Customer Reviews

Beethoven: The Complete Sonatas [Box Set]

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have found that when approaching so substantial a body of work as Beethoven's piano sonatas, it is useful to have at least one complete set to serve as a reference, an anchor if you will, to bring coherence to the whole. Sometimes it is difficult to get the big picture when listening to several artists interpreting different sonatas. And in approaching Beethoven's piano sonatas, especially as a complete cycle, it seems a bit silly to start debating whether this set or that is the "best". When you have complete cycles and/or substantial recordings from every A-list pianist from Artur Schnabel to Daniel Barenboim, the questions really not which is "best" but whose approach is most suited to your tastes.

Richard Goode's set is firmly classical (as opposed to romantic) in all ways, including the sound of the piano (emphasizing the pianoforte aspects of the instrument). So if you are looking for playing that emphasizes the wilder, revolutionary aspects of the music, this is not the set for you. Goode chooses instead to emphasize the music's heritage (and debt) to Haydn and Mozart by concentrating on line and structure. To put it another way, Goode chooses to look backwards for inspiration, rather than forwards. As my own personal tastes favor the classical to the romantic, his approach suits me perfectly.

Personally, I find this set most satisfying. And while several other reviewers here seem to feel this set is somewhere between boring and awful, it should be noted that Gramophone, The Penquin Guide and The Rough Guide all consider this to be one of the best sets in recent years. Does this mean I no longer listen to Brendel, Schnabel, Jando, O'Conor or Gieseking? Absolutely not, nor will it keep me from buying some Solomon, Gilels and Kempff as the mood strikes me. The point is that I have an anchor, and a pretty good one at that.

My favourite interpreter of these works remains Daniel Barenboim and his first complete cycle, though I have had much pleasure over the years from Mr Arrau and Mr Brendel. With Barenboim I found a joy and energy so why Mr Goode? I find that Mr Goode seems to bring less "personality" to his interpretation in that he seems to intrude less between the music and the listener and I get the impression the music is speaking directly to me. This may be a nonsense as I am not a musician myself, nor have I studied music. In addition, I believe the piano on this recording sounds sweeter, and more round with no idiosynchratic effects emphasised by recording techniques. I use a Meridian 506 CD player through a quality Australian made Hi Fi system. Finally, I find there is a satisfying constency of excellence between the early and late sonatas even though there will be times where I might prefer Mr Brendel's playing of, for example, Opus 109, though I find Mr Goode's playing of Opus 2 Number 3 perhaps beyond compare - again, a matter of taste. Let me just say in concluding, I cannot imagine being without Mr Goode's Beethoven sonatas after living with them over the past year.
An essential purchase.

This is the view of a novice who just loves Beethoven. I don't pretend to know the musical ins and outs of things, and frankly don't even understand what some reviewers are saying. My only qualification is that I love these Beethoven Sonatas better than about any other classical music, and I play a few of them myself as well. I also have bought a couple of other sets of the Beethoven Sonatas, so I have some basis for comparison. For my money, Richard Goode's set is the best, start to finish, that I have heard. I enjoy his clean, precise and effortless style. He doesn't not use excessive pedal, and the music is never mushy or indistinct. The dynamic variations and interpretations are always interesting--I never tire of hearing them. Goode's virtuosity on some passages is positively thrilling. The recording quality is excellent. If I had to keep just one set, this is my choice.

There is no way that I could tell you about each of the performances in this set individually, but I can tell there wasn't one that I did not enjoy. For a long time now, Brendel's set has been the has been the one against which all others are compared, Goode has put an end to that. Richard Goode has officially produced the best all around set of Beethoven sonatas ever. The reason is simple. He doesn't go into the sonatas with a concept of how he's going to play them. He treats them all as they should be, different. He plays everything that Beethoven wrote, and then adds to it which is something that is becoming less popular in piano performance. He plays all of the composer's ornaments, articulations, and dynamic changes exactly as they are written, and then adds his personal touch. The result is a consistently beautifully played Beethoven set where the performer is playing masterfully but never getting in the way of the music. In this set we get the most intense Beethoven (He plays the Hammerklavier like no other) as well as the most meditatively serene. Shop around for different ones, but eventually I guarantee you will come back to Goode. Highest Recommendation

I have had this set for nearly two years and am still in two minds on how to regard it, feeling that I fall somewhere in between the reviews already written. Some is good and some seems (to me) to be bad. Firstly, I do not like the recorded sound at all. It is very close, dry and dull-sounding with none of the brightness in the upper range which I prefer (and I have to add that Goode's own vocal intrusions, his grunting and snuffling, are annoying at times). The early sonatas are too rigid and ungiving but the middle sonatas are mostly great. The 'Appasionata', especially in the finale, makes Gilel's sound earth-bound and Goode relishes the opportunity for virtuosity. The coda at the conclusion is played with stunning power and precision. The opening movement of op.106 is impressive but I always feel that he doesn't give it that total commitment of strength and power which it demands but while listening to the slow movement of the same sonata it is difficult to imagine it played any better...ever. Here the fluidity of the musical ideas are expressed with a great understanding of the ebb and flow of the music and the pools of musical stasis are even more effective when juxtaposed with the often declamatory and passionate interpretation of the main themes. The finale is similarly outstanding, sweeping the listener along on an extraordinary musical journey with barely a moment's pause. The ferocity and passion of the fugal texture is brilliantly realised. Op. 109 is not subtle enough, especially when compared with Kovacevich in the same piece but op.110 repairs the damage. The account of the last movement is simply great; listen to the repeat of the elegiac theme which returns after the first exposition of the fugue...Goode seems to conjure the music out of the depths of despair. In Op.111 the first movement is a titanic display of power and dramatic interpretation and the last movement reaches a suitably ethereal conclusion. This set is well worth considering, but Kempf may be an alternative consideration. The other alternative is to collect the sonatas seperately - my own personal feeling is that Kovacevich's on-going cycle (EMI) will be the one to collect in the coming years.

I recommend this set without hesitation to anyone considering a complete cycle of Beethoven's piano sonatas. Goode delivers powerful, thoughtful, sophisticated, assured performances across the board here. Furthermore these readings strike an excellent balance between subject and object, style and substance; and the architecture, the structure and form of the music is thoroughly understood and incorporated into Goode's interpretations (one of the most difficult tasks of classical musicians).

These discs make for an excellent benchmark in any collection, then. That is to say, while you will certainly want to hear other readings of certain of these sonatas---Pollini's almost religious combination of majesty and a sense of inner peace in the late sonatas, for example, or Kempff's indulgent elan in the better-know, "named" sonatas---Goode delivers outstanding, balanced performances that are as effective in the early, Haydn-esque sonatas as they are in the mysterious, ethereal late works.

These works take pride of place amongst humanity's very greatest acheivements; in music of such sublime depth there can of course be no final word or "definitive" interpretation. Nevertheless you can't go wrong with Goode's set. What a treasure!

This set of the Beethoven Sonatas is a wonderfully enjoyable adventure. Richard Goode has an amazing sensitivity to every little detail and texture within these sonatas as well as a perfectly sound overall concept of each piece. This recording exemplifies Mr. Goode's pianistic and musical maturity. For those who have not had the pleasure of hearing him live, I urge you to do so. The depth and beauty of the sound he gets from the piano is inspiring. I have had the absolute joy and honor of working with him personally on some of my repetoire recently, and it was truly one of the defining moments of my studies. This pianist is someone whose ability towers over that of my teacher's (which is saying a LOT!), and I would urge the listener to simply bask in his rich, warm sound and enjoy the pure beauty of his interpretations. To compare him to Arthur Schnabel is both unfair and musically distasteful. Both Schnabel and Goode are pianists who excelled greatly in the same genre, and they are both admirable for their accomplishments. I highly recommend listeners expose themselves to both Schnabel and Goode's recordings, but as for this one: simply amazing!

I'm tempted to say that the earlier reviews accusing this Beethoven cycle of being dull are written by people with no ear for subtlety. This is certainly not the most OBVIOUS set of Beethoven sonatas ever written, but that's half the charm of this set.

Here, Beethoven's music is not pounded around. It is treated more delicately - this does NOT mean without passion. The Moonlight Sonata's first movement because eerily transcendant...without becoming thick and self-indulgent. The Pathetique is not played with the dynamic range of, say Kempff's recordings, but they're instead played with a ferocity and intensity that is lacking from Kempff's reading.

This cycle is quite different from other cycles I've heard. However, it works beautifully.

Richard Goode has released a set here that is perhaps only equaled in interpretation by Schnabel. While he is passionate and emotional, he also brings intelligence and precision to the musical table. He has made his mark as a musician's musician, picking only those works to record which he feels are of the utmost importance to the repertoire. I love the fact that Goode is able to give us something this vital and heartfelt and yet never lose his head with raw emotion that is unshaped. This is my most treasured collection.

There is a brief scene in the film 'Amadeus' where Salieri, enviously but in sublime awe, comments on the exquisite perfection of a musical phrase composed by Mozart. He could just as well have been describing the sonatas of Beethoven, time shifts aside. I have been listening to Richard Goode's set over and over, and while my personal taste firmly resides in the Romantic school with Mahler at the pinnacle, this set is a revelation, an epiphany of the brillance of Beethoven in a way I had not fully grasped before.

Goode may not play at times with the emotional energy or pathos of other interpreters, but what he does so superlatively is illuminate Beethoven's profound understanding and mastery of musical structure and relationships, and above all, to make a phrase or embellishment seem utterly perfect. This is emotion of a different kind - the emotion from sheer beauty of musical architecture, as so wondrously exemplified in the simple, poignant Adagio of Opus 31, No. 1. Goode's approach is made even more compelling by his crisp, impeccable technique and a recording that gives the piano great immediacy with a rich, full sound. In even the most rapid runs, every note remains distinct and live.

It borders on folly to assert one set of sonatas as the best - it depends on personal taste, on mood, on one's level of tolerance to the limitations of older recording technology, but if you wish to gain a deeper appreciation of Beethoven's genius and be moved at the same time, you will be amply rewarded by Richard Goode.