Customer Reviews

Beethoven: The Complete Piano Sonatas

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Beethoven's piano sonatas were one of humanity's great achievements. They have been recorded by many pianists including Artur Schnabel, Alfred Brendel, Richard Goode, and John O'Connor--and nearly every pianist of note has recorded at least a few of the most popular sonatas.

What makes the Kempff set work best for me is the lack of a dogmatic, cookie cutter approach to the music. Kempff approaches each piece as a masterwork in its' own right. The tempos are more sensible than those adopted by most other pianists, particularly in the slower movements. For example, in the Hammerklavier Sonata, most pianists cannot resist the urge to play the Adagio almost as a Largo--ignoring the fact that such a tempo would have made the movement incomprehensible on a piano of Beethoven's time--which had a quick tonal decay. Speaking of tone, Kempff has an especially beautiful sound--a product of his 19th century training. The phrasing is more flexible than today's "red light, green light" stop and go approach, and Kempff, unlike so many of today's pianists, never lets musical point making get in the way of the big picture, structually.

Although Kempff was getting along in years when these recordings were made--the 1960s--he is fully up to the technical hurdles these sonatas contain. The only disappointment on this set is in the "Appassionata" Sonata, where Kempff's clear headed approach does not suit this rage filled piece. For that particular piece, it's best to go with Richter's RCA recording.

On the whole, this is the best set of Beethoven Sonatas currently available on CD--and it's at bargain price!

Beethoven's "Tagebuch" includes the following famous entry: "The starry heavens above, the moral law within -- Kant!" Beethoven was alluding to Kant's statement in the "Critique of Practical Reason" of the two things that filled him with awe. But, in a simple way, Beethoven's statement could be read to show two related ways of understanding his music: the first as heroic, heaven-storming, and outwardly directed, and the second as inward, reflective, and meditative. Some of Beethoven's music can be seen as occupying on or the other end of the polarity. Much of the music somehow occupies both ends.

The same holds true as a rough approach to the performance of Beethoven's music -- including the 32 piano sonatas. Some artists emphasize the dramatic, rugged and virtuosic characteristics of the sonatas while others focus upon the music's inward and introspective qualities. The great German pianist Wilhelm Kempff's classic recording of the complete piano sonatas is clearly within the latter approach. Kempff (1895 -- 1991) recorded the complete Beethoven sonata-cycle twice, the first time in the 1950s and the second time in the 1960s. I had the original version on LP and purchased the CD set when LPs became obsolete. I recently had the opportunity to relisten to Kempff's renditions of the sonatas in their entirety.

Kempff's readings of the sonatas are highly personal and introspective. His tempos tend to be slow and fluid, the pedal is used a great deal, phrasing is highly legato, and volume is, for the most part, subdued and restrained. He offers a metaphysical, thoughtful reading of Beethoven which probes within. It is a moving and convincing way of rendering the sonatas, and I came away from my experience with the set over the past several days with a renewed devotion to this music. I have attempted about half of the sonatas myself over the years on the piano.

Beethoven's sonatas date from his youthful years in Bonn before his 1792 move to Vienna (the two sonatas of opus 49) to about 1822 (opus 111), five years before the composer's death. Thus, they occupied Beethoven for almost the entirety of his creative life. In listening to this complete set, the listener can follow Beethoven's development essentially chronologically and learn more first-hand about the sonatas and about the changes in Beethoven's styles of composition than can be gained from reading many studies.

Listeners interested in a complete set of the Beethoven sonatas will probably have some familiarity with some of the better-known
named sonatas, such as the "Pathetique", opus 13, the "Moonlight" opus 27 no. 2, the "Waldstein", opus 53, or the "Appassionata", opus 57. After falling in love with some of these works, it will be time for the listener to explore the entire series.

Kempff brings his own personal and introspective readings to each of these familar works. I think he does best with the rondo finale of the "Waldstein," with the "Moonlight" sonata, and with the two final movements of the "Tempest", opus 31 no. 2. His readings of these familiar works on the whole will offer fresh insight into these great sonatas.

But the greatest attraction of this set is the opportunity it provides to explore some of Beethoven's less frequently performed works. Again, Kempff is at his best in works of an introspective character. Thus, those coming to the sonata-cycle for the first time will enjoy his performances of the opus 26 sonata, with the opening variations and the celebrated funeral march, of opus 78, 79, and 81a ("Les Adieux"), of opus 90, and of opus 101, 109, 110, and the great end to the series, opus 111. Opus 90, 101, and 109 are particular favorites of mine, and Kempff plays them beautifully.

There is yet another group of sonatas that also receive excellent readings on the set. This group includes two excellent ambitious early works, opus 2 no. 3 and opus 7 (another favorite), the three sonatas of opus 10, the under-appreciated opus 22, the companion to the more famous "Moonlight" sonata, opus 27 no. 1, opus 31 no. 3 and the enigmatic opus 54, sandwiched between the "Waldstein" and the "Appassionata". The magisterial and heroic "Hammerklavier" sonata, opus 106, is in a class by itself. Each listeners's choices and fovorites among the 32 will vary and change with time and repeated hearings. This collection is an excellent introduction to all of them.

There are many recordings of the set of 32 sonatas and many approaches to the interpretation of Beethoven. His music is broader and deeper than any single reading. I have lived with my set of Kempff for a long time and am still moved and inspired by his playing of this inexhaustible music. Listeners wanting to get to know this great body of work will find much to cherish in these performances by Wilhelm Kempff.

Robin Friedman

For those who are not too familiar with Kempff, he is generally regarded as one of the most reputed Beethoven interpreter after Schnabel. Gulda was supposed to succeed them and was somehow stopped short. In Kempff, just like most pianists of the older generation, there is a strong element of improvisation, an element in the making of music which make him sound so fresh and spontaneous which left even Brendel way behind. Furthermore, his playing is so inspired that it never fails to remind us of some transcending church music.

Having said that, Kempff even in the 50s, was never quite as dynamic as Gulda; whereas some may instead find Schnabel's Beethoven even more instructive and not at all less inspired. But Schnabel's are all historic recordings. My no.1 choice for these sonatas is always Backhaus (Decca, in wonderful stereo sound), for some may find Arrau's early Beethoven sonatas boring and Gilel's (which is not exactly a whole cycle in any event) not soulful enough, however much conviction he had for them. And to be honest, I have never finished Brendel's and I have never even tried Ashkenazy's Beethoven except his piano trio with Perlman and Harell and somehow I just stopped there...

Roughly speaking, Kempff's 50s cycle is more energetic, fiery and forceful, wheras his 60s is more colourful, more sublime, and with more subtleties. But that doesn't mean he was off his peak or insufficiently fiery (unlike Schnabel whose first cycle is more preferable than his second cycle recorded in the 50s). Being a complete musician as well as a remarkable composer, there was still some obvious development in his music making even between these two cycles which makes him fairly and squarely an authoritative alternative even to Backhaus: another reason that we should try to listen to both.

And as far as the recorded sound is concerned, there is the difference of more than one whole generation, so that the ordinary music lovers may not find the 50s recording delightful or acceptable at all; whereas few could really complain against the sound of the 60s.

So, if you are a pianist, or if you are a fan of Kempff, you probably will get both his 50s and 60s recordings: for like most great pianists or indeed most great musicians, every time they play, it is going to be different and they are all instructive and inspiring in their own way. I myself grapped both. But if your emphasis is on the early sonatas or just for general enjoyment or even for the last sonatas, it is better to get the 60s.

These recordings are simply miracles. Kempff combines like no other pianist (with the exception, perhaps, of Artur Rubinstein) interpretive depth and joyful celebration of beauty for its own sake. Kempff's piano tone is unique: light, aethereal, silvery. His approach to Beethoven is completely "natural." You never have the feeling he "interprets" this music; it just seems to flow from his fingers. As a consequence, his Beethoven is much less grim, dark, "Germanic" if you will, than that of so many others. But make no mistake: Kempff combines this aestheticism with unequalled interpretive depth. He brings out the architecture and structure of these sonatas with crystalline clarity. With seemingly minimal effort, he shows us the heart and essence of these pieces. Kempff's relationship to Beethoven's music is so immediate and direct, his understanding of the sonatas so complete, that he can allow himself to be completely free and relaxed when he plays them. Thus, his playing often has an almost improvisational quality. As listeners, we seem to witness a spontaneous re-creation of these works, rather than a laborious interpretation of them. Every time I listen to Kempff play Beethoven, I come away with a fresh appreciation of both Beethoven's philosophical complexity and the wondrous beauty of his music. This is perhaps Kempff's greatest accomplishment: that he can make these pieces, which have been played and recorded so many many times, sound entirely new and fresh, that he can liberate them from the oppressive weight of their status as icons of Western culture and make us marvel at their beauty and creativity as if we heard them for the first time.

For years, I made the mistake of ignoring this cycle. I would walk past it at the tower records in chicago,but felt I didnt need another cycle, especially another intellectual cycle. I already owned Gilels, Annie Fischer, Barenboim, Arrau, Bernard Roberts, Richard Goode, most of Serkin and Richter, Schnabel, and Backhaus. My last collection purchase was for something different-which I found when I bought the Glenn Gould cycle. I felt my next collection purchase would be either Solomon or Gulda. For some reason however, one day I decided to slurge. I wish I did sooner because this set is the culmination of Kempff's legendary pianism and is the summit of Beethoven expertise, articulation, and realization.
I consider this the single greatest Beethoven cycle on the market. The playing is fabulous, both virtuosic[those who are familiar with his early liszt recordings know his virtuosity is considerable] and intelligent----neither overtly brazen nor stoically cold. It is ideal.
For the record---my order of favourite cycles goes
1. Kempff[final recording--this one]
2. Claudio Arrau
3. Emil Gilels\Richard Goode--tied
4. Kovavich\Brendel
I also adore the Schnabel and, if the serkin were complete, it would be in my top three over Gilels. But this cycle has everything one could want in a Beethoven cycle and if you were to purchase only one---it would be this, my highest recommendation. For those would want more bang for their buck--the Arrau comes with the five concerto's, triple concerto, and several variation pieces.

Recorded in 1964 and 1965, this is simply the best set of the Beethoven Piano Sonatas to get. In my opinion the playing and interpretation of Wilhelm Kempff is the best ever. Kempff had the versatility, the humor and the discipline when needed, and he was a master of the tempo. He was able to come "closer" to Beethoven in feeling than any other Pianist I have heard. I find Kempff's rendition of Nr. 17, the "Sturm-Sonate", the best rendition I have heard, and this goes also for most of the others as well. For the money how can you go wrong even if you are not as enthusiastic as I am?

As for the criticisms of tape hiss and noises of splicing, though they can be heard very slightly at high volume, I do not think they detract at all at normal listening volume. I first heard these Sonatas on LP's that my Grandfather had in the 60's and these CD's are much superior to the LP's, and also to the Cassettes Deutsche Grammophon released in the 70's, and which I still have. Now there the hiss can be heard. I think DG has done a fine job with this set, and I think the criticism is unwarranted.

Even if you don't think these are the best renditions of the Beethoven Piano Sonatas ever, buy this set, because they are classic recordings and should be in every good collection. And if you do believe it is the best, then enjoy this wonderful music, which I have found an excellent companion in my life for over thirty years.

everyone has already raved about this recording so i do not have much to add except that one should get the remastered versions of these amazing sonatas on Complete Beethoven Edition No. 5. True the remastered set is slighly more expensive but the difference is night and day.

The 32 piano sonatas of Beethoven are as a world unto themselves. The variety of the music contained in them underlines the craftsmanship and genius of their composer. They continue to be a challenge for any serious pianist. Wilhelm Kempff was always up to that challenge.

He was more than a virtuoso pianist. He was a virtuoso musician. His was the style that showed the grand plan, the great line of the music he was playing. To be sure, the details were there, but never at the expense of the entirety. His was an art full of subtlety, tone color and expression. One never hears banging or heaven storming in his playing unless the music demands it. And even then, it's his own particular phrasing and nuance that come to the fore.

There are many sets of the sonatas. Beethoven's music is so great that it can stand many different interpretations. But this set is a masterpiece. If you only could have one set of the sonatas, this is the one I would recommend. Even though the sound quality is not exactly state-of-the art, the musicianship more than makes up for it. Cannot be too highly recommended!

There are many wonderful recordings of the sonatas by many pianists. There is no "absolute" in terms of interpretation. It all comes down to which performances seem to give you the greatest insight, most uplift, etc. The first complete set I heard was the Schnabel. A friend bought it after we had listened to all 32 broadcast on the BBC in 1963 and felt that the performances gave an entirely new perspective on the works. They were flawed performances, of course. Schnabel's vision posed problems which no fingers on earth could ever solve, but you forgave him anyway (except in parts of the Hammerklavier!) I discovered the Kempff performances in his earlier monaural version. Less impassioned and risky than the Schnabel, but as deeply satisfying in a different way. The CDs reviewed here are the slightly later stereo ones and I find them more moving and preferable to the mono ones in the later sonatas, but less so in the earlier ones. I bought the stereo, but will probably buy the mono as well - these performances are, for me, that important

An excellent collection of all 32 sonatas. While i've heard other, better versions of individual sonatas, this collection pulls them all together magnificently. Since this collection contains some older recordings, they aren't as rich in tone as some of the newer recordings. Still, if you don't have all beethoven's sonatas, this is an excellent choice!