Beethoven: Mondschein & Pastorale - Sonatas Op 26, 27 & 28 (Complete Works for Solo Piano Vol 4) /Brautigam

cover of Beethoven: Mondschein & Pastorale - Sonatas Op 26, 27 & 28 (Complete Works for Solo Piano Vol 4) /Brautigamasin: B000M4REYE
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Beethoven & Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 5 Op. 73 "The Emperor"/Symphony No. 3 Op. 90

cover of Beethoven & Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 5 Op. 73 asin: B0001Z4P78
binding: DVD
list price: $29.95 USD
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The Piano Collection [Box Set]

cover of The Piano Collection [Box Set]asin: B000LP4OWO
binding: Audio CD
list price: $89.98 USD
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A budget collection with top musicians! This set of 25 CD's offers superb quality piano music equally superbly executed by outstanding musicians such as Alfred Brendel, Sviatoslav Richter, Helene Grimaud, Hakon Austbo, Emil Gilels, Yevgeny Kissin... and the list goes on. Because of its repertoire and the outstanding performers The Piano Collection is an excellent choice for both newly "recruited" music lovers and connoisseurs.

Carol Rosenberger Plays Beethoven

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binding: Audio CD
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An Anniversary Tribute

cover of An Anniversary Tributeasin: B00007KMSK
binding: Audio CD
list price: $79.98 USD
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Beethoven Piano Concertos No.2 and No.5

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binding: Audio CD
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The Beethoven Sonatas and the Creative Experience

cover of The Beethoven Sonatas and the Creative Experienceauthor: Kenneth O. Drake
asin: 0253213827
binding: Paperback
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Drake groups the Beethoven piano sonatas according to their musical qualities, rather than their chronology. He explores the interpretive implications of rhythm, dynamics, slurs, harmonic effects, and melodic development and identifies specific measures where Beethoven skillfully employs these compositional devices.

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 24 "À Thérèse" & 29 "Hammerklavier"

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Why this 1968 recording of Sonata No. 24 (Op. 78 in F Sharp) lay dormant until now is a mystery. Gould obviously relishes this little jewel, and plays up the two movement's contrasting qualities with exquisite poise and superb characterization. An unreleased CBC broadcast of the mighty Hammerklavier sonata, on the other hand, is scaled down to drawing-room size. Gould brings out the knotty counterpoint with microscopic clarity, yet ducks from Beethoven's surging dynamism in the outer movements. The Andante Sostenuto is reticent and stark under Gould's introspective hands, touching upon but not yielding to the music's tragic overtones. Not the first choice Hammerklavier for your collection, but Gouldians should hear it. --Jed Distler

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas 26, 27 & 29

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If the "Hammerklavier" Sonata (No. 29), perhaps the most profound work ever written for the piano, were not on this disc, one would dwell on the singular charms of the rarely heard, two-movement Sonata No. 27 or the astonishing rightness of Solomon's interpretation of the Sonata No. 26, "Les Adieux." But the "Hammerklavier" is the touchstone of any Beethoven sonata cycle, and it's the rock upon which most pianists founder. Solomon meets its challenges as well as anyone who's every recorded it. Solomon may not match Artur Schnabel's intensity, but he's far superior technically, and he comes close to Claudio Arrau's depth and Wilhelm Kempff's poetry. Solomon is unique in bringing all these attributes to bear on a piece whose mysteries can never be encompassed in one interpretation. He captures the dynamism of the opening Allegro, makes the Scherzo a witty romp, and sustains the long, 22-minute Adagio with a flowing poetry that's breathtaking. The final fugue, played with superhuman ease by Solomon, for once seems an inevitable culmination of a timeless journey. An indispensable disc. --Dan Davis