Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 8, 26, 14 & 32

On this CD:

1. Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor ("Pathétique") Op. 13
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Nodar Gabuniya

2. Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat major ("Les Adieux") Op. 81a
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Nodar Gabuniya

3. Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor ("Moonlight"), Op. 27/2
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Nodar Gabuniya

Tracks:

Sonata No.1 In F Minor, Op.2, No.1: I. Allegro
Sonata No.1 In F Minor, Op.2, No.1: II. Adagio
Sonata No.1 In F Minor, Op.2, No.1: III. Menuetto. Allegretto
Sonata No.1 In F Minor, Op.2, No.1: IV. Prestissimo
Sonata No.2 In A Major, Op.2, No.2: I. Allegro vivace
Sonata No.2 In A Major, Op.2, No.2: II. Largo appassionato
Sonata No.2 In A Major, Op.2, No.2: III. Scherzo. Allegretto
Sonata No.2 In A Major, Op.2, No.2: IV. Rondo. Grazioso
Sonata No. 3 In C Major, Op.2, No.3: I. Allegro con brio
Sonata No. 3 In C Major, Op.2, No.3: II. Adagio
Sonata No. 3 In C Major, Op.2, No.3: III. Scherzo. Allegro
Sonata No. 3 In C Major, Op.2, No.3: IV. Allegro assai

Tracks:

Sonata No.5 In C Minor, Op.10, No.1: I. Allegro molto e con brio
Sonata No.5 In C Minor, Op.10, No.1: II. Adagio molto
Sonata No.5 In C Minor, Op.10, No.1: III. Finale. Prestissimo
Sonata No.6 In F Major, Op.10, No.2: I. Allegro
Sonata No.6 In F Major, Op.10, No.2: II. Allegretto
Sonata No.6 In F Major, Op.10, No.2: III. Presto
Sonata No.7 In D Major, Op.10, No.3: I. Presto
Sonata No.7 In D Major, Op.10, No.3: II. Largo e mesto
Sonata No.7 In D Major, Op.10, No.3: III. Menuetto. Allegro
Sonata No.7 In D Major, Op.10, No.3: IV. Rondo. Allegro
Sonata No.12 In A-Flat Major, Op.26: I. Andante con Variazioni
Sonata No.12 In A-Flat Major, Op.26: II. Scherzo. Allegro molto
Sonata No.12 In A-Flat Major, Op.26: III. Marcia funebre sulla morte d'un Eroe
Sonata No.12 In A-Flat Major, Op.26: IV. Allegro

Tracks:

SONATA NO.8 IN C MINOR, OP.13 'PATHETIQUE': I. Grave - Allegro di molto e com brio
SONATA NO.8 IN C MINOR, OP.13 'PATHETIQUE': II. Adatio cantabile
SONATA NO.8 IN C MINOR, OP.13 'PATHETIQUE': III. Rondo. Allegro
Sonata No.9 In E Major, Op.14, No. 1: I . Allegro
Sonata No.9 In E Major, Op.14, No. 1: II. Allegretto
Sonata No.9 In E Major, Op.14, No. 1: III. Rondo. Allegro comodo
Sonata No.10 In G Major, Op.14, No.2: I. Allegro
Sonata No.10 In G Major, Op.14, No.2: II. Andante
Sonata No.10 In G Major, Op.14, No.2: III. Scherzo. Allegro assai
Sonata No.13 In E-Flat Major, Op.27, No.1: I. Andante - Allegro - Tempo I. - attacca:
Sonata No.13 In E-Flat Major, Op.27, No.1: II. Allegro molto e vivace - attacca:
Sonata No.13 In E-Flat Major, Op.27, No.1: III. Adagio con espressione - attacca:
Sonata No.13 In E-Flat Major, Op.27, No.1: IV. Allegro vivace
Sonata No.14 In C-Sharp Minor, Op.27, No.2 'Moonlight': I. Adagio sostenuto - attacca:
Sonata No.14 In C-Sharp Minor, Op.27, No.2 'Moonlight': II. Allegretto - attacca:
Sonata No.14 In C-Sharp Minor, Op.27, No.2 'Moonlight': III. Presto agitato

Customer Reviews:

A joke.......2005-07-15

Glenn Gould fans have got to be the most annoying people on the planet. As for the sonatas, I don't even know why they are stretched out over three disc, they could've compressed them down to one with no quality loss.

Everything you will get out of listening to these can be gotten from the Amazon.com preview samples. Listen, have a laugh, and save yourself some money.

worth a listen but there are better recordings.......2005-06-21

This is actually a review for vols. I and II. Just in general, Gould's style is fantastic for some of the sonatas but is really inappropriate for others.
His portamento (detached) presto/prestissimo playing makes the "Tempest" sonata the best version I've ever heard but really makes the "Pathetique" seem rushed and totally without feeling.
I mostly bought vol. II for the last 3 sonatas (op. 109, 110 and 111). I figured the most unusual and most "un-Beethovanic" of the sonatas deserved the most unusual interpretation, and I wasn't disappointed. They are clear and with good "diction", fast where appropriate but also slow and legato where melodic and flowing. Even in the most technically difficult sections Gould, in typical contrapunctal style, weaves the different voices in and out of the melody holding to his philosophy that "Every voice is important".
Probably the most disappointing of all the recordings on these 2 sets is the "Appassionata". Playing it through at practice speed does nothing for the passion, depth and beauty of this piece and only serves to exemplify Gould's hatred for it. (Typically, if Gould hated a piece, he would play it through either blindingly fast and without regard for dynamics or lethargically slow to heighten its inferiority and "boringness".
The "moonlight" seems a little fast, esp. the first movement, but it might be Gould's literal interpretation of 2/2 time. The 3rd movement is at breakneck speed that some people might like.
I actually prefer the romantic-style playing of R. Serkin, Brendel and Horowicz for this piece.
Listen to the 2nd movement of the #13 where the left and right hands are playing parallel arpeggios. In the 1st section the notes are played together but in the second section the hands are staggered by an 8th (the left hand plays the note 1/8th before the right). I have never heard a piano make that kind of ethereal echoing sound and, I suppose, it probably cannot be reproduced without the kind of fast detached playing that only Gould could do.
So, no one recording artist has the best performance of all the Beethoven sonatas. With Gould, you'll get excellent interpretations of some of the lesser known works and less adherence to the romantic style of the better known "named" sonatas.

Very Interesting.......2005-04-01

This is one of the most interesting CD's I've ever listened to. Gould's playing is unique; sometimes he makes Beethoven sound almost as if he had lived in Bach's days.

I'd recommand that you compare Gould's first movement of the first sonata to that of any good "conventional" pianist (Goode, Kovacevich, Brendel, Kempff, Ashkenazy, to name a few; too bad Gilels died before he could record it). Some of you might find Gould's approach worthy indeed.

Gould Realizes Beethoven..........2005-01-17

These are great recordings. Gould realizes Beethoven: he sees what's there, not merely playing the notes, but understanding the vision. He takes some movements very briskly; others, he expands to a heavenly length.

Frequently, these earlier works of Beethoven are marginalized by his later, greater works; still, these pieces are works of pure art, and Gould sees this and brings them to vivid life.

About the sound: these tracks were recorded over a 15-year period. Sony has done a wonderful job with its "Super Bit Mapping" techne; still, there are a few quirks embedded in the recordings which cannot be removed: specifically, a little "ticking" from Gould's Steinway on the '60s tracks. At that time, Gould was tinkering with his piano to achieve a certain feel to the keys--a kind of immediacy and tactile ease of stroke--by removing the bushings which padded the key mechanism. As a result, he got the feel he wanted, but was also stuck with "ticking" keys. This doesn't bother me, as the results speak for themselves: an aesthetic vision of unparalleled ecstasy. Nevertheless, the "ticks" are audible sometimes: it's part of the art and vision.

no 'original intent'.......2004-05-02

Gould's interpretations compliment the complaints I've read, about 'original intent' by introducing his own - one that has worked itself thru the entirety of Modernism and that seems to have maintained momentum, even past death...into OUR present. The digits march to our more open sense of time - space is a suspension, like in a Ran Blake cd - these are Beethoven Sonatas that Babbitt or Bartok could have composed at a minimalist cafe`.

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 8, 14, 15, 17, 21, 23, 26 [Germany]

Average customer rating:

Historic recordings by a legendary pianist

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 8, 14, 15, 17, 21, 23, 26 [Germany]
Wilhelm Backhaus
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
ASIN: B000066SBC
Release Date: 2005-07-07

Tracks:

Piano Sonata No.8 In C Minor, Op.13 'Pathetique'
Piano Sonata No.14 In C Sharp Minor, Op.27 No.2 'Moonlight'
Piano Sonata No.23 In F Minor, Op.57 'Appassionata'
Piano Sonata No.26 In E Flat Major, Op.81a 'Les Adieux'
Piano Sonata No.15 In D Major, Op.28 'Pastoral'
Piano Sonata No.17 In D Minor, Op31 No.2 'Tempest'
Piano Sonata No.21 In C Major, Op.53 'Waldstein'

Customer Reviews:

Historic recordings by a legendary pianist.......2007-02-16

The veteran Beethovenian Wilhelm Backhaus (b. 1884, just two years after Schnabel) was in his mid 70s when the earliest of these wonderful stereo recordings was made in 1959. so what we get in this two-disc set is a rare, hi-fi glimpse of a prolific and legendary performer with 19th century roots and a ton of 20th century experience. Backhaus rewards his listeners with a mature, even autumnal artistic sensibility which suffers no corresponding lack of youthful vibrancy. I would describe these as authoritative performances. Nice sound, too.

Incidentally, in my set, Disc 1 is mislabeled Disc 2, and vice-versa. This minor glitch notwithstanding, the set earns my most enthusiastic recommendation!

Listen and understand.

Beethoven ~ Die Klaviersonaten ~ The Piano Sonatas ~ Les Sonates pour Piano Nos. 1-15 ~ Barenboim

Average customer rating:

Beethoven ~ Die Klaviersonaten ~ The Piano Sonatas ~ Les Sonates pour Piano Nos. 1-15 ~ Barenboim

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000001G5E
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks: