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

asin: B000006NKV binding: Audio CD list price: $16.98 USD amazon price: $16.98

Vladimir Feltsman has definite ideas about the Hammerklavier and the ability to carry them out, not something we can take for granted. He plays the first movement with emphasis on rhetoric, occasionally sacrificing forward motion, but certainly making his points. There is no sacrifice of motion in the horrendously difficult finale, though, where the pianist keeps the music going with great power and impressive clarity. Only the slow movement requires the degree of eloquence that we hear throughout No. 28, a treasure of a performance. This is some very impressive Beethoven playing, very well recorded. --Leslie Gerber

asin: B0000041K9 binding: Audio CD list price: $23.98 USD amazon price: $27.97 USD

Each of these performances has its own profile. The orchestra plays incisively in the First Concerto, but Ashkenazy's plush lyricism doesn't make a good match either with the orchestra or with the music, and he makes one weird ritard in the first movement. The Second Concerto is uneventful, rather bland and pleasant. The Third Concerto seems to be the best performance of the lot, with dramatic playing by soloist and orchestra, but it's sabotaged by blurry recorded sound, the only serious problem with sound quality in the entire set. The Fourth Concerto is enlivened, at least intellectually, by Solti's approach, constantly revealing interesting unfamiliar details in the orchestral score. Ashkenazy's detachment makes this a frosty but fascinating experience. The "Emperor" is a good routine performance, nothing special. The Bagatelles aren't much of a bonus, since they're rather dully played. (Why not the "Choral" Fantasy?) There's nothing actively bad about this set, and it's reasonably priced. But Beethoven deserves better, and gets it from many performers, including the fascinating Uchida-Sanderling collaborations. --Leslie Gerber

author: Beethoven asin: B000LRYQ0C binding: Digital list price: $2.49 USD amazon price: $2.49 USD

Downloadable sheet music file