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

asin: B00008WQAH binding: Audio CD list price: $36.97 USD amazon price: $36.97 USD

10CD box set.

asin: B0000026GN binding: Audio CD list price: $31.98 USD amazon price: $31.98 USD

These are among the finest modern recordings of Beethoven's Cello Sonatas. The two players are well matched, as they should be in this music, which is just as demanding for the pianist as for the cellist, if not more so. They don't try to differentiate stylistically among early, middle, and late sonatas. They play them all in a large scale, concert-hall manner, which actually suits all of them very well. Unfortunately, in reducing this recording to two CDs, the producers have dropped one set of Variations, which was recorded. What is present, though, is choice. --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: Kenneth O. Drake asin: 0253213827 binding: Paperback list price: $24.95 USD amazon price: $24.95 USD

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.

asin: B000ICM0YY binding: Audio CD list price: $71.98 USD amazon price: $62.12 USD

Celebrate the life of the great Russian pianist, Emil Gilels. Three great packages that represent his long and illustrious recording career. Early Recordings features rare tracks that were made from 1935 to 1955 for the Melodiya label in Moscow and made available on CD for the first time with state-of-the-art remastering. Gilels's complete Mozart recordings on Deutsche Grammophon include his celebrated performance of Mozart's last piano concerto. Includes the Mozart "two-piano" concerto performed with Gilels daughter Elena, complemented by an unforgettable live recital from Salzburg, now back in print. Complete Beethoven sonatas includes Pathétique, Moonlight, Appasionata, The Tempest, Waldstein and Hammerklavier on 9 discs. Released to coincide with Emil Gilels 90th birthday year, he was born in 1916.