Customer Reviews

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos 14, 23, 24, & 26

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As I have stated in many of my previous reviews, I am a huge fan of the Sony Essential Classics (SEC) budget series. Most of the recordings feature classic and often definitive performances featuring the likes of Eugene Ormandy, George Szell, Isaac Stern and Rudolf Serkin among others. Here we get the great pianist Robert Casadesus performing some of the more popular Beethoven Piano Sonatas. To the best of my knowledge, Casadesus did not record all of the Beethoven Sonatas, but I do know that he recorded more than the four featured here on this disc because there is a Sony France CD that has also contains Sonatas 2, 28 and 31. Though between this title and the SEC of Beethoven Piano Sonatas 8 and 29 with Serkin, most will be satisfied. If you do decide that you need more Beethoven Piano Sonatas, or even all 32, the Wilhelm Kempff cycle is without peer.

A record that badly needs to be remastered.

Otherwise, it's a unjustice both to the pianist and these sonatas. The recording, as it stands, sounds categorically worse than most records in the 50's, far worse than Oistrakh's Beethoven Violin Sonatas (with Lev Oberin), way worse than those recordings done in Moscow in the same period. Nowadays, we have a lot of transfers from the 78s which sound much better than this one. I happen to own another Sony record by the same artist playing Bach. Likewise, it is impossible? What rough treatment on our invaluable musical heritage!!