Customer Reviews

Beethoven: Complete Violin Sonatas

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For those who had forsaken of ever hearing entirely satisfactory performances of these enormously challenging works, the release of this three-disk set is a cause for celebration. Dumay and Pires, too little heard separately or together in this country but well known elsewhere, achieve what no other collaboration in the extensive discography of these sonatas has yet succeeded in realizing. Finally we hear the soaring bel canto lyricism, the flashing virtuosic energy, the intimacy, the intellectual introversion of these works, often within the short span of a few bars. No collaboration until now has consistently captured the breathtaking emotional sweep of these works that too often remains undiscovered. It is immediately apparent that this recording project was no hastily arranged meeting of marquee performers. Listening to these performances, we have the sense that each phrase, if not each measure, was analyzed and debated long before these performers brought their formidable technical powers to bear in the recording studio. To listen to these performances is to delight in things we have never heard before in works that we thought we knew so well. The result is a recording of unsurpassed beauty and insight in which Beethoven the lyricist and Beethoven the intellectual receive equal justice.

Thank-You Christopher for writing such a great review. I do not have much time, so here is the essential: the sound quality is awesome.

For the reviewers who have problem with it, two advices: get decent audio gear and tweak the acoustics of your room. It was even a Stereophile record of the month...

Enjoy

Valid interpretations of Beethoven's masterpieces require a delicate balance of fire and beauty. The Itzhak Perlman/Vladimir Ashkenazy set achieves that balance and so too does this set of Dumay/Pires. I do prefer the sound and balance of instruments of this set over the Perlman/Ashkenazy. Along with the Grumiaux/Haskil set, I count these as the 3 best currently available.

As a violinist, i've listened many recordings of complete Beethoven sonatas, by comparison, this one is so far the best. although some of the sonatas recorded in earlier year( the whole recording session lasted for 5 years.)tend to be overly aggressive and the tempo is a bit too fast ( No.7~No.9) but the excellent cordination ,musical balance , heroic characteristic and large-scale dynamic changes between the two intsruments perfectly represent the true Beethoven spirit.

This is a duo on a par with Szymon Goldberg and Radu Lupu. Very warm, colorful, and finely detailed performances. The recording quality is excellent, even sforzando chords on the violin are never harsh. I have recordings of some of these sonatas by Heifetz/Bay, Kremer/Argerich, and Grumiaux/Arrau, all of which have their merits, but like this one best.

I've heard Beethoven's Violin Sonatas played by Istomin/Stern, Askenazy/Perlman, Neikrug/Zukerman, Kremer/Argerich, Faust/Melnikov, and Mutter/Orkis and this is the most beautiful and most enjoyable ones I ever heard. Dumay's violin playing sounds so sweet and Pires piano playing is dazzling. Dumay and Pires were made for each other. A joy to listen to.

The Spring Sonata no. 5 in F op 24 alone is worth the purchase price. As a musician, I have never heard a better collaborative performance. Pires playing is exquisite and Dumay interprets the violin part flawlessly. Truly inspiring.

I was surprised no one has reviewed these recordings. I am a big fan of Pires and have enjoyed her work with colleague Dumay.

Sadly, while there are some interesting moments in this collection, I would advise you to audition prior to purchase, or if you are only to have one set of these works in your collection, do look elsewhere.

I just was not inspired by the performances and the recording itself has a bit of an odd acoustic quality to it -- overly resonant -- that bothers me as well.

I'm damning with faint praise. These are great musicians. There is beauty here, but I have heard more insights from these musicians in previous recordings.

Literally so for me, as i borrowed the set from the local library. And unfortunately it really says something of the recordings as i hear them.

As for the recording itself, the sound dynamics are off. The violin is too loud and piano sounds almost muffled. Other than that, the sound also seems dry and lifeless in some way.

More of a problem are the interpretations themselves. There is a sense of exaggerated attempt to create an impression of prettiness and jolliness. i feel no organic flow or hear any grace or beauty, but rather the readings are very superficial. Not in the sense that they hadn't put any effort or thought into them, but that that's how their view of these pieces is for me. And to be honest, this simply encourages me to stay away from other recordings by Pires and Dumay.

The art is missing. i don't know, maybe this is for audiences with "modern" sensibility by players with modern sensibility, but for me it does absolutely nothing. And in the end, i really don't feel right about avoiding saying that these renditions are childish.