Artur Schnabel Beethoven Piano Sonatas

Beethoven Piano Sonatas - Artur Schnabel
APE | Classical | 1932 - 1935 | 8 CDs

Artur Schnabel's mid-'30s recordings of the Beethoven piano sonatas is beyond all doubt and argument the greatest set of the sonatas ever recorded. Of course, some critics point to Schnabel's lack of a virtuoso technique, which is said to mar his recordings of the "Waldstein," the "Appassionata," and the "Hammerklavier." And of course, everyone points to the flaws of EMI's recordings: hard, dry, and limited, they can't possibly match the sonic splendor of more recent stereo or digital recordings. All of that is beside the point. Schnabel's comprehension of the sonatas is so complete; his insights into the sonatas are so deep; his intellectual, emotional, and spiritual understanding of the sonatas so thorough; and his interpretations are so profound that most of his individual performances have never been equaled and his performances of the entire set have never been equaled. It doesn't matter what anyone says. Schnabel's set of the Beethoven sonatas is one of the greatest achievements in the history of recording. Everyone who loves the sonatas, who loves Beethoven, who loves Classical music, who loves great art and life and love and God, needs to hear them. - James Leonard

Beethoven's early sonatas were highly influenced by those of Haydn and Mozart. The first three sonatas, written in 1782-3 are usually not acknowledged as part of the complete set of piano sonatas, due to the fact that he was 13 when they were published. His Piano Sonatas No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 11, 12, 13, and 15 are four movements long, which was rather uncommon in his time.

Ludwig van Beethoven wrote his 32+4 Piano Sonatas - including 4 Sonatinas (doubtfull) - between 1782 and 1822. Although originally not intended to be a meaningful whole, as a set they comprise one of the most important collections of works in the history of music. Hans von Bulow called them "The New Testament" of the piano literature (Johann Sebastian Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier being "The Old Testament").

Artur Schnabel, identified above all with the music of Beethoven, was also a supreme interpreter of Schubert. Initially trained in Vienna, he played a crucial role in advocating the Austrian composer’s piano music at a time when such masterworks as the late sonatas enjoyed surprisingly little currency. By the time he started making these recordings, in the early 1930s, Schnabel was already a mature artist, and their essential lyricism is complemented by his characteristic rhythmic vitality and intellectual rigour. Newly remastered from original sources, these historic interpretations now benefit from audio quality of unprecedented truth and immediacy.

Ludwig van Beethoven wrote his 32+4 Piano Sonatas - including 4 Sonatinas (doubtfull) - between 1782 and 1822. Although originally not intended to be a meaningful whole, as a set they comprise one of the most important collections of works in the history of music. Hans von Bülow called them "The New Testament" of the piano literature (Johann Sebastian Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier being "The Old Testament").

Seven-time GRAMMY Award-winning pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim performs Sonatas 29 to 32 of the so-called 'New Testament' of music, Ludwig van Beethoven's thirty-two piano sonatas. Composed over twenty-five years and embodying the shift of musical taste from the Classic to the Romantic, their performance requires a musician of extraordinary versatility. Daniel Barenboim is one such pianist – his recordings run the gamut from Bach and Mozart to Bruckner and Bartók. Infollowing in the footsteps of such masters as Artur Schnabel, Barenboim truly shows himself to be among the greatest living musicians.

The complete Beethoven Piano sonatas Edition available either in a box of 3 Blu-ray discs or in a box of 5 DVDs. In this recording, GRAMMY Award-winning pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim tackles the so-called ‘New Testament’ of music, Ludwig van Beethoven’s thirty-two piano sonatas. Composed over twenty-five years and embodying the shift of musical taste from the Classic to the Romantic, their performance requires a musician of extraordinary versatility. Barenboim is one such pianist – his recordings run the gamut from Bach and Mozart to Bruckner and Bartók. In following in the footsteps of such masters as Artur Schnabel, Barenboim truly shows himself to be among the greatest living musicians.

The complete Beethoven Piano sonatas Edition available either in a box of 3 Blu-ray discs or in a box of 5 DVDs. In this recording, GRAMMY Award-winning pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim tackles the so-called ‘New Testament’ of music, Ludwig van Beethoven’s thirty-two piano sonatas. Composed over twenty-five years and embodying the shift of musical taste from the Classic to the Romantic, their performance requires a musician of extraordinary versatility. Barenboim is one such pianist – his recordings run the gamut from Bach and Mozart to Bruckner and Bartók. In following in the footsteps of such masters as Artur Schnabel, Barenboim truly shows himself to be among the greatest living musicians.