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

asin: B0000029CU binding: Audio CD list price: $7.99 USD amazon price: $10.08 USD

Surprisingly, this seems to be the only coupling of the three most popular Clarinet Trios in the repertoire. The all-star ensemble, all musicians who have frequently performed together, turns out extremely fine performances of all three works. If the Brahms seems like the most thoroughly understood, in its combination of warmth and impulse, the other two works are nearly as fine. Very good sound, resonant and very well balanced, completes a total winner of a disc. --Leslie Gerber

asin: B0001ZM8TK binding: Audio CD list price: $16.98 USD amazon price: $16.91 USD

The Beethoven Triple Concerto is a strange work, with the most important---or at least prominent---solos given to the cello; it is the instrument which introduces each movement. The remarkable Martha Argerich wisely allows Mischa Maisky to shine in his solos and leading position, but her contribution is anything but back seat. Her customary virtuosity is everywhere in evidence, and, in a way, she turns the piano into the spinal column of the work, with the violin and cello playing around her. Every time Maisky is about to lapse into a mannerism which might detract---too much sliding, a dynamic slightly exaggerated---Argerich brings him back, and both of them play with handsome tone. Capucon's violin is recorded a bit stridently (this was taped live in Lugano), but his playing is equally stunning. Alexandre Rabinovitch-Barakovsky leads the orchestra matter-of-factly until the final movement, when he catches the proper fire. In the Schumann A minor concerto Argerich is wonderful the solo passages and a fine partner in orchestrated ones and she really makes much of both the lyrical runs and the dance-like passages in the last movement. Recommended. --Robert Levine

asin: B0000037B3 binding: Audio CD list price: $33.98 USD amazon price: $65.45 USD

Rather than present the sonatas in chronological order, each disc is refreshingly arranged as a mini-program that juxtaposes contrasting works. While Bernard Roberts doesn't quite command the flexible technique of Sviatoslav Richter or the individual point of view set out in cycles by Schnabel, Arrau, Kempff, or Yves Nat, those wishing a super-bargain Beethoven cycle will not be disappointed. --Jed Distler

asin: B0001RVQM8 binding: Audio CD list price: $6.98 USD amazon price: $5.97 USD

Biss, who has been getting much attention in the American music world, makes his recording debut at the age of 23 with a challenging program. He wisely places the Beethoven Fantasy first. To many listeners, this unfamiliar piece, written in the style of an improvisation, will be an arresting introduction to the program. To those familiar with the music, Biss's compelling intensity will demonstrate his credentials: here is a pianist with something to say. Competition in the other two works is stronger, and you can't say Biss blows it away. But his Schumann is strongly and expressively played, with almost the ultimate amount of contrast you want in this wild music. The Beethoven Sonata, performed here with all the necessary repeats, has been recorded by dozens of famous pianists. Biss is already somewhere in the top echelon, bringing drama and excitement to the music. Someday he may play the finale even more powerfully, but he already causes plenty of tingles. At EMI's "Debut" series super-bargain price, this disc would be worth having even if all you want is the Beethoven Fantasy. --Leslie Gerber