Beethoven Piano Your resource for the piano music of Ludwig van Beethoven

asin: B000RBHJ42 binding: Audio CD

CD 1
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Piano Variations Bagatelles
15 Variations on a Theme from "Prometheus", Op. 35 in E flat major
1. "Eroica" 22:40
Sonata No. 20 in G major Op. 49/2
2. Allegro non troppo 4:31
3. Tempo di Menuetto 3:32
4. 5 Variations on "Rule Brittannia"in D major WoO 79 4:28
5. 7 Variations on "God Save The King" in C major WoO 78 8:42
6. 12 Variations on a Russian Dance from Wranitsky"s Ballet "Das Waldmädchen" in A major WoO 71 11:35
7. 6 Variations on an Original Theme in F major Op. 34 12:41
8. 6 Variations on a Theme from"Ruins of Athens"in D major Op. 76 5:49

Total: 74:58

CD 2
Variations
1. 32 Variations on an Original Theme in C minor WoO 80 11:04
2. 7 Variations from Winter"s Opera "Das unterbrochene Opferfest" in F major WoO 75 10:49
3. 24 Variations on Righini"s Air "Venni amore" in D major WoO 65 15:57
4. 6 Variations on the Duet from Paisello"s "La Molinara" in G major WoO 70 4:38
5. 8 Variations on Süssmayr"s Theme "Tändeln und Scherzen" in F major WoO 76 8:09
6. 13 Variations on Dittersdorf"s Air " Es war einmal ein alter Mann" in A major WoO 66 11:58
7. 10 Variations on Salieri"s Air "La stessa, la stessissima" in B flat major WoO 73 9:43

Total: 73:11

CD 3
Variations
1. 6 Easy Variations on a Swiss Air in F major WoO 64 2:48
2. 9 Variations on Paisello"s Air "Quant"è più bello" in A major WoO 69 5:27
3. 6 Variations on an Original Theme in G major WoO 77 4:50
4. 8 Variations on Grétry"s Air "Un fièvre brûlante" in C major WoO 72
5. Rondo in G major Op. 51 No. 2 9:46
6. Allegretto in C minor WoO 53 3:49
7. 6 Ecossaises WoO 83 1:55
8. Bagatelle in A minor WoO 59 "Für Elise" 2:44
9. Polonaise in C major Op. 89 5:31

Total: 44:58

CD 4
Variations Bagatelles
33 VARIATIONS ON A WALTZ BY DIABELLI in C major Op. 120
1. Theme 0:52
2. Alla Marcia 1:53
3. Poco allegro 0:47
4. L"istesso tempo 1:21
5. Un poco piu vivace 0:55
etc...

asin: B00000C2F7 binding: Audio CD list price: $111.98 USD amazon price: $111.98

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

asin: B000001G79 binding: Audio CD list price: $16.98 USD amazon price: $16.98 USD

Emil Gilels unfailingly conveys a manly strength in his performances of Beethoven's music, with a feeling of power held in reserve. The technique is stunning, but what is truly extraordinary is the lively, leonine quality of the playing. Gilels's account of the Waldstein has the quintessential energy and gruffness one associates with the work, and his rendition of Les Adieux is among the most imaginative ever captured. --Ted Libbey

author: Beethoven asin: B000LRYPQ2 binding: Digital list price: $5.95 USD amazon price: $5.95 USD

Downloadable sheet music file