fuller and the bass is weightier (a Steinway?), and the sound is less clear, but the same general traits are obvious, including the rubato, and some ear-catching emphasis on some notes, here the repeated notes in some passages. The close recording and somewhat compressed dynamic range add some excitement to the proceedings. The Largo is a bit quicker than expected at this point, though it is suitably slow, and Pueyo plays some arpeggios with nice, equal emphasis on each note, and shortens some chords, which all the sudden ring out with excess reverb, quite possibly of the artificial kind. The Allegro is rather quick and energetic and, as recorded, somewhat intense, though again Pueyo opts to play the trio uncommonly slowly. He closes by playing an energetic, bopping Rondo, with an accelerated coda. Next up is Op 13. Pueyo opens the Grave with a hefty and blurred and blunted chord, then switches to sharp chords, plays with enough overall drive to satisfy, then he moves into the Allegro, where he alternates between modestly swift playing underpinned by solid but blurred left hand playing, and uncommonly slow and almost delicate playing, especially from the right hand. The Grave and Allegro repeat is similar, though the softer playing is a bit less so. The Adagio boasts some very attractive cantabile playing, again led by the melody, and the alternating material is gently but firmly pointed. The Rondo is played with a satisfying degree of urgency, with nicely rushed phrases and arpeggios over a steady bass, and if the sforzandi are a bit rounded off, the effect isn't negative. Op 14/1 follows, and Pueyo's overall style works well. He sort of glides along in the opening Allegro of the first sonata, though near the end, he speeds up and belts out some playing. The Allegretto sounds a bit rushed and comparatively intense, though it never sounds excessively so. The Rondo, too, is a bit rushed, at least compared to prior Pueyo stylings, but the overall sound is most invigorating. The second sonata starts off with a very peppy Allegro, and Pueyo works in some nuanced rubato to superb effect. The Allegretto keeps up the slightly tenser than normal feel, but never feels overdone, and the rollicking Rondo caps off the sonata. Pueyo keeps the good times rolling with an even peppier opening Allegro in 14/2, all verve and wit start to finish. The Andante is rhythmically steady, and Pueyo does a superb job of playing around with dynamics, inserting a sort of serious form of humor into the proceedings, capping it off with a pounded out final chord. The Scherzo is light, but with some heavy elements, almost displaying the spirit of Op 79 early on. Another superb disc.

Disc four opens with Op 22, and here Pueyo for a slow, heavy, and somewhat kludgy Allegro con brio. Just when the playing begins to pick up, Pueyo slows down again. The softer passages benefit from the approach, but the faster passages do not. The Adagio is also slow, but here Pueyo's style works much better. His left hand playing is subdued but steady, and while he really extends the musical line, it is never broken. The Menuetto is played at a pleasant pace and sounds lovely, and as is his wont, Pueyo plays the usually faster Minore section uncommonly slow, to poor effect. The Rondo is more in line with convention, and works well enough, the rather idiosyncratic coda aside, but here's a case where the house style, as it were, isn't wholly successful. Op 26 starts off with a predictably slow Andante, and the variations stay that way, sometimes stretching way out. The dynamic gradations are not as pronounced as in other versions, nor is there as pronounced a variation as in the best versions, but Pueyo does a generally fine job here. The Scherzo is just a bit slow, but Pueyo adds some heft and intensity to his playing that works very well. The funeral march is nicely paced and Pueyo's staccato playing is more about the march than the funereal aspects of the music, but it works well. The Allegro is played very quickly and lightly, offering a nice contrast to the preceding material. Much better than Op 22. The disc closes with Op 28. I kind of expected Pueyo to do well in this sonata, and sure enough, he does, though not for the reasons I expected going in. The Allegro is taken at a nice pace, and flows very nicely. The melody predominates pretty much throughout. The more intense passages have some bite, and the upper registers are both a bit plinky and biting. The Andante is quite swift and sunny, and the playing accelerates and comes off as incredibly jocular for the most part, but Pueyo ends by pounding out some passages. A similar approach is taken in the Scherzo, where dynamic contrasts are exaggerated to good effect in the outer sections, while the trio again finds Pueyo playing far slower than normal. The Rondo is generally rollicking and light and swift, except for the crashing right hand playing during the forte passages. There's a nervous energy to the playing throughout that works very well. A disc that starts weak but finishes strong.

Disc five opens with 27/1. Here Pueyo sounds somewhat small in scale and swift of tempo and sort of ethereal in the Andante, and he also plays with his customary individual touches. He plays the Allegro section music with substantially more power, which, partly due to the recording technique, borders on banging at times, though it works here. Pueyo keeps things peppy tempo-wise in the Adagio, which nonetheless meets the espressione designation nicely. The Allegro vivace is fast and dynamically varied, with lotsa loud playing, though Pueyo opts to slow way up before the final reappearance of the slow theme, which is itself conventional, and then he dashes off the coda with a growling bass tossed in. 27/2 starts off with a tense, very Andante-like Adagio, and then moves to a slow-ish but still sometimes tense Allegretto. The Presto agitato opens with a rolling bass that is overpowered by the bright, piercing forte right hand playing that dominates the movement. It's high octane stuff, and more to my liking than a rather large share of competing recordings. The disc skips over Op 31 to land on Op 53, and here Pueyo's septuagenarian fingers play the opening material quickly. The playing displays enough energy and drive and dynamic variation to satisfy, and Pueyo's emphasis of some right hand playing is unique. Perhaps a few passages seem strained, but pushing the bounds can be a good thing. The Introduzione maintains a nicely tense feel without overdoing it, and the forensic recording allows for one to easily listen to any aspect of the playing. Pueyo holds a single note as an attacca transition to a Rondo that starts off just a bit slow, has some galloping broken chords dashed off lightly, and then moves into heavy and reasonably fast playing before doing it all again. The playing veers dangerously close to ponderous in a few places - and no doubt some listeners may find it too much of a not so good thing. Op 54 closes the disc. Pueyo plays the opening movement's alternating themes with maximally contrasted approaches, with the minuet suitably light and spritely and the triplets played fast and potently. The second movement is played quickly, with Pueyo emphasizing single notes throughout, usually single left hand pings, to good effect. It's a blow the cobwebs off type of reading. Another peach of a disc.

Disc six contains the Op 31 trio. Pueyo plays the 31/1 Allegro vivace just a tad on the slow side, but his playing is imbued with wit and nice dynamic contrasts, and he appears to lean on the una corda pedal for effect in a few repeated places in a manner no one else does, at least that I can recall. The Adagio is played at a nice, brisk tempo, and Pueyo's trills are played with fun, plinky staccato, and the left hand playing lurches just a bit. Excellent. He keeps everything light, and his right hand runs are delightful. The Rondo is played with good prankish humor, with the close recording allowing one to focus on melody or bass line, each stuffed with different delights, as desired. A superb way to start the trio. Der Sturm opens with a slow, drawn out opening Largo, moves to a vibrant, intense Allegro, and moves back and forth, generating more pronounced contrasts, especially dynamically, as the movement progresses. Some of his playing grows softer until it he lets some notes fade to silence before hammering out forte passages. It's a bit contrived, but it's also more than a bit effective. The Adagio is stylistically like the slow movements of some earlier sonatas. It is just about right tempo-wise, and while there are ample unique accents and rubato, the effect is somewhat flat. It doesn't evoke much in the way of feeling. That written, it sounds fantastic for what it is. The Allegretto displays some nice rhythmic brio, but the dynamics are not as broad or contrasted as in the opening movement, but still a suitable sense of urgency is established. Not quite as comparatively good as the first, but superb. In the final sonata of the trio, Pueyo opens with a slightly slower than normal Allegro, which does a good but not great job of conveying the energy and jocularity of the movement. The Scherzo improves things, and is generally just right, though maybe one could quibble with the extent of the dynamic contrasts. The Menuetto is again just a bit slower than average, but it works well, and flows wonderfully, especially in the outer sections. Pueyo wraps up the sonata with a spot-on Presto con fuoco, with everything just right, ending it with a good time vibe. An excellent reading, and an excellent Op 31 trio.

Disc seven opens with Op 57. Pueyo starts off dark, heavy, and moody, but then switches to fast, sometimes really fast, potent, powerful, and pointed playing. The sound is slightly rounded and compressed, but otherwise it's just what is needed for the movement, which is unrelenting and thrilling. The Andante con moto offers a relaxed contrast to the opener, as Pueyo works his way through the variations at a leisurely pace, with some slightly off-kilter rhythm and near-constant, low-level vocalizing. The Allegro ma non troppo returns to the approach of the opener, and if there are a few passages where Pueyo seems to push things right to the limit, that's quite alright, because it sounds uninhibited and intensely vibrant. A real contender. Op 78 is a fairly conventional in terms of tempo, dynamics, and so on, and Pueyo makes the most of the sonata without overdoing idiosyncratic touches.
Op 79 is also fairly conventional, though here Pueyo's rubato offers nice little ear catching moments in the first movement, and the swift and buoyant Vivace is all charm and fun. The first movement of Op 81a is a bit quick and upbeat and celebratory, gives way to a slower, more contemplative second movement where Pueyo once more lavishes attention on individual notes and phrases to superb effect, and then the final movement sounds celebratory and vibrant. Op 90 starts off with a heavy, somewhat slow and nearly ponderous at times first movement that alternates between harsh playing and faster, lighter playing, and Pueyo makes more than normal out of the transitions, exaggerating and accenting notes and chords to superb effect. The playing is definitely mannered, but Pueyo delivers. In the second movement, Pueyo never really lets the music just flow, but that is not a criticism. It contrasts with the first movement but also fits the conception, and it is by no means devoid of lyrical charm when it should be, but nor is it devoid of something a little more tense. A superb disc with one of the great Appassionatas.

Disc eight starts in on the late sonatas proper, and Op 101 starts off uncommonly briskly. It also sounds somewhat small of scale and very direct (and sounds sonically similar to first discs). It does not establish a conventional late-LvB soundworld. The march is quick and rhythmically springy and most effective. The slightly tense and quick Adagio does a good job sounding a bit more transcendent or otherwise late-LvB-esque, and the transition to the fugue starts with feathery light trills that build up in volume until the fugue arrives, and it is played quickly for the most part, and with great verve. The piano sound is somewhat duller throughout the movement, indicating some type of change to the recording or some post-production knob twiddling. Op 106 follows, and the opening movement is of the slow, nearly 11'30" variety, and sounds a bit bigger in scale than Op 101, but for the most part does not sound vast or quasi-orchestral. That overall timing also masks some passages played quickly and displaying the same detail oriented style that Pueyo displays regularly. The Scherzo is a reasonably swift and sounds a bit larger in scale. The magic happens in the Adagio. Pueyo plays it slow at just around 20', and his attention to detail, his accenting, his rubato, his dynamic shadings: all combine to create a slow movement that manages to meld the tension of some faster versions and the desolation of the best slow versions in one great movement that seems to go by much quicker than its timing suggests. Great stuff. The final movement starts with a somewhat taut and uneventful Largo before launching into a fast, clear fugue. It is played with admirable clarity and dexterity, if it lacks the effortlessness and/or precision of some versions. A most satisfying Op 106.

The final disc opens with an Op 109 that sort of straddles the fence between vigorous middle period works and transcendent late work in the opening two movements, before turning to slow, contemplative, transcendent style playing in the Andante and variations. Pueyo plays the main theme very slowly and deliberately, and in lovely fashion. The transition to the variations is basically just a lengthier than normal pause, but Pueyo maintains the same measured, lovely approach. At times, it might be possible to describe the playing as too arch by half, but its ultimate seriousness prevents it from falling into that trap, at least fully. Overall, Pueyo delivers a superb Op 109. Op 110 has a different, smaller, more distant perspective, and a duller sound, and the reasonably brisk tempo, playing style, and recording impart a somewhat sunny and light feel to the opening movement. The Allegro molto sounds suitably energetic, but the small scale sonics hamper the impact a bit. The final movement opens with a recitative broadly similar in feeling, but it changes into a more serious approach closer to the Arioso, which sounds somewhat dark and as though Pueyo wants to erupt. The fugue, in contrast, is played light and quick. The Arioso return sounds a bit lighter, though the tension evident the first time around remains. The repeated chords are quick but unsatisfying in dynamic gradation, which may be mostly the fault of the recording. The inverted fugue marries the lightness of the first fugue and a sense of tension, and the quickly dispatched coda lacks a bit in the heft department. A good but compromised take. Op 111 sounds bigger, and the Maestoso starts off relatively bold and potent, and moves into a suitably swift Allegro, but the sound sort of robs the playing of some of its impact, and the piano sounds like it's not in the best shape, even if it's not a Steinway. The Arietta is a bit quicker than normal, and while it possesses something of a sense of urgency, it lacks the ethereal feel I prefer, or even a sense of real gravitas. The first two variations sound comparatively slower than expected following the Arietta, and the third, while more vibrant and rhythmically lively, doesn't really boogie. The little stars don't really sound little, but Pueyo plays with tiered dynamics nicely. The first chains of trills are curiously unaffecting and the playing never achieves the type of depth, or alternatively the heights, of 109, and some of the playing that comes after is a bit gruff. Then, Pueyo plays the final chain of trills in most elevated and delicate fashion and ends up with a coda eliciting Elysian Fields. A mixed bag. So, a very strong start to the last three sonatas, but the last two aren't as good.

Overall, this is an outstanding cycle. In some ways, Pueyo seems to meld some traits of Wilhelm Kempff and Anton Kuerti, and then blend them together with his own unique traits, to create something wonderful to hear. The varying and not even close to SOTA for the era (mid-70s) sonics, the varying pianos and piano quality, and the recurring quirk regarding Menuetto playing, sometimes successfully and sometime not, and the not really world class last two sonatas prevent me from adding this to my top ten cycles, though I feel pretty confident adding it to my second tier. This is not really for people looking for a straight forward approach, but it definitely has its formidable charms.


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Todd,
What an exhaustive list. What is it about Arrau that keeps him out of your top 10? Is it a slight heavy handedness in the early sonatas? I admire his approach, and I'm just curious.
Regards,
BB
 
Todd,
What an exhaustive list. What is it about Arrau that keeps him out of your top 10? Is it a slight heavy handedness in the early sonatas? I admire his approach, and I'm just curious.
Regards,
BB


It's the generally broad tempi more than anything, and sometimes in the more energetic middle period sonatas it detracts a bit. Arrau's complete 60s set is still superb though. The recent box set of all his mid-career RCA and Columbia recordings shows him in an even better light than his late-career Philips offering to my ears.
 
I must plead tremendous ignorance because I can't recall if Richter or Horowitz ever did the cycle, but am slightly surprised that they're nowhere here...
 
I must plead tremendous ignorance because I can't recall if Richter or Horowitz ever did the cycle, but am slightly surprised that they're nowhere here...


Neither recorded a cycle; Richter recorded most of the sonatas, Horowitz only a comparative few. I very much enjoy Richter, and he gets honorable mention in my list. I don't really care for Horowitz. Never have. YMMV.
 
Neither recorded a cycle; Richter recorded most of the sonatas, Horowitz only a comparative few. I very much enjoy Richter, and he gets honorable mention in my list. I don't really care for Horowitz. Never have. YMMV.

If your thing is Beethoven, then Horowitz is not your man. Horowitz liked to interpret and play a composition as if it was his own. He believed that no piece of music should ever be played the same way twice. Not to everyone's taste, especially if you believe in a "right" way to play a given piece.

He viewed the markings on a manuscript as a rough guideline, but nothing more. The only Horowitz I'm not fond of is his playing while under the influence of antidepressants, and his Beethoven.

I read a nice Horowitz biography written by Harold Schonberg, who was the music critic for the NYT. He knew Horowitz intimately for many years, and I guess his Horowitz biography won me over.

I don't think any other pianist divides opinion more than Horowitz.

BBM
 
If your thing is Beethoven, then Horowitz is not your man. Horowitz liked to interpret and play a composition as if it was his own. He believed that no piece of music should ever be played the same way twice. Not to everyone's taste, especially if you believe in a "right" way to play a given piece.



I don't think there is one right way to play Beethoven - hence the 92 cycles I've collected - and I am fond of some very idiosyncratic interpretations - eg, Sherman, Pienaar. I also like idiosyncratic recordings of other repertoire. I'm just not a fan of Horowitz generally, and I've heard all of his Columbia recordings.
 
I don't think there is one right way to play Beethoven - hence the 92 cycles I've collected - and I am fond of some very idiosyncratic interpretations - eg, Sherman, Pienaar. I also like idiosyncratic recordings of other repertoire. I'm just not a fan of Horowitz generally, and I've heard all of his Columbia recordings.

Fair enough Todd. I certainly wasn't trying to convert you into a fan.

BBM
 


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