Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 8, 14, 21 & 23

Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Wilhelm Kempff (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Wilhelm Kempff
• Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
• Audio CD (January 23, 1996)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B000001GQ1
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,521 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heaven or hell? You decide!, January 6, 2003

By 

Jay (Republic of Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 8, 14, 21 & 23 (Audio CD)

From his youth in Imperial Berlin and Vienna until his retirement in his late 80's, Wilhelm Kempff's interpretations of Beethoven's Piano works have never been anything other than controversial, polarising the opinions of music lovers for almost a century to an even greater extent than Kemperer did with the symphonies. That alone is no small achievement!

This however leaves us with something of a problem with this CD. Many who hear these recordings of some of the best known of Beethoven's Piano sonatas, The Pathetique (no 8), The Moonlight (no 14), The Waldstein (no 21) and The Appassionata (no 23), regard them as something of a "cop out", polite and civilised performances of music which at it's core it anything but polite and civilised, cynically calculated to appeal to the drawing room sensibilities of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I must confess that the first time I heard this CD, I was inclined to agree. But as I listened again and again, I found myself being drawn ever deeper in to Kempff's view. These readings are deeply introspective; they have all the passion of more bombastic readings, but expressed in a more subtle way and prove that there is a romantic depth to Beethoven's music, which modern interpretations tend to gloss over. Perhaps this is how Liszt, Chopin and Clara Schumann played these works, or perhaps not, we'll never know. Either way the listener's reaction to this recording will be more subjective than with almost any other.

For me, even considering the mono recordings made my Kempff 10 years earlier than these which some consider to be better, this is the finest performance of the Beethoven sonata's available. I can't recommend it highly enough.

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Unique, Enduring Vision of Beethoven, December 21, 2001

By 

Christopher Smith (Atlanta, Georgia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 8, 14, 21 & 23 (Audio CD)

When I first heard these sonatas I felt a little disappointed; however, after repeated listening I have been completely drawn into Kempff's vision of Beethoven, and won over. Kempff has an incredible grace and lightness of touch, so that his playing seems to float over Beethoven's developing dramas, seeing everything and holding it all in perfect proportion. His renditions of the Pathetique and Moonlight sonatas are exquisite, justly famous, and perfectly suited to his approach to Beethoven. I really enjoy Kovacevich and Brendel here, but with Kempff it is incredible how he seems to make every note count, and the clarity of his understanding is just mindblowing. It is his performances of the epic middle period masterpieces--the Waldstein and the Appassionata--that seem to invite controversy.

The Waldstein has never been among my favorite sonatas, since it seems to me to be quite devoid of emotion--more a showpiece for Beethoven's utter mastery of classical form than anything else--and this often shows in many interpretations of it. Too often what you get is a cold expostion of techinical mastery and apprehension of structure, and I think Pollini and Gilels are a case in point here. However, with Kempff the entire sonata is a rich flow of uninterrupted bliss. There's an aura of sublime inevitability about the entire performance, so that the conclusion is a dramatic rather than technical triumph. For me, there's nothing better than being allowed a new insight into a piece I thought I knew so well, but that's where Kempff's greatness lies.

As for the Appassionata, it took me a while to came around to Kempff's interpretation. It's a gliding rather than slow, measured take, and at first I thought Kempff simply lacked the power and grand scale in his playing to bring the Appassionata off. Arrau is for me the touchstone here, since he is so in tune with the Appassionata's epic-heroic qualities. Again though, Kempff has his own vision, and it's completely valid and compelling. While the first movement is still a bit quick for my liking, the slow movement just sings, and the finale captures the sonata's overall unease without becoming overwrought.

It's difficult to decribe the overall, cumulative effect Kempff's Beethoven has, but you have to experience it. There's no reason why one can't like Arrau and Gilels on the one hand, and Kempff on the other. This set is a perfect introduction to Kempff's Beethoven, and I'm looking forward to buying the re-release of his recordings of the last five Beethoven sonatas to set alongside those I have of Pollini, Arrau, and Gilels. Just remember, it's impossible to have too much of Beethoven, or for that matter too many interpretations of his piano sonatas.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I recommend unreservedly, December 15, 2005

By 

A. Chapman - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 8, 14, 21 & 23 (Audio CD)

This review is probably useless but I will not allow this wonderful disc to continue its 3 and a half star rating. Sound is fine. Performances immense but in a rather understated way which rewards repeated listening as more dynamic readings will not. I feel Beethoven sonatas need clarity and transparency for maximum enjoyment. i doubt if anyone would have the nerve to suggest this is not achieved by Kempff. I could draw comparison with that other master of understatement Solomon as his Beethoven is so transparent and I recommend his Testament recordings. Kempff is no Kovacevich and vice versa but I feel one can get rather fed up with K as K stamps his own personality on such works which leads to pretty impressive listening at first but I find it is Kempff I tend to go back to. Perhaps therefore purchasers should be warned to persevere if finding the disc seems disappointing on initial listening.