Customer Reviews

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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I have been a Beethoven fan since childhood from listening to my mother play the Fur Elise and Moonlight sonatas. When it came time to begin collecting Beethoven piano sonata performances on CD, initially the sheer volume of those available overwhelmed me. I thought it best to start off with the more well-known and loved sonatas, and thankfully the Naxos label had just what I was looking for. I purchased this CD on solely upon hearing Jando's performance of Adagio Cantabile (Pathetique) - a performance of which is so full of melancholy, and resignation that it almost brought me to tears. It is a joy to hear Jando bring to the music of Beethoven exactly what it deserves and demands - passion, precision, and above all humility. Highly recommended.

This is one of the absolute best interpretations of Beethoven's most popular piano sonatas I have heard. I have heard some other renditions of these works but this holds its own against any. My personal favorite is the third movement of the "Appasionata" which Jandó concludes with a brilliant flurry. A super work in every way.

This review is being written for those readers who are lost about which recording to choose from among the hundreds of available performances of the Beethoven piano sonatas. This disc includes three of the most popular sonatas. It includes the Pathetique, Moonlight, and Appassionata. They are often grouped together on disc. Jando is an excellent pianist who has recorded extensively for Naxos. This disc is not expensive particularly at the secondary sellers. If you enjoy this performance you may want to consider obtaining a complete box set. There are many pianists to choose from. I would seriously consider Claude Franke on Music and Arts and Gulda on Decca. You will find fans of many other pianists. The Schnabel performances are wonderful but the sound very dated. Kempff go for the mono versions over the stereo, Brendel-The Vox recordings also available on Brilliant Classics are variable in recording quality but display a young virtuoso with a lot of fire. The later Philips sets become progressively more cerebral. This is not a bad progression particularly in the late sonatas.Others will swear allegiance to other pianists such as Backhaus,Ashkenazy,Arrau, Baremboim. This is a very incomplete list of the many complete boxes.Incomplete cycles are available by Solomon, Richter, Gilels and numerous other great musicians.These sonatas and recordings can become quite addictive. They are one of the great joys of life. This first disc in the Jando cycle is a great place to start. You might want to listen to Volume 4 next which contains the last three sonatas. Incredible music well performed. If you want to explore further buy a complete box. I happen to love Franke and Gulda. Very different musicians both incredible.

Jando does a great job with these three sonatas. He plays these works with a great deal of energy. I especially enjoy his performance of the "Appassionata." The tempo that Jando chose for the first movement is fairly fast, and I love the fire and energy. The CD was recorded in 1987, and the sound quality is good. Highly recommended!

Piano Sonata No. 8 "Pathetique"

1st mov. - 8:26

2nd mov. - 4:41

3rd mov. - 4:25

Piano Sonata No. 14 "Moonlight"

1st mov. - 5:14

2nd mov. - 2:03

3rd mov. - 7:16

Piano Sonata No. 23 "Appassionata"

1st mov. - 9:33

2nd mov. - 5:48

3rd mov. - 8:08

Beethoven is my favorite composer of all time. This is a good collection with good performances. Recommended.