Customer Reviews

Beethoven: Kreutzer, Spring Sonatas / Perlman, Ashkenazy

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata for Violin and Piano is probably the most famous piece ever written for these two instruments. It is ironic that most people associate it with the story by Tolstoy, because the middle movement (andante with variations) features some of the most serenely beautiful music ever written and the tone of the piece overall is a world away from the harsh emotions pervading Tolstoy's grim tale of adultery and revenge.

Reissued in the new Decca Legends series (a belated response to the hugely successful DG Originals?), this recording of the Kreutzer is my choice for the greatest performance of this work available on CD. Gideon Kremer and Martha Argerich run a close second and Maxim Vengerov is very impressive indeed in his rendition with Alexander Markovich, but in my view you just can't beat Perlman and Ashkenazy's truly "legendary" showing. The eloquence and power of their reading is unique, and the recording is as close to perfect as one is likely to get. Coupled with a fine performance of the Spring Sonata, this album is one of the stars of my collection.

This is easily one of my Prized possessions -These are among the finest pieces of Music ever composed and this performance by Perlman and Ashkenazy is truly a glorious one reminding us that
'A THING OF BEAUTY IS JOY FOREVER'.Of the two sonatas the SPRING is my favourite.What a longing and Poignancy Perlman brings in the opening movement and Ashkenazy is a perfect match in Restrained Elegance and Heroic Poise.The second movement is highly contemplative one and plumbing great depths.The anguish seems to have been resolved through some deep understanding and in the Third movement there is already a sense of having come to terms and a certain elan.The playing throughout is of the hightened sensitivity-truly marvellous.In these troubled times we cannot do better than to listen to these masterpieces by these truly great artists in order to revive our faith that there is within us the power to transform -the power of compassion!

This recording of what are basically the two most popular of Beethoven's violin sonatas is one of the finest ever made. The chemistry between Perlman and Ashkenazy is outstanding. Perlman's playing is of course phenomenal as usual, his exceptional technique and tone are surpased only by the amount of feeling and emotion conveyed by his playing. Ashkenazy is by no means overshadowed, his playing provides the perfect compliment to Perlman. It is rare to find a recording with so feeling between the performers and this is one disc I can recomend to anyone and everyone.

The other reviewers here (at time of writing, they were all 5-stars) aren't exaggerating. I sing each movement of these sonatas impulsively and I cannot find opportunity for improvement in either the music or the performance.

This would be a good disc to give as a gift. I cannot imagine a negative response. This is the sublime, and it transcends petty stylistic considerations. There is no room for argument here.

The other posts are not exaggerating, this recording is that good. The level of passion and energy in the playing on this album places it as one of the great classical recordings ever. The Gideon Kremer and Martha Argerich recording isn't close. For some works, it's fun listening to a variety of recordings; that's not the case with the "Kreutzer." This album leaves you with no tolerance for other performances, which all seem anemic by comparison.

I've tried so many other recordings ( with all the BIG names attached to it). Nobody gets into these two sonatas better than this (I mean this 1973 Recording). Never before and ever after. The more you listen it, the more you love it! It's just a towering performance!!

Beethoven being a torn apart person in a deeply divided period, divided between dreams of democracy and a reality of dictatorship, dreams of a modern romantic age and a reality of the persistence of classical norms, dreams of ideal love and a reality of materialistic weddings, we could expect these sonatas to be tortured by such conflicts that would embody themselves in a fight to the death between the violin and the piano and we are surprised by the fact we do not find such a conflictual approach. The violin and the piano (a pinaoforte if you please) are surely opposed, with brilliant domination for the one or the other here and there but these moments of domination always emerge from total blend and always lead to total blend. The two instruments represent then a dream of perfect union Beethoven nourished in his deepest mind, even if this union could only come from opposition and confrontation. Beethoven suffered in his times because his dream of perfection, of perfect unisson was never fulfilled and he expresses his desire, his thirst for this perfection in these sonatas. In other words he goes beyond the easy conflict he could build up with his two instruments to reach a completely unreal, surreal world of never ending dialogue and merging of the two. In other words, in the sonatas that are most mature, he creates an atmosphere of peace and quiet that is heavenly and out of this world. He wants to submerge us in this total quietness that contains innovation and a vision of the future. He is a prophet of a new equilibrium that will never come. He is romantic in this dream and yet he seems to neglect the fact that conflict is the only fuel that makes the world move to higher levels of social consciousness. They are both modern to the utmost and yet beyond time at any moment of their beauty.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

I'm not a musicologist or a professor...I'm just a guy who loves Beethoven. The Kreutzer is very strong sounding in the first movement. The second movement is slower, and the lively third is a bouncy musical representation of a frolic..(whatever kind of frolic you would like it to be!). The biography enclosed with the disc is quite interesting. It appears that Beethoven wrote the sonata for a Frenchman with the title's namesake. It says the guy didn't like the piece and rarely, if ever performed it! Beethoven seemed to love the French...like his dedicating the third symphony to Napolean...but then revamping is another example! LOL It seems he had alot of respect for the French but they evidently didn't return the favor. Oh well, it doesn't matter now...the music stands alone without political attachment..it only awaits fertile and imaginative minds to attach themselves to it...

This recording is like a time capsule - a perfectly balanced moment in history which manages to capture the genius of Ashkenazy and the technical mastery of Perlman at the very height of their powers. The sonatas 5 and 9 are magnificent pieces of music but they require greatness to bring out the very best of the huge range of emotions required to portray Beethoven's intentions.

The Kreutzer (Sonata 9) requires from its player(s) understanding, skill and - more than anything else - true passion. Within this recording all three are mastered in a way that will ensure that the Perlman/Ashkenazy partnership will long be used as a benchmark when assessing others. Similar to Solti's Ring (albeit in a less expensive way), this is the one that true listeners will return to when wanting to understand the complexity of the Kreutzer. The Spring too, is a well balanced recording and one which will stand the test of time. But for anybody out there wanting a definite translation of Beethoven's true meaning of the Kreutzer, look no further.

PS. I happened to see that a Chinese gentleman had rated this recording 3 stars - a classic exhibit of why most Asian musicians struggle with the interpretation of classical music. They simply fail to understand the importance of passion. Shame.

I have actually heard people say that Itzhak Perlman is overrated. Well, if he had only recorded this disc in his career, he would still stand, I think, as one of the great violinists of the 20th century. Already from the very start of the first movement of the ninth, you know that you are in for something extraordinary, and you won't be disappointed - although overall, it is in fact the quieter parts that most obviously distinguish this set from its competitors (in particular, again, in the ninth). If I had one minor objection it would be that Ashkenazy is sometimes, perhaps, a little to ferocious in his attacks - but for the most part his playing is brilliantly engaging and superbly well judged. I cannot find anything, really, to complain about concerning Perlman - his phrasing is beautiful, his tone is warm, his technique brilliant, the playing full of energy and his judgment seems consistently trustworthy in these works. The recordings are good, although they stem from two different sources, something which is actually audible - with the ninth being more immediate and the fifth warmer and rounder.