Beethoven Sonata Per Piano Patetica

These two titans play like men possessed with a rare spiritual fire that lifts the music to the highest levels of art. Rostropovich plays like a madman - he looks and sounds like a man in the throws of ecstatic union with the gods of music. At times literally attacking his instrument, at times making love to it - his youth and passion are raw and exposed. Brilliant! They are both huge risk takers with their music making here - exposing their souls in this performance. I am in awe of their work.

ECM New Series is better known for its documentation of contemporary works, but the music of the past sometimes receives coverage when artists bring a new perspective to it. The Diabelli Variations, Op. 120; the Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111; and the Six Bagatelles, Op. 126, are among the most original and intellectually stimulating works Ludwig van Beethoven composed for the piano, and the sophisticated interpretations of András Schiff are especially worthwhile for their insights into authentic performance practice and reception. Here, Schiff gives the listener options between a relatively modern sounding version of the Diabelli Variations and a period interpretation, without favoring one or the other. On the first CD he plays the Sonata and the Diabelli Variations on a Bechstein piano from 1921, though with minimal pedaling and a restrained execution that allows every inner voice and subtle dynamic to be appreciated. While this piano is not as hard or bright sounding as a modern Steinway, it is familiar to modern ears and most listeners will readily accept it. On the second CD, Schiff plays the Diabelli Variations, along with the Six Bagatelles, on a smaller sounding Franz Brodmann fortepiano, an original instrument from around 1820, Beethoven's time period.

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.

This is the second two-CD set of Beethoven's ten sonatas for piano and violin performed by violinist Henryk Szeryng and pianist Ingrid Haebler. It includes Beethoven's final five works in this form, including the three sonatas of opus 30, the opus 47 sonata, and the opus 96 sonata.

Now many of the world’s most serious and significant pianists (Schnabel, Serkin, Brendel, Goode, etc.) have devoted a great deal of thoughtful study to the Beethoven sonatas; in general, performance of this music represents a level of erudition and deep contemplation probably unequaled by the works of any other mainstream composer. Serious pianists study every aspect of these works in minute detail; virtually everything is taken into account except those instruments which inspired Beethoven, and which he had in mind when he composed.

In the 1950s these recordings would have given a very up-to-date impression, I imagine; the playing is extremely clean there's never a hint of sentimental violin slides or over-use of the sustaining pedal. But nearly half a century later, perhaps we're more conscious of the old-world virtues Schneiderhan's beautiful legato bowing and gentle vibrato, Kempff's full, unforced tone, and a flexible approach from both artists, with finely graded ritardandos and subtle variations of tempo.

There's some dazzling pianism on display here, but also a rare sensibility that enables Nelson Freire to plumb the depths of Beethoven's slow movements without ever sentimentalising them.

There's some dazzling pianism on display here, but also a rare sensibility that enables Nelson Freire to plumb the depths of Beethoven's slow movements without ever sentimentalising them.