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

asin: B000001GXB binding: Audio CD list price: $23.98 USD amazon price: $20.99 USD

Pollini's performances of Beethoven's last five piano sonatas have assumed almost legendary status, and this reissue at midprice in improved sound ought to win them many new friends. Sometimes considered a cold interpreter, Pollini here pays scrupulous attention to Beethoven's instructions, an attention that never gets in the way of sincere expression. There's a lot to be said for approaching this music with a maximum of clarity and simplicity, and a minimum of Romantic panting and heaving. In fact, Beethoven's instructions are so detailed, and the music itself is often so elaborately developed, that it's all most pianists can do to play it as he wrote it. Pollini does that, and much more. --David Hurwitz

author: Ludwig van Beethoven asin: 0486245632 binding: Paperback list price: $24.95 USD amazon price: $16.47 USD

Full scores of 5 great Beethoven piano concertos, reproduced from the authoritative Breitkopf & Härtel edition, with all cadenzas as he wrote them. The works reveal the pianistic and orchestral mastery of Beethoven's early and middle periods as well as his innovative genius. New table of contents.

author: Ludwig van Beethoven asin: 0634069497 binding: Paperback list price: $19.95 USD amazon price: $13.57 USD

Contents: Sonata, Op. 49, No. 1 * Sonata, Op. 53 * Sonata, Op. 57 * Sonata, Op. 31, No. 3 * Sonata, Op. 49, No. 2 * Sonata, Op. 79 * Sonata in A Flat, Op. 110 * Sonata in C Minor, Op. 111 * Sonata in A, Op. 101 * Sonata in B flat, Op. 106 (Hammerklavier) * Sonata in E flat, Op. 81a * Sonata in E minor, Op. 90 * Sonata in E, Op. 109 * Sonata in F, Op. 54 * Sonata in F#, Op. 78.

author: Robert Taub asin: 1574670719 binding: Paperback list price: $24.95 USD amazon price: $24.95

Acclaimed pianist Robert Taub offers the insights of a passionate musician who performs all 32 of Beethoven's well-loved piano sonatas in concert worldwide, bringing a "fresh perspective on Beethoven," as the New York Times put it. In this book, he shares his intimate understanding of these works with listeners and players alike. HARDCOVER.

asin: B00000IIX1 binding: Audio CD list price: $50.98 USD amazon price: $50.98 USD

Though some musicians rerecord the same repertoire, refining the same concept over time, Alfred Brendel's Beethoven concertos change significantly with every go-around. One of the defining influences in this latest go-around is conductor Simon Rattle. He's one of the stronger minded and truly collaborative conductors that Brendel has ever had, and his bent toward historically informed performance inspires the pianist to a radical reevaluation, resulting in interpretations that achieve a new level of cogency over his previous take. Phrases have an even greater sense of purpose and direction than ever before, forming tiny, mosaic-like entities within the music, often accompanied by something rarely heard from Brendel: rubato. At his considerable best, Brendel's playing has a great sense of inevitability amid the surprises that always come with a great musical mind approaching the music afresh. The only letdown here is the "Emperor" concerto. Although excellent, the reading is just a tad conventional. If you'd like to delve deeper into Beethoven's concertos, you'll enjoy Leon Plantinga's thorough study of all the composer's essays in the genre. --David Patrick Stearns