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

asin: B000009OU6 binding: Audio CD list price: $7.98 USD amazon price: $6.99 USD

For the parent looking to ease their child into a familiarity with classical music, this is a very well chosen set of Beethoven works. It begins with a generous selection of airs composed late in the composer's life. The presence of the flute as the lead instrument on these selections has a soothing quality that moves the ear in an ideally subtle way, especially as it gives way to the more excited piano sonata pieces. Zoltán Kocsis's reading of "Pathétique" is followed by Claudio Arrau's take on the 7th, 15th, and 18th sonatas and Sviatoslav Richter's lyrical take on the 20th ("Pastoral"). Programmed amidst the piano pieces, which are great studies in dynamics and musical spacing, are some fine orchestral snippets, none longer than five minutes. The collection does a fine balancing act, condensing works that don't inherently lend themselves to shortened renditions and carefully managing moods, entry, and egress to each segment. This is fine anthology work. --Andrew Bartlett

asin: B00030B9DE binding: Audio CD list price: $8.99 USD amazon price: $8.99 USD

Franz Liszt was one of Beethoven's greatest champions and admirers, and his acclaimed transcriptions of the master's nine symphonies stand as testament to the greatness of both men. Through many revisions, Liszt's intrinsic attention to detail and intimate understanding of Beethoven's compositions resulted in these transcriptions, which are considered some of Liszt's greatest musical achievements. The transcription recorded here is perhaps Beethoven's most well-known work, his Symphony No. 9. The performance is by none other than the legendary Konstantin Scherbakov, who has been hailed as the modern Rachmaninov since he won the first Rachmaninov competition in Moscow in 1983.