Sonatas For Piano And Cello

On this CD:

1. Sonata for cello & piano No. 2 in G minor, Op. 5/2
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Howard Moody, David Watkin

2. Sonata for cello & piano No. 3 in A major, Op. 69
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Howard Moody, David Watkin

3. Sonata for cello & piano No. 5 in D major, Op. 102/2
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Howard Moody, David Watkin

Tracks:

Piano Sonata In C Major, K. 46d: 1. Allegro
Piano Sonata In C Major, K. 46d: 2. Menuetto I - II
Piano Sonata In F Major, K. 46e: 1. Allegro
Piano Sonata In F Major, K. 46e: 2. Menuetto
Piano Sonata In C Major, K. 279: 1. Allegro
Piano Sonata In C Major, K. 279: 2. Andante
Piano Sonata In C Major, K. 279: 3. Allegro
Piano Sonata In F Major, K. 280: 1. Allegro assai
Piano Sonata In F Major, K. 280: 2. Adagio
Piano Sonata In F Major, K. 280: 3. Presto
Piano Sonata In B Flat Major, K. 281: 1. Allegro
Piano Sonata In B Flat Major, K. 281: 2. Andante amoroso
Piano Sonata In B Flat Major, K. 281: 3. Rondeau. Allegro
Piano Sonata In E Flat Major, K. 282: 1. Adagio
Piano Sonata In E Flat Major, K. 282: 2. Menuetto I - II
Piano Sonata In E Flat Major, K. 282: 3. Allegro

Tracks:

Piano Sonata In G Major, K. 283: 1. Allegro
Piano Sonata In G Major, K. 283: 2. Andante
Piano Sonata In G Major, K. 283: 3. Presto
Piano Sonata In D Major, K. 284: 1. Allegro
Piano Sonata In D Major, K. 284: 2. Rondo en Polonaise. Andante
Piano Sonata In D Major, K. 284: 3. Andante - Thema - Variations I-XII
Piano Sonata In C Major, K. 309: 1. Allegro con spirito
Piano Sonata In C Major, K. 309: 2. Andante un poco adagio
Piano Sonata In C Major, K. 309: 3. Rondeau. Allegretto grazioso
Piano Sonata In D Major, K. 311: 1. Allegro con spirito
Piano Sonata In D Major, K. 311: 2. Andante con espressione
Piano Sonata In D Major, K. 311: 3. Rondo. Allegro

Tracks:

Piano Sonata In A Minor, K. 310: 1. Allegro maestoso
Piano Sonata In A Minor, K. 310: 2. Andante cantabile con espressione
Piano Sonata In A Minor, K. 310: 3. Presto
Piano Sonata In C Major, K. 330: 1. Allegro moderato
Piano Sonata In C Major, K. 330: 2. Andante cantabile
Piano Sonata In C Major, K. 330: 3. Allegretto
Piano Sonata In A Major, K. 331: 1. Andante grazioso - Thema - Variations I - VI
Piano Sonata In A Major, K. 331: 2. Menuetto - Trio
Piano Sonata In A Major, K. 331: 3. Alla turca. Allegretto

Tracks:

Piano Sonata In F Major, K. 332: 1. Allegro
Piano Sonata In F Major, K. 332: 2. Adagio
Piano Sonata In F Major, K. 332: 3. Allegro assai
Piano Sonata In B Flat Major, K. 333: 1. Allegro
Piano Sonata In B Flat Major, K. 333: 2. Andante cantabile
Piano Sonata In B Flat Major, K. 333: 3. Allegretto grazioso
Fantasia In C Minor, K. 475: Adagio - Allegro - Andantino - Piu allegro - Primo tempo
Piano Sonata In C Minor, K. 457: 1. Molto allegro
Piano Sonata In C Minor, K. 457: 2. Adagio
Piano Sonata In C Minor, K. 457: 3. Allegro assai

Tracks:

Piano Sonata In F Major, K. 533: 1. Allegro (K. 533)
Piano Sonata In F Major, K. 533: 2. Andante (K. 533)
Piano Sonata In F Major, K. 533: 3. Rondo. Allegretto (K. 494)
Piano Sonata In C Major, K. 545: 1. Allegro
Piano Sonata In C Major, K. 545: 2. Andante
Piano Sonata In C Major, K. 545: 3. Rondo. Allegretto
Piano Sonata In B Flat Major, K. 570: 1. Allegro
Piano Sonata In B Flat Major, K. 570: 2. Adagio
Piano Sonata In B Flat Major, K. 570: 3. Allegretto
Piano Sonata In D Major, K. 576: 1. Allegro
Piano Sonata In D Major, K. 576: 2. Adagio
Piano Sonata In D Major, K. 576: 3. Allegretto

Customer Reviews:

Yes, perfect.......2007-07-11

Fabulous music. Simple, direct, un-affected peformances that are a delight to listen-to over and over again. At times the playing is utterly sublime. These performances are technically perfect in a smooth sense - and totally absorbing.

Mozart-A prisoner of his own time........2006-09-08

If you were to clump all of the composers of the classical era together, mix them up, and listen to them willy-nilly in a blind hearing test, you'll never be able to tell the difference between them... until you hear Mozart. Mozart's era was not rich in harmony. To me, Haydn wrote the same symphony over and over. Stamitz and Gossec... love 'em, but they were also prisoners of this classical harmony. But Mozart was able to put his fingerprint on all of his music. You can pick his music out blindly with ease because it is unmistakingly Mozart. That's why we have a mostly Mozart festival and not a mostly Kraus (who?) festival.

As this cd shows, Mozart's music was sublime. But even he struggled with using this "harmony of the day". If you were to study the catalogues of Mozart's symphonies, sonatas, and chamber music, let's face it; you would hear a lot of turkies before you made it to the peacocks. We would have to wait until Chopin until the harmonies fattened up a little.

Having said that, you have to completely hail Mozart for taking what was available to him in his day and creating some of the most sublime music with it. It would be like for the next ten years all the world had available to eat was peas, and 200 years from now one man became immortal for the many interesting ways he was able to manipulate peas into a meal.

Good music and good value.......2006-08-28

Bought this for my son who is learning to play piano. Lots of good music, not too expensive.

Five and a half hours of joy for not much bucks.......2005-11-11

This is just about the best money I've ever spent on music. I love Eschenbach's interpretations: tenderness and emotional intimacy in spades---and dazzling effects without self-consciousness or "athletic" display of technique. I would say that he "lets Mozart be Mozart," except that these interpretations have so much personality that Eschenbach's own life-energy must be coming through. I just think that his own personality complements Mozart's perfectly.

FINALLY.......2004-08-05

I've searched the world over for a box set of all of Mozart's piano sonatas that I liked. The first one I heard was the Glenn Gould version, which in retrospect was not so smart. I like his playing but he hums into the mic during the recording. Real smart.

Anyways, Eschenbach plays these with all the virtuosity and feeling they demand. My favorite piano sonata is Mozart's 12th and he plays it flawlessly; the only thing remotely lacking is that he doesn't quite dig in as much as Alicia de la Roccha does when she plays it on the Allegro movement, but he more than makes up for it with his playing on the Adagio movement.

If it's not your cup of tea it might be worthwhile getting the de la Roccha box set, but personally I think the Eschenbach recording is the best out of all of them.

Average customer rating:

really like it

Cello Adagios

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Violin Adagios
Guitar Adagios
Baroque Adagios
Movie Adagios
Romantic Adagios

ASIN: B0001WU1QK
Release Date: 2004-05-11

Tracks:

Carnival Of The Animals - Bruno Canino
Vocalise, Op.34 No.14 - Lynn Harrell
Thais - Julian Lloyd Webber
Adagio - Janos Starker
Apres Un Reve - Bruno Canino
Adagio - Julian Lloyd Webber
Ave Maria - Julian Lloyd Webber
Adagio - Julian Lloyd Webber
Traumerei (Dreaming) - Bruno Canino
Notturno: Andante - Julian Lloyd Webber
Sicilienne - Bruno Canino
An Die Musik, D547 - Bruno Canino
Reverie - Julian Lloyd Webber
Prayer - Bruno Canino
Ebben? Ne Andro Lontana - Bruno Canino
Salut D'amour, Op.12 - Bruno Canino
Valse Sentimentale, Op.15 No.6 - Samuel Sanders
Kol Nidrei, Op.47 - Julian Lloyd Webber

Tracks:

Air (Air On A G String) - Julian Lloyd Webber
Clair De Lune - Julian Lloyd Webber
Elegie, Op.24 - Jullian Lloyd Webber
Andante - Heinrich Schiff
Romance In D Minor, Op.62 - Julian Lloyd Webber
Beau Soir - Bruno Canino
Sicilienne, Op.78 - Bruno Canino
Panis Angelicus - Julian Lloyd Webber
Nocturne In E Flat Major, Op.9 No.2 - Julian Lloyd Webber
Cantabile - Samuel Sanders
Liebesleid - Samuel Sanders
Adagio Ma Non Troppo - Janos Starker
Bereuse - Julian Lloyd Webber
Cantilena - Julian Lloyd Webber
Melodie, Op.20 No.1 - Julian Lloyd Webber

Customer Reviews:

really like it.......2007-03-05

This is the first classical cd I have ever bought. The two-disc album was a great price. I really love the performance of Lynn Harrell. I like the collection of Adagios because they are perfect to fall asleep to or study to.

Average customer rating:

a beautiful expression of a musical dialogue in the great Romantic fashion...
Good, but not great.
Beautiful, just beautiful!
THIS ONE WILL GROW ON YOU
When the Rich Russian Sound Meets the Soulful German....

Brahms: The Cello Sonatas

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Rostropovich, Master Cellist
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ASIN: B000001G4M
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Sonate fur Klavier und Violoncello e-moll Op. 38: 1. Allegro non troppo
Sonate fur Klavier und Violoncello e-moll Op. 38: 2. Allegretto quasi Menuetto
Sonate fur Klavier und Violoncello e-moll Op. 38: 3. Allegro
Sonate fur Klavier und Violoncello F-dur Op. 99: 1. Allegro vivace
Sonate fur Klavier und Violoncello F-dur Op. 99: 2. Adagio affettuoso
Sonate fur Klavier und Violoncello F-dur Op. 99: 3. Allegro passionato
Sonate fur Klavier und Violoncello F-dur Op. 99: 4. Allegro molto

Customer Reviews:

a beautiful expression of a musical dialogue in the great Romantic fashion..........2007-05-20

Two of classical musics most remarkable artists meet at the full blossoming of thier careers: Mstislav Rostropovich who plays out the sadness of these pieces in his natural Russian style, and Rudolf Serkin who plays flawlessly.

These sonatas for cello and piano make for a beautiful expression of a musical dialogue in the great Romantic fashion, and I am not even a very big fan of Brahms.

Good, but not great........2005-01-22

While this recording is performed well, after listening to Jacqueline Dupré's rendition of this piece it is hard to rate this performance with the full five stars. Dupré takes the music to another level with even richer tones and smoother legatos. Another difference when comparing these two recordings is the coordination between the cellist and the accompanist. Dupré played with her husband, the pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim. Those two connect at a much deeper level than the pair in Rostropovich's recording, who at times are clearly not together. However, this review is by no means intended as an affront on Rostropovich's clearly masterful abilities as a cellist. It is just that in the comparison of the two recordings, I feel that Ms. Dupré's passionate and more liberal style of play better suits this particular piece.

Beautiful, just beautiful!.......2004-01-16

I have never cared much for Brahm's music. Yet, I play this cd over and over again. The music is glorious and because of this recording, I have started to sample more of his works. This is a cd truly worth owning.

THIS ONE WILL GROW ON YOU.......2003-08-15

The balance is not quite right, with the cello too prominent, but once I got used to that the performances started to take me over. Here we have two of the greatest classical interpreters of their time taking us into the special world of Brahms, and they had me thinking about the composer in a way I have not done in years. Most books and articles I have read about him have a lot to say about Beethoven, but I really doubt whether Brahms's music would have been much different if Beethoven had never lived. Both consciously and by instinct, Brahms was the guardian of the great German musical tradition embodied above all in Bach -- a tradition where pure 'absolute' music expressed itself through an intellectual apparatus of polyphonic and structural devices. Since Bach's time Haydn and Mozart had perfected for instrumental music a compositional system usually called the 'sonata' style. Beethoven had naturally picked this up, but what he forced on to it was a special dimension of highly personalised expression, and it is precisely this way of treating it that Brahms turned his back on. With him we are back, in his own deeply original way, to music using the composer to express ITself.

I seem to find that Brahms gets more instinctive understanding from performers than Beethoven does, and I believe quite simply that that is because he understands himself better than Beethoven does himself. Teetering on the verge of incoherence at times was all part of Beethoven's unique greatness, and it is not disrespectful -- quite the reverse -- to say so. I have heard far more good performances than bad ones of these two wonderful sonatas, and the special meaning these particular accounts have for me is not something that I felt at first hearing. When a pianist of very special and unusual gifts is aged 80 or so and has retained his technique and evenness of touch, when he has spent a lifetime developing an austere and uncompromising vision of the instrumental music that we normally think of as being the 'greatest', when he studies completely afresh the works he is to perform with the greatest cellist of the next generation, there is a good chance we are going to get something very special, and I do not believe I am imagining it. This is a totally unique artistic combination offering a very special -- not eccentric in any way but still very special -- insight into a composer that many of us know by heart without really getting our minds round the phenomenon he represents. This record is a milestone in my musical pilgrimage and maybe it will be in yours.

When the Rich Russian Sound Meets the Soulful German...........2001-04-11

From the very first note of the e minor sonata, one can notice how perfectly the warmth and control in Rostropovich's sound match the cogitating works of Brahms. In such maturiy and wisdom gained over many a decade, there are things to learn from this recording. The full and rich, yet sensitive tone draws the listener through every movement with assuarance and thrill, and the complete control -- especially apparent in the unhurried tempi -- of both of these maestros should be especially admired. Of course, control and maturity do not mean lack of passion and vigour by any means; the series of robust broken chords of the first movement of the E minor sonata, and the passionate third movement of the F major sonata are no less powerful than any younger perfomers' recordings, if not greater. This is a recording to be enjoyed and studied by all.

Average customer rating:

Amazing

Brahms: Cello Sonatas
Brahms , Yo-Yo Ma , and Emanuel Ax
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0001TSWLE
Release Date: 2004-04-20

Tracks:

Allegro Non Troppo
Allegretto Quasi Menuetto
Allegro
Allegro Vivace
Adagio Affettuoso
Allegro Passionato
Allegro Molto

Customer Reviews:

Amazing.......2005-03-24

Some people may say Yo-Yo Ma is overrated, unprofessional, and most of his fame is due to his name. I, sadly, used to be a believer in this notion, but I realized that I was terribly wrong. Yo-Yo Ma played a concert on TV along with Itzhak Perlman, and it was one of the most professional displays of musicianship I have ever seen. Every note and every gesture seemed deeply inspired, and he seemed to have a very firm grasp on what the music was about. This CD is no exception. Every song is wonderfully performed, and the sound quality is great.

Average customer rating:

Consistently and superbly musical
Lovely Cello Sonatas with a Wonderful Surprise at the end..
Absolutely superb!!!

Beethoven: The Cello Sonatas

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00004WGEX
Release Date: 2001-03-13

Tracks:

Cello Sonata No. 1 In F Major, Op. 5 No. 1: I. Adagio sostenuto-
Cello Sonata No. 1 In F Major, Op. 5 No. 1: Allegro
Cello Sonata No. 1 In F Major, Op. 5 No. 1: II. Rondo: Allegro vivace
Cello Sonata No. 2 In G Minor, Op. 5 No. 2: I. Adagio sostenuto ed espressivo-
Cello Sonata No. 2 In G Minor, Op. 5 No. 2: Allegro molto, piu tosto presto
Cello Sonata No. 2 In G Minor, Op. 5 No. 2: II. Rondo: Allegro

Tracks:

Cello Sonata No. 3 In A Major, Op. 69: I. Allegro ma non tanto
Cello Sonata No. 3 In A Major, Op. 69: II. Scherzo: Allegro molto
Cello Sonata No. 3 In A Major, Op. 69: III. Adagio cantabile-
Cello Sonata No. 3 In A Major, Op. 69: Allegro vivace
Cello Sonata No. 4 In C Major, Op. 102 No. 1: I. Andante-
Cello Sonata No. 4 In C Major, Op. 102 No. 1: Allegro vivace
Cello Sonata No. 4 In C Major, Op. 102 No. 1: II. Adagio-
Cello Sonata No. 4 In C Major, Op. 102 No. 1: Tempo d'andante-
Cello Sonata No. 4 In C Major, Op. 102 No. 1: Allegro vivace
Cello Sonata No. 5 In D Major, Op. 102 No. 2: I. Allegro con brio
Cello Sonata No. 5 In D Major, Op. 102 No. 2: II. Adagio con molto sentimento d'affetto
Cello Sonata No. 5 In D Major, Op. 102 No. 2: III. Allegro - Allegro fugato
Horn Sonata In F Major, Op. 17: I. Allegro moderato - Barry Tuckwell
II. Poco adagio, quasi andante- - Barry Tuckwell
Rondo: Allegro moderato - Barry Tuckwell

Customer Reviews:

Consistently and superbly musical.......2004-05-17

There is little more one could ask for in these buoyant, dramatic, glowing and felicitous performances by cellist Lynn Harrell and pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy. They simply take off because of their marvelously unforced style of play, which at various moments can be commanding, poetic and even aristocratic. Both soloists also manifest an extremely satisfying instrumental tone, especially Harrell, whose cello sounds absolutely golden, and who frequently demonstrates the ability to truly sing and soar. And with Ashkenazy's wonderfully fluid approach, the two offer readings that, for me, outdo Rostropovich/Richter and Tortelier/Heidsieck, who both present fine offerings. Though Rostropovich possesses that wonderful, big sounding tone, in these sonatas he tends to pass over phrases too quickly for me. I prefer a bit of lingering here. At times, Richter also plays too fast. With regard to the Tortelier/Heidsieck duo, they tend to render marginally more extended pauses, deliberate accents and a slower, more deliberate pace. Also, while an excellent cellist, Tortelier lacks Harrell's opulent tone that I so revel in. There are so many satisfying moments in this Harrell/Ashkenazy set that it would take me longer than I would like to point them out, but listen, in particular, to the splendid opus 69 Third Sonata. Perhaps, this represents the two players at their finest in terms of both quality of expressiveness and instrumental interplay. Some real magic unfolds here. Overall, you will find it difficult to do better than these uplifting and extremely pleasurable accounts of these musical gems from Beethoven. Incidentally, the recorded sound on these discs is very fine, and exceeds that which is afforded the others in their presentations.

Lovely Cello Sonatas with a Wonderful Surprise at the end.........2004-02-19

This was the first time I met these Sonatas.
Actually, when I bought this disc, Because of the Title:
Cello Sonatas
I thought I was going to hear Sonatas for Cello Solo,
Like the Suites By Bach...
I Quickly fell in love with the Cello Sonatas, esspecially
the last three...
And what a Beautiful surprise it was to hear the Magnificent
and Charming Horn Sonata Op. 17 !
The Three Musicians Play extremly well!
esspecially Ashkenazy with his light touch
and Tuckwell with his inthusiastic (I hope I spelled it right)
Playing!

Absolutely superb!!!.......2003-12-19

A truly wonderful recording,with the right combination of technical perfection coupled with emotion. And the addition of the Opus 17 Horn sonata was a good choice. Ashkenazy and Harrell are in top form (as is Tuckwell). This collection is an absolute must.

Beethoven: The Complete Piano Sonatas & Concertos

Average customer rating:

The one collection I cannot imagine being without
MASTERY
Magisterial... mystical
Beethoven + Arrau = Divinity
Beethoven himself would be proud.

Beethoven: The Complete Piano Sonatas & Concertos
Claudio Arrau , Janos Starker , Ludwig van Beethoven , Bernard Haitink , Eliahu Inbal , Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam , New Philharmonia Orchestra , and Henryk Szeryng
Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000C2F7
Release Date: 1999-11-09

Tracks:

Piano Sonata No. 1 In F Minor, Op. 2 No. 1: 1 Allegro
Piano Sonata No. 1 In F Minor, Op. 2 No. 1: 2. Adagio
Piano Sonata No. 1 In F Minor, Op. 2 No. 1: 3. Menuetto. Allegretto
Piano Sonata No. 1 In F Minor, Op. 2 No. 1: 4. Prestissimo
Piano Sonata No. 2 In A, Op. 2 No. 2: 1. Allegro vivace
Piano Sonata No. 2 In A, Op. 2 No. 2: 2. Largo appassionato
Piano Sonata No. 2 In A, Op. 2 No. 2: 3. Scherzo. Allegretto
Piano Sonata No. 2 In A, Op. 2 No. 2: 4. Rondo. Grazioso
Piano Sonata No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 10 No. 1: 1. Allegro molto e con brio
Piano Sonata No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 10 No. 1: 2. Adagio molto
Piano Sonata No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 10 No. 1: 3. Finale. Prestissimo
Piano Sonata No. 19 In G Minor, Op. 49 No. 1: 1. Andante
Piano Sonata No. 19 In G Minor, Op. 49 No. 1: 2. Rondo. Allegro

Tracks:

Piano Sonata No.3 In C, Op.2 No.3: 1. Allegro con brio
Piano Sonata No.3 In C, Op.2 No.3: 2. Adagio
Piano Sonata No.3 In C, Op.2 No.3: 3. Scherzo. Allegro
Piano Sonata No.3 In C, Op.2 No.3: 4. Allegro assai
Piano Sonata No.4 In E Flat, Op.7: 1. Allegro molto e con brio
Piano Sonata No.4 In E Flat, Op.7: 2. Largo, con gran espressione
Piano Sonata No.4 In E Flat, Op.7: 3. Allegro
Piano Sonata No.4 In E Flat, Op.7: 4. Rondo. Poco allegretto e grazioso
6 Piano Veriations In F On An Original Theme, Op.34

Tracks:

Piano Sonata No.6 In F, Op.10 No.2: 1. Allegro
Piano Sonata No.6 In F, Op.10 No.2: 2. Allegretto
Piano Sonata No.6 In F, Op.10 No.2: 3. Presto
Piano Sonata No.7 In D, Op.10 No.3: 1. Presto
Piano Sonata No.7 In D, Op.10 No.3: 2. Largo e mesto
Piano Sonata No.7 In D, Op.10 No.3: 3. Menuetto. Allegro
Piano Sonata No.7 In D, Op.10 No.3: 4. Rondo. Allegro
Piano Sonata No.8 in C minor, Op.13 'Pathetique': 1. Grave - Allegro di molto e con brio
Piano Sonata No.8 in C minor, Op.13 'Pathetique': 2. Adagio cantabile
Piano Sonata No.8 in C minor, Op.13 'Pathetique': 3. Rondo. Allegro
Piano Sonata No.9 In E, Op.14 No.2: 1. Allegro
Piano Sonata No.9 In E, Op.14 No.2: 2. Allegretto
Piano Sonata No.9 In E, Op.14 No.2: 3. Rondo. Allegro comodo

Tracks:

Piano Sonata No.10 In G, Op.14 No.2: 1. Allegro
Piano Sonata No.10 In G, Op.14 No.2: 2. Andante
Piano Sonata No.10 In G, Op.14 No.2: 3. Scherzo. Allegro assai
Piano Sonata No.11 In B Falt, Op.22: 1. Allegro con brio
Piano Sonata No.11 In B Falt, Op.22: 2. Adagio con molta espressione
Piano Sonata No.11 In B Falt, Op.22: 3. Minuetto
Piano Sonata No.11 In B Falt, Op.22: 4. Rondo. Allegretto
Piano Sonata No.12 In A Flat, Op.26: 1. Andante con Variazioni
Piano Sonata No.12 In A Flat, Op.26: 2. Scherzo. Allegro molto
Piano Sonata No.12 In A Flat, Op.26: 3. Marcia Funebre sulla morte d'un Eroe
Piano Sonata No.12 In A Flat, Op.26: 4. Allegro
Piano Sonata No.25 In G, Op.79: 1. Presto alla tedesca
Piano Sonata No.25 In G, Op.79: 2. Andante
Piano Sonata No.25 In G, Op.79: 3. Vivace

Tracks:

Piano Sonata No.13 In E Flat, Op.27 No.1: 1. Andante - Allegro - Tempo I
Piano Sonata No.13 In E Flat, Op.27 No.1: 2. Allegro molto e vivace
Piano Sonata No.13 In E Flat, Op.27 No.1: 3. Adagio con espressione
Piano Sonata No.13 In E Flat, Op.27 No.1: 4. Allegro vivace - Tempo I - Presto
Piano Sonata No.14 In C Sharp Minor, Op.27 No.2 'Moonlight': 1. Adagio sostenuto
Piano Sonata No.14 In C Sharp Minor, Op.27 No.2 'Moonlight': 2. Allegrettro
Piano Sonata No.14 In C Sharp Minor, Op.27 No.2 'Moonlight': 3. Presto agitato
Piano Sonata No.15 In D, Op.28 'Pastorale': 1. Allegro
Piano Sonata No.15 In D, Op.28 'Pastorale': 2. Andante
Piano Sonata No.15 In D, Op.28 'Pastorale': 3. Scherzo. Allegro vivace
Piano Sonata No.15 In D, Op.28 'Pastorale': 4. Rondo. Allegro ma non troppo
Piano Sonata No. 22 In F, Op.54: 1. In Tempo d'un Menuetto
Piano Sonata No. 22 In F, Op.54: 2. Allegretto

Tracks:

Piano Sonata No.16 In G, Op.31 No.1: 1. Allegro vivace
Piano Sonata No.16 In G, Op.31 No.1: 2. Adagio grazioso
Piano Sonata No.16 In G, Op.31 No.1: 3. Rondo. Allegretto
Piano Sonata No.17 In D Minor, Op.31 No.2 'Tempest': 1. Largo - Allegro
Piano Sonata No.17 In D Minor, Op.31 No.2 'Tempest': 2. Adagio
Piano Sonata No.17 In D Minor, Op.31 No.2 'Tempest': 3. Allegretto
Piano Sonata No.18 In E Flat, Op.31 No.3: 1. Allegro
Piano Sonata No.18 In E Flat, Op.31 No.3: 2. Scherzo. Alllegretto vivace
Piano Sonata No.18 In E Flat, Op.31 No.3: 3. Menuetto. Moderato e grazioso
Piano Sonata No.18 In E Flat, Op.31 No.3: 4. Presto con fuoco

Tracks:

Piano Sonata No.21 In C, Op.53 'Waldstein': 1. Allegro con brio
Piano Sonata No.21 In C, Op.53 'Waldstein': 2. Introduzione. Adagio molto - Rondo. Allegretto moderato - Prestissimo
15 Piano Variations And Fugue In E Flat, Op.35 'Eroica' Variations: Inroduzione col Basso del Tema. Allegretto vivace
15 Piano Variations And Fugue In E Flat, Op.35 'Eroica' Variations: Variazioni I-XV
15 Piano Variations And Fugue In E Flat, Op.35 'Eroica' Variations: Finale. Alla Fuga. Allegro con brio - Andante con moto
32 Piano Variations In C Minor On An Original Theme, WoO 80
Rondo In G, Op.51 No.2

Tracks:

Piano Sonata No.23 In F Minor, Op.57 'Appassionata': 1. Allegro assai
Piano Sonata No.23 In F Minor, Op.57 'Appassionata': 2. Andante con moto
Piano Sonata No.23 In F Minor, Op.57 'Appassionata': 3. Allegro ma non troppo
Piano Sonata No.24 In F Sharp, Op.78 'For Therese': 1. Adagio cantabile - Allegro ma non troppo
Piano Sonata No.24 In F Sharp, Op.78 'For Therese': 2. Allegro vivace
Piano Sonata No.26 In E Flat, Op.81a 'Les adieux': 1. Das Lebewohl. Adagio - Allegro
Piano Sonata No.26 In E Flat, Op.81a 'Les adieux': 2. Abwesenheit. Andante espressivo
Piano Sonata No.26 In E Flat, Op.81a 'Les adieux': 3. Das Wiedersehn. Vivacissimamente
Piano Sonata No.27 In E Minor, Op.90: 1. Mit Lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit Empfindung und Ausdruck
Piano Sonata No.27 In E Minor, Op.90: 2. Nicht zu geschwind und sehr singbar vorgetragen
Piano Sonata No.20 In G, Op.49 No.2: 1. Allegro, ma non troppo
Piano Sonata No.20 In G, Op.49 No.2: 2. Tempo di Menuetto

Tracks:

Piano Sonata No.28 In A, Op.101: 1. Etwas lebhaft und mit der innigsten Empfindung. Allegretto, ma non troppo
Piano Sonata No.28 In A, Op.101: 2. Lebhaft. Marschmassig. Vivace alla Marcia
Piano Sonata No.28 In A, Op.101: 3. Langsam, und sehnsuchtsvoll. Adagio, ma non troppo, con affetto
Piano Sonata No.28 In A, Op.101: 4. Geschwind, doch nicht zu sehr und mit Entschlossenheit. Allegro
Piano Sonata No.29 In B Flat, Op.106 'Hammerklavier': 1. Allegro
Piano Sonata No.29 In B Flat, Op.106 'Hammerklavier': 2 Scherzo. Assai vivace - Presto - Prestissimo - Tempo I
Piano Sonata No.29 In B Flat, Op.106 'Hammerklavier': 3. Adagio sostenuto. Appassionato e con molto sentimento
Piano Sonata No.29 In B Flat, Op.106 'Hammerklavier': 4. Largo - Allegro risoluto

Tracks:

Piano Sonata No.30 In E, Op.109: 1. Vivave, ma non troppo - Adagio espressivo - Tempo I -2. Prestissimo
Piano Sonata No.30 In E, Op.109: 3. Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung. Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo
Piano Sonata No.31 In A Flat, Op.110: 1. Moderato cantabile molto espressivo
Piano Sonata No.31 In A Flat, Op.110: 2. Allegro molto
Piano Sonata No.31 In A Flat, Op.110: 3. Adagio ma non troppo
Piano Sonata No.31 In A Flat, Op.110: 4. Fuga. Allegro ma non troppo
Piano Sonata No.32 In C Minor, Op111: 1. Maestoso - Allegro con brio ed appassionato
Piano Sonata No.32 In C Minor, Op111: 2. Arietta. Adagio molto semplice e cantabile

Tracks:

33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Tema : Vivace - Variation I. Alla marcia maestoso
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation II Poco allegro
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation III L'istesso tempo
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation IV Un poco piu vivace
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation V Allegro vivace
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation VI Allegro ma non troppo e serioso
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation VII Un poco piu allegro
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation VIII Poco vivace
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation IX Allegro pesante e risoluto
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation X Presto
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation XI Allegretto
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation XII Un poco piu moto
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation XIII Vivace
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation XIV Grave e maestoso
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation XV Presto scherzando
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation XVI Allegro
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation XVII
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation XVIII Poco moderato
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation XIX Presto
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation XX Andante
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation XXI Allegro con brio - Meno allegro - Tempo I - Meno allegro
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation XXII Allegro molto alla 'Notte giorno faricar' di Mozart
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation XXIII Allegro assai
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation XXIV Fughetta. Andante
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation XXV Allegro
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation XXVI
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation XXVII Vivace
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation XXVIII Allegro
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation XXIX Adagio ma non troppo
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation XXX Andante sempre cantabile
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation XXXI Largo, molto espressivo
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation XXXII Fuga. Allegro - Poco adagio
33 Piano Variations In C On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli, Op.120: Variation XXXIII Tempo di minuetto moderato

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No.1 In C, Op. 15: 1. Allegro con brio
Piano Concerto No.1 In C, Op. 15: 2. Largo
Piano Concerto No.1 In C, Op. 15: 3. Rondo. Allegro scherzando
Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat, Op.19: 1. Allegro con brio
Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat, Op.19: 2. Adagio
Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat, Op.19: 3. Rondo. Molto allegro

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No.3 in C minor, Op.37: 1. Allegro con brio
Piano Concerto No.3 in C minor, Op.37: 2. Largo
Piano Concerto No.3 in C minor, Op.37: 3. Rondo. Allegro
Piano Concerto No.4 In G, Op.58: 1. Allegro moderato
Piano Concerto No.4 In G, Op.58: 2. Andante con moto
Piano Concerto No.4 In G, Op.58: 3. Rondo. Vivace

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No.5 In E Flat, Op.73 'Emperor': 1. Allegro
Piano Concerto No.5 In E Flat, Op.73 'Emperor': 2. Adagio un poco mosso
Piano Concerto No.5 In E Flat, Op.73 'Emperor': 3. Rondo. Allegro
Triple Concerto For Piano, Violin And Cello In C, Op.56: 1. Allegro
Triple Concerto For Piano, Violin And Cello In C, Op.56: 2. Largo
Triple Concerto For Piano, Violin And Cello In C, Op.56: 3. Rondo alla Polacca

Amazon.com

Claudio Arrau played with seriousness of purpose that could make other pianists seem like dilettantes and with respect for the composer's score that bordered on veneration. He had nothing but scorn for pianists who played the opening of Beethoven's Opus 111 with two hands instead of one because there were fewer risks. If something was technically difficult, Arrau assumed that the composer had written it that way because the difficulties had an expressive value that it was the interpreter's duty to find.

Arrau's devotion to Beethoven is memorialized by this budget-priced, 14-CD collection of his recordings, mostly from the 1960s, of the composer's 32 sonatas, five concertos (with Bernard Haitink conducting the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam), and most important sets of variations. His Beethoven is not always successful. His sometimes ponderous seriousness keeps early works, such as the Sonata No. 3 and the Concerto No. 2, from smiling, and his lack of spontaneity makes the whimsy in Sonata No. 26 and the "Diabelli Variations" sound labored. But in the composer's weightiest works, Arrau can produce revelations. Certainly, no one plays Sonata No. 32 better. The first movement sounds like thunder that comes ever closer and the finale's chains of trills, played with exquisite finish and expressive perfection, transport the listener to a higher realm. If Arrau could be single-minded in his devotion to the composer's score, he also believed that music could encompass everything. When Arrau was at his best--as he frequently is in this set--it does. --Stephen Wigler

Customer Reviews:

The one collection I cannot imagine being without.......2007-01-30

It would be absurd to recommend recommending one Beethoven cycle to the exclusion of all others, yet it is Arrau's cycle to which I repeatedly return, despite some flaws mentioned by other reviewers.

They are flaws which can be forgiven. Scherzi which would be brimming with mirth & vitality in the hands of others may come up short, but it is more than compensated for by the revelations to be found as Arrau explores every aspect of Beethoven at his most profound. There always seems to be something new to be discovered. Flabby? It is hard to imagine how someone could come to this conclusion.

Even the sound quality for recordings dating back into the 1960's has been remastered so as to be acceptable to all but the most spoiled of listeners, who apparently are satisfied only with the most seamless homogenized studio sound. Those who can't get past the slightly imperfect sound quality are focusing on the wrong details.

If the greatness of the performance were not enough, the price should be enough to convince any serious music lover to add these to a CD collection. One cannot overstate how rewarding this collection will be to anyone who does not yet know the artistry of Arrau.

MASTERY.......2007-01-26

One man's viewpoint: Arrau amazes me as he sets the notes down with such clean deliberation! Total command. No matter how fast Beethoven is charging along. And as Arrau gets every note, we find the real Beethoven genius shining through - after all, as raw material, this is some of the finest piano music anywhere. Of course, this playing delivers passion and heart-and-soul communication too. And a sense of commitment and strength.
I suggest this set - with about nine stars! Mastery in art. *** For a lighter, more joyful touch - and great tone - ALSO get hold of O'Conor's set of the 32. I suggest this set - with about nine stars!

Magisterial... mystical.......2006-11-03

I've been listening to Beethoven's sonatas for fifty years and have heard all of them by some, and some of them by all the available recorded performers. Overall, Claudio Arrau is my favorite interpreter of the sonatas. To me he has an inner affinity with Beethoven that is uncanny. Beethoven was a man of great character. And that greatness, detached from his person in the form of musical ideas, enters the listener through intermediaries such as Arrau. When it is done right, it works a sort of righteous therapy, and makes the listener a better person for the hearing.

Arrau describes Beethoven's greatness in his essay "Thoughts on Beethoven" in the 33 1/3 Philips LP edition. "Beethoven has always stood for the spirit of man victorious. His message of endless stuggle concluding in the victory of renewal and spiritual rebirth...his life was an existential fight for survival...In the sense that he mastered both his life and his art to reach the ultimate heights of creation and transfiguration, he will last as long as man's spirit to prevail lasts on this earth." Part of the greatness of Beethoven's character came from his ability to be intimately close and at the same time at an infinite distance above his listener. Arrau possesses this same character, and his qualities as a man and artist are why he is able to so aptly render the greatness of Beethoven.

A book titled "Conversations with Arrau" was written by Joseph Horowitz to celebrate the artists's 80th birthday in 1982. I've only read the extracts published with the Philips edition, but there is enough information to get a feel for Arrau's character. He guarded the purity of his environment. He shunned parties and avoided small talk. He never drank or smoked, never learned to drive a car, boil an egg, or even operate a phonograph. His only hobby was gardening. Horowitz describes him as the embodiment of the nineteenth-century model of the artist as solitary, suffering hero. He was small (5'6") and frail, but in 1982 at age 80 he was still playing more that 70 concerts a season.

Rather than launch a discussion of his individual works (this has been done admirably by many of the reviewers) I will remark on just a few. I never properly appreciated the Fourth and the Seventh Sonatas until I heard Arrau's reading of these works. His Fourth takes 31 minutes, 30 seconds. Annie Fischer, another great interpreter of Beethoven, plays it in 27 minutes, 30 seconds. And Ms. Fischer does not play at a hurried tempo.

Yes, Arrau plays the sonatas at a slower tempo than any other interpreter. He also achieves a mystical quality in his interpretations that is unmatched. The second movement of the Seventh comes in at 10 min, 30 seconds. It is the greatest 10 1/2 minutes of piano music ever conceived. When interpreted by Arrau it becomes a microcosm of Beethoven's life and work. The second movement of the Appassionata is a sacred hymn.

Arrau's five piano concertos are splendid. I've heard no other renditions of the concertos with slow movements that equal Arrau's. No one plays the middle movements with his expressiveness and sense of the numinous. And his rendition of the "Eroica Variations" is on a par with the top few recordings of this piece.

If you have any interest in Beethoven, at whatever level, this bargain is outstanding.

Beethoven + Arrau = Divinity.......2006-10-29

If you love Beethoven, Arrau's interpretation will certainly be a joyful addition to your classical music collection. For me, his is the definitive Beethoven.

Though some will likely disagree, I have listened to many other great pianists' recordings of Beethoven sonatas, and they are great (don't get me wrong). Yet Arrau is unique in his ability to bring to light subtleties in the melodies that no one else can, and these often turn out to be the most enlightening and resonant of passages. His Op. 111 is indeed unparalleled, and his recording of the 2nd movement is one of my favorite pieces in the world. On top of that, his rendition of the Moonlight Sonata, his Waldstein, his Concertos, every recording on this boxed set is a testament to the depth Arrau worked diligently and consciously to achieve; depth that transcends technical showmanship and for the intuitive listener can certainly elicit fleeting glimpses of divine ecstasy.

At any price, it's a steal - beauty of this magnitude is all too rare.

Beethoven himself would be proud........2006-06-19

This is a masterpiece. Don't listen to the one negative review, as this guy is tone deaf. This compilation of Beethoven's music is a treasure to behold. A bargain at twice the price, this is well worth the money. Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!

Average customer rating:

Absolutely Exquisite!
Technique isn't everything
Superb Starker

Italian Cello Sonatas

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Janos Starker
Brahms, Mendelssohn: Cello Sonatas
Starker Encore Album
Janos Starker Virtuoso Music for Cello
The Road To Cello Playing

ASIN: B0000057MG
Release Date: 1994-09-20

Tracks:

Sonata In A Major: 1. Adagio
Sonata In A Major: 2. Allegro
Sonata In E Minor: 1. Largo
Sonata In E Minor: 2. Allegro
Sonata In E Minor: 3. Largo
Sonata In E Minor: 4. Allegro
Sonata In D minor: 1. Preludio
Sonata In D minor: 2. Allemanda
Sonata In D minor: 3. Sarabanda
Sonata In D minor: 4. Giga
Sonata In D Major: 1. Allegro - Locatelli Sonata in D Major
Sonata In D Major: 2. Adagio - Locatelli Sonata in D Major
Sonata In D Major: 3. Minuetto
Sonata In E Major: 1. Grave
Sonata In E Major: 2. Allegro
Sonata In E Major: 3. Allegro (tempo di gavotta)
Sonata In E Major: 4. Largo
Sonata In E Major: 5. Allegro
Sonata In G Minor, BWV 1029: 1. Vivace
Sonata In G Minor, BWV 1029: 2. Adagio
Sonata In G Minor, BWV 1029: 3. Allegro

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely Exquisite!.......2006-10-06

This is a fabulous recording! The music and musicianship are superb. The Vivaldi is soulful and the Locatelli and Valentini sonatas are virtuoso pieces wonderfully played. The third Bach sonata was placed on this CD because it did not fit on the Mercury set with the Bach suites. It is a bit of a change of pace (certainly not an Italian cello sonata!). But Sebok is perhaps the best of Starker's collaborators. Their lifelong friendship and shared musical tastes make this one of the best recordings of this Bach sonata. You have to own this CD if you already own the Mercury edition of the Bach solo suites with the other two Bach sonatas.

I am not sure what the "one star" reviewer was thinking. Perhaps he was expecting Baroque a la Jacqueline DuPre...

Technique isn't everything.......2005-11-27

In this recording, Janos Starker proves what true musicians around the globe already know: technique is definitely not everything. These performances are so bland and dry, but you'll never hear him make a mistake. I'd really rather listen to someone who plays with expression but who makes little errors anyday over Janos. I know he's really highly esteemed in the cello world, but he really oughtta stay away from Baroque. These performances are about as gripping as a Slip-`N-Slide. Add to it that he plays all the music like it's Ravel or Brahms (i like both of them, but way different style); the vibrato machine is constantly on - TURN IT OFF! ARE YOU TRYING TO SOUND LIKE A BEL CANTO OPERA SINGER?, tuning is A440, clanky bright PIANO for accompaniment, no one playing continuo - the guy OBVIOUSLY doesn't give a flying fig about authenticity, or the composer's intentions. To sum it up, if you want a recording that sounds like the Suzuki Cello School tapes with way less expression and an even hokier sounding piano, buy this recording. Everyone else, beware.

Superb Starker.......2001-04-28

This collection of Italian Cello Sonatas by the great Janos Starker is one of the most delightful chamber albums I own. The world renowned cellist was joined on this 1966 recording by pianist Stephen Swedish on five of the selections, and by his frequent collaborator Gyorgy Sebok on the Bach Sonata in G minor, which was recorded in 1963 and added to this collection to increase its length (it is a welcome addition musically too). The selections here range from famous composers like Bach, Boccherini and Vivaldi, to the lesser known Corelli, Locatelli and Valentini. For me, the common thread of this recording is the passionate performances of Starker. Whether it is the happy bounce of the Vivaldi Allegro, the sublime rendering of the Boccherini Adagio, or the precise interplay with Sebok on the Bach Sonata, Starker plays masterfully and his cello is captured in rich, full sound by the Mercury Living Presence recording technique. This is an excellent purchase for all cello enthusiasts.

Casals Edition - Beethoven: Complete Cello Sonatas

Average customer rating:

Spectacular recording of spectacular music
Disappointing Sound Quality
Very touching performance.
Casals and Serkin play Beethoven for the Gods
Deeply-probing classic interpretations (but not *quite* complete)

Casals Edition - Beethoven: Complete Cello Sonatas

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Bach: Cello Suites
Franz Schubert: Quintet/Symphony No.5
Great Recordings of the Century: Beethoven "Archduke" Piano Trio and Schubert Piano Trio in B flat
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Johannes Brahms: Sextet No. 1/Piano Trio No. 1

ASIN: B0000029L7
Release Date: 1994-02-22

Tracks:

I. Adagio Sostenuto - Allegro-Adagio-Presto
II. Rondo. Allegro Vivace
I. Adagio Sostenuto E Espressivo/Allegro Molto Piu Tosto Presto
II. Rondo. Allegro
I. Andante - Allegro Vivace
II. Adagio - Allegro Vivace

Tracks:

I. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
II. Scherzo. Allegro Molto
III. Adagio Cantabile - Allegro Vivace
I. Allegro Con Brio
II. Adagio Con Molto Sentimento D'affetto
III. Allegro - Allegro Fugato
7 Variations On/Uber/Sur 'Bei Mannern, Welche Liebe Fuhlen' From/Aus/De Mozart's 'Die Zauberflote'/ < > WoO.46
12 Variations On/Uber/Sur 'Ein Madchen Oder Weibchen' From/Aus/De Mozart's 'Die Zauberflote'/ < > WoO.66

Customer Reviews:

Spectacular recording of spectacular music.......2007-06-08

I didn't even know that Beethoven wrote sonatas for cello and piano until I came across this recording; both the music and the musicians are spectacularly good. Get it today!

Disappointing Sound Quality.......2007-01-09

I have heard of these sonatas for years, but had never heard them. I chose the Casals/Serkin set because of my familiarity with other performances by him. Although Casals and Serkin are unassailable as interpreters and performers, I found this set disappointing because of what I can only describe as ugly sounds - there is a harshness to the sound quality, at least in places, which I think is probably to be ascribed to the age of the recording rather than the performance. Still, I found it jarring, and it marred my enjoyment.

Very touching performance. .......2007-01-03

This album is one of the most beautiful music experiences I had in many years; I'm amateur listener but I can say that both interpreters are playing these compositions with such a passion and love that is probably not too common these days anymore. Originally I felt that the technical quality of this mono recording is bit distracting, but after a few weeks of listening this album over and over I don't mind the sound at all - the quality of music makes up for it, and I actually like the recording as it is presented to us, wouldn't want any change. I very much recommend this album. I'm planning to buy another copy as a gift for someone close.

Casals and Serkin play Beethoven for the Gods .......2006-03-29

This set is desert island gorgeous. Playing with passion, elegance, at times abandon, the performers are completely in tune with each other. This is elevated chamber music playing of an aristocratic order.

You can hear Casals grunting and moaning with pleasure through the performances - it sounds as though he's making love to his cello. Serkin's playing is simply beautiful - lucid and warm with some of the best trills I've heard - his playing in opus 60 is thrilling. Good clear sound allows you to listen unencumbered by distraction to this spectacular music-making.

The Schnabel - Fournier set of these pieces is quite wonderful, too - spunky and sparkling with Schnabel's great paced and joyous playing. The Schnabel virile luminosity is all there, partnered by Fournier's richly expressive and dignified cello. While it sounds like the historic performance it is, I rarely mind or notice. Art is what counts and the beauty of these performances shines through with radiant surrender. Who cares about a little interference - it adds to the wonder of the experience, knowing that this was recorded almost 60 years ago and we are priviliged to hear it today....

The dvd with Rostropovich and Richter playing Beethoven's cello sonatas is also splendid - Rostropovich is a marvelous musician to watch - he's in an altered state and quite uninhibited about his relationship with his instrument. Yes there are some incorrect notes played, but who cares? Rostropovich is demonically possessed at times and it's fascinating to watch his transformations and responses as he literally attacks his cello, especially in the rondo of opus 5 no. 2. Richter is a large man nearly bursting out of his tails. With his enormous hands he looks more like he could be unloading freight down at the docks, yet he plays these sonatas with such refined manners and sensitivity that it's heart rending to see this big, uncomfortable man playing such magnificent music.

Deeply-probing classic interpretations (but not *quite* complete).......2005-10-25

I was recently listening to this set and the new Schiff-Perenyi recordings on ECM for the purpose of comparing them and writing a review about my impressions. "Compare and contrast the sets, class, and write a review for Monday. Minimum of five pages, single-spaced, typed. --And don't ask your parents for help, because I can always tell."

Well, I was weird as a school kid, because I always loved assignments like that and never was inclined to ask my parents or anyone else. Not that we ever got to write about Beethoven cello sonatas--usually it was on something boring like Beowulf. So I've been comparing Serkin and Casals to Schiff-Perenyi, and, in the interest of efficiency, was going to write a review dealing with both sets and paste two copies on Amazon, one under this recording and one under the Schiff-Perenyi disc, thereby scoring two reviews with one effort. Then I discovered that apparently the ECM isn't available in America--or at least not through Amazon's American website. (It is on their UK page.) So much for my attempt at efficiency. At any rate, you can consider this a review of both recordings, and maybe I'll even mosey on over to the UK side and post this review with them.

Anyway, after listening to the two sets, it's clear the Serkin-Casals stands head and shoulders above Schiff-Perenyi. What's frustrating is trying to explain why the latter, despite immacualte playing (or maybe because of it?) is devoid of meaning, while the former, despite finger-slips and lapses of intonation (as well as more cautious tempi and less free abandon) displays a deep understanding of the works' structures and nuances. Take, for just one small example, the second movement of Op.5, No. 2: in the hands of less skilled interpreters, the waltz seems to be repetitious and too long, distended from the rest of the work. I always thought it was that way, and figured Beethoven just hadn't really mastered proportion yet.

Well, perhaps he hadn't, but Casals and Serkin make us believe he has. They find infinite variety in the theme, so that it doesn't sound redundant as it keeps returning. And I don't just mean they vary the dynamics or insert a pause here or there; they find just the proper weight for the pieces as it morphs from section to section. No one else has convinced me so much in this music, not even Heidsieck-Tortelier (a set I am very enthusiastic about nonetheless).

Some other moments are just unforgettable. Listen to the opening of Op. 102, No. 1: does anyone play music this way anymore? Pay attention to the way Serkin answers Casals in the introduction's main phrase. Then listen to the low tremolos in Serkin's left hand, with Casals the background, just before the main theme begins. It's positively heartbreaking! After a plaintive introduction like that, it seems logical to me that the main theme should have to *fight* for its very existence when it appears, and this is just how Casals and Serkin take it. (Listen to the dynamic interplay!) By contrast, Schiff-Perenyi play it relatively straight-laced, without much dynamics, and don't convince me they have anything to say; their mission seems to be just to play prettily. ("For extra credit class, contrast their handling of the last murmuring bars of the introduction with Serkin-Casals. Which one makes your hair stand up on your back?") When the latter two get to the first movement's second theme, that struggle from the terse introduction is absent, and the whole dramatic "point" of the piece is lost, to my ears. These musicians are more convincing in the facile works, such as the Op. 66 Magic Flute Variations--they're pretty, sweet-sounding, and not as deep as the triple-digit opus works.

I think the best way to put it is to say that I feel that Schiff-Perenyi have thought about the notes, and play them perfectly. They can play rings around Casals and Serkin, and generally do. But Casals and Serkin spent their study time thinking about the music, what it meant, why Beethoven started this one with a brooding introduction but not that one; how the absense of such an introduction changes the qualities of the movement's secondary theme, when the works get "dark" and when they get "light," and so on. So many of today's musicians, unfortunately, see the little squiggles on paper as technical obstacles to be hurdled; Casals and Serkin saw them as clues to divine what was inside the composer's head. And if they didn't always clear the hurdle--and sometimes they don't--so what? You understood what they meant.

I guess in the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that while the Schiff-Perenyi are in immaculate sound, the Serkin-Casals recordings were made in the early 50s and are mono. This shouldn't stop anyone from buying them, but if you must have everything in your collection writ in large DDD letters, you should look elsewhere. And it will be your loss.

My only slight complaint is the titling of the Casals and Serkin set "The Complete Edition." Not quite. Missing is the little-known sonata in F Major, Op. 17, a transcription, as well as a theme and variations on Handel's Judas Maccabaus, WoO 45. These aren't major omissions that should dissuade you from buying the set, but it's not "complete," either. But even my beloved Heidsieck-Tortelier lacks the Op 17 sonata. Only the ECM has every last scraping of Beethoven's cello music.

Okay, that's my comparative essay. Hope you give me an A.

Average customer rating:

Mostly good
Look at the List of Performers First
this "masterworks" series is available much more cheaply from Amazon France
You heard guy below: Beethoven needs the royality checks!
Buy my box Set!

Beethoven: The Masterworks (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Brilliant Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Blowout Box Sets | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Complete Works (170 CD Box Set)
Bach: Complete Works - 155 CD Box Set
Vivaldi: The Masterworks (Box Set)
Brahms: The Masterworks (Box Set)
Mendelssohn: The Masterworks [Box Set]

ASIN: B00062FLHE
Release Date: 2004-11-30

Customer Reviews:

Mostly good.......2007-05-26

A bit of a mixed bag. The symphonies are superb. This is one of the great symphony cycles. The piano sonatas are good, very good (analog) sound. The quartets are well recorded indeed, but there are better cycles out there. The rest is OK, and the sound is genrally good.

Look at the List of Performers First.......2006-11-17

If you want most of Beethoven sitting on one bookshelf, this is a great bargain (especially if you shop for it on amazon.de). But few if any of the performances represent the pinnacles of interpretation that most listeners demand when Beethoven is the composer. The symphonies for instance: can Blomstedt be compared to Furtwangler or (if you lean toward historically informed instrumentation) Gardiner? Most amazingly, the artists who perform the quartets -- the heart of Beethoven's music -- are not even named in the listing.
On the other hand: Vivaldi: The Masterworks is a collection including the very best interpreters, such as Fabio Biondi! Bach Edition (complete Bach) is a fabulous selection of recordings made over 20 years, and almost the same praise can be given the Complete Mozart.

this "masterworks" series is available much more cheaply from Amazon France.......2006-05-28

there are several sets in this series and it's much cheaper to buy these from Amazon France.

included are bach, beethoven, vivaldi, brahms, dvorak, schubert, handel, hayden, and mendelssohn.

they're even cheaper than the list price once u go through the checkout (VAT is removed for overseas (out-of-france) purchases).

**also, the 'complete works of mozart' set is much cheaper there (or at Amazon Germany), too. the 'complete works of bach' is due out later this year.

You heard guy below: Beethoven needs the royality checks! .......2006-04-07

There is quality beyond the Austrian green cardboard (which is lovely to look at, to say the least). In fact, the performance of the symphonies (Dresden Staatskapelle and Herbert Blomstedt) is alone worth the price. The Staatskapelle is a solid group, and Blomstedt, although less wellknown, holds his own. It should be mentioned that Blomstedt recorded many of the most celebrated 20th composition CDs on the market, and definitely knows his stuff. Peter Wohlert recorded mostly for compiliation lables, but to be selected by the Berlin Phil shows that he is a formdiable conductor in rank as well.

Should you buy this collection then? Given the fact that each CD cost $1.75, there is definitely the bargin factor. However, Beethoven's music desveres the top interpreters and musicians of our time - and this applies for all of his music, not just the symphonic. If you are into bargins, then proceed to buy this collection. However, if you save up a bit more, you can buy Karajan's 1963 Beethovens symphonies along with Kempff's 1956 sonata cycles for just a bit more than 70 bucks. Shop around for the string quartets, and the complete overtures should range anywhere from 15 to 30 bucks depending on the conductor/ensemble.

Overall, this is certainly an exceptional bargin. However, quality matter more than money. Besides, chicks dig people with sophisticated tastes.

Buy my box Set!.......2006-03-21

Awesome deal, 40 CD box set of me, Beethoven! There are 3 principle reasons you should buy this box set:

This box is QUALITY my friend, made of the finest, Austrian cardboard with a lovely green finish, it is made to last! You can just set it on your dresser and whenever you need a Beethoven fix you can just pull a CD out. But don't you hate getting your CDs out of order so you can't find what the hell you're looking for?! Not with this set! They are well organized into symphonies, concerti, sonatas and such, so you can find EXACTLY what your looking for, and they have big numbers on them so you can put them right back where they belong.

And the music! Need we go into this, composed through the inspiration of God himself and penned by the greatest composer who ever walked the streets of Vienna, me, Beethoven! Top notch, all done by top performers and recorded at high, clear, digital quality, stick one in your stereo and rock out man! All of my great and mighty works are here, absolutely sublime!

Lastly, you'll be supporting me, I need those royalty checks to keep rolling in!

Buy it if you love me or just buy it if you want people to think that you're sophisticated (the chicks also dig it, I should know: Antonie Brentano, giggity!), you can't go wrong!

Average customer rating:

A "rare" collection
Music that will make you tingle inside...
Possible the most sublime cello sonata

Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev: Cello Sonatas

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

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ASIN: B0000CD5GL
Release Date: 2003-09-30

Tracks:

I. Andante Grave - Moderato Animato - Allegro Moderato
II. Moderato - Andante Dolce
III. Allegro Ma Non Troppo - Andantino
I. Lento - Allegro Moderato - Moderato
II. Allegro Scherzando
III. Andante
IV. Allegro Mosso - Moderato - Vivace
II. Allegro
IV. Marcia. Energico
III. Finale. Allegro Vivo

Customer Reviews:

A "rare" collection.......2007-02-08

A wonderful grouping of well-known and less well-known pieces for cello and piano--a pleasure to listen to over and over again.

Music that will make you tingle inside..........2005-06-10

Ok, I don't usually write reviews, since of course, I see so many people spouting off at the mouth about things that they either don't understand or those that just want to complain or self-gratify.

That being said though, I had to write a little something about this cd. I'll admit a prejudice for those Ma-Ax recordings, so bear with me. I think they are one of the strongest ensemble musicians I've encountered. Not only in their duo recordings are they always musicians first and foremost and not merely soloists recording together but also in those venues which include other greats, like Isaac Stern or Richard Stoltzman.

The main pieces on this recording are nearly awe-inspiring. While Ax describes in the liner notes the Profiev as having some 'crude and ackward' treatment of the melodies, I found it to be very intense and dark. Loving every bit of the piece. I don't think its as intense as the Shostakovich, but there are some similarities.

The real gem on this cd though has to be the Rachmaninoff. There's a place towards the very beginning of the first movement that will make you tingle in a spot, that dare not speak its name, or my name isn't Artemis Jack, which it isn't, but I'm sure you'll still enjoy it anyway.

To be honest with you, there's not a moment in the Rachmaninoff that isn't filled with unbelievable lushness and magic, every moment in the sonata is amazing. You'd think that with a piece so heavily dominated by the piano that the cellist would get lost or pushed into a corner someplace. Not only does the cellist play a very important role, but in ways has the choicest melodies. I wouldn't guess that many cellists would find this piece terribly challenging, but I would hope they'd revell in the experience.

I should commend Emanuel Ax and Yo-Yo Ma for being the wonderful chamber musicians they are. One of the things that people don't always understand, musicians and audiences alike, is that chamber music is very 'conversational'. My own experience as a professional pianist has at times led me to despise working with others because they simply refuse to acknowledge or share with another musician. Lets face it, the score may list this instrument or that one first, but without the piano where in the world would you be??? The main thing in all of the chamber music environments is to converse, exchange, and relish in the experience thats available in playing such great music.

If there's anything to squak about it, its the following snippets from other works. I'm not sure who's brilliant idea it was to include them, but it really is annoying and almost taints the whole experience of the first two works. That isn't to say that the music isn't beautiful and wonderfully played, but for me, there was just nothing else that needed to be said after the Rachmaninoff. Besides, if you're able to hear the Shostakovich, played by Ma/Ax, you'll agree that having just the second movement is a letdown.

No matter, I hope you'll be able to experience this cd and all the lush wonderfulness it has to offer. I finally also apologize for succumbing to the very thing that I said I detested...verbose self-gratification! Oh well, whats a guy to do?

Possible the most sublime cello sonata.......2004-06-14

As the CD cover indicates, the star performance on this CD is the Rachmaninoff sonata played by Ma and Ax. I would recommend any cello music lover to buy this CD for the Rachmaninoff sonata alone. My only disappointment is that the Shostakovich sonata is not present in its full on this CD, the allegro movement is breathtaking, Ma is certainly the king of cellists, and Ax is as per usual a superb match for Ma.

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