Beethoven Sonatas [Hybrid SACD] [Hybrid SACD - DSD]

Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Artur Rubinstein (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Artur Rubinstein
• Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
• Audio CD (February 7, 2006)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Hybrid SACD - DSD
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000E1NWGO
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #129,464 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Adagio Sostenuto

2. Allagretto

3. Presto Agitato

4. Adagio; Allegro

5. Andante Espressivo

6. Vivacissimamente

7. Allegro Di Molto E Con Brio

8. Adagio Cantabile

9. Rondo: Allegro

10. Allegro Assai

11. Andante Con Moto

12. Allegro Ma Non Troppo

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strong, Committed Performances, February 14, 2006

By 

Hank Drake (Cleveland, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Beethoven Sonatas [Hybrid SACD] (Audio CD)

Rubinstein knew all 32 of Beethoven's Sonatas by heart, but in public and on record, limited himself to the most popular half dozen or so. The four Sonatas on this CD--originally recorded at RCA Italiana Studios in the early 1960s--were, with the five Concertos, the core of Rubinstein's Beethoven repertoire.

Rubinstein's approach to the Pathetique is characteristic of his Beethoven playing: Tempos are sensible, avoiding extremes of speed or slowness; phrasing is devoid of artifice; pedaling is sparser than Beethoven's written indications, but many of Beethoven's contemporaries claim Beethoven over-pedaled; repeats are generally taken. Some purists will object to the way Rubinstein plays some of the grace notes and ornaments in the first movement, but there has been no conclusive evidence either way on the "correct" manner to handle them (Beethoven probably didn't care anyway).

This CD contains Rubinstein's only recording of the inescapable Moonlight Sonata. He performed it in public several times during the 1962-1963 season, and then dropped it from his repertoire. The first movement is played simply, even a little dryly, as is the second movement. But Rubinstein lets loose in the Finale, bringing the work to a stunning close. Nobody else could hit a piano that hard and still create such a beautiful sound.

The Appassionata was a favorite of Rubinstein's. He featured it in his earliest concert performances, played it almost to the end of his career, and recorded it three times. This recording is more successful than the previous two (the first was almost comically slapdash). Max Wilcox, the producer of the original recording, has noted that this was one of the few times Rubinstein became hampered in the recording studio, and many takes were required before Rubinstein was satisfied. But one could never guess that from listening to the resulting performance, it is totally organic and betrays no hint of being spliced together.

The Les Adieu Sonata rounds out the album, bringing a joyous conclusion to a wonderful recording.

RCA's SACD remastering has not radically altered the sound picture, but there is a greater sense of space around the piano. The packaging recreates the original cover art and liner notes.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Recording of a Grand Piano, March 13, 2011

By 

David Bower (Houston, Texas, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beethoven Sonatas [Hybrid SACD] (Audio CD)

Only recently did I discover the remastered Living Stereo SACD series of recordings and have been very pleasantly surprised by the outstanding audio quality. When SACD first came out Sony produced a series of two channel SACD recordings as reissues of older analog recordings with sometimes marginal results. I was concerned that these might fall into that same category and bought my first one with some degree of apprehension.

I was truly delighted to discover a competently recorded performance enhanced by three-channel SACD sound. Whereas a number of the Living Stereo SACD series are three-channel some are also two-channel. My compliments to the recording engineers at RCA for their vision and professionalism!

These performances were recorded in 1962 and 1963 using an Ampex 300-3 tape recorder using 1/2 inch tape running at either 15 ips or 30 ips (ips stands for inches per second). The piano sound on this SACD three-channel recording is some of the best recorded solo piano sound I have ever heard.

My surround sound system was designed primarily for music reproduction and I have an extensive collection of SACD, and DVD-A recordings as well as a number of the newer recordings featuring DTS-HD Master Audio. By comparison with all of those the piano recordings contained on this disc compares favorably and is, in some respects, superior as played on my system.

I read the review concerning tape hiss after I had listened to the SACD and could not recall noticing the tape hiss on my system. I went back and played the beginning of the disc and noticed if I placed my ear close to the speaker I could make out some hiss. It was not so loud as to interfere with my enjoyment of the music.

I have been a fan of Arthur Rubinstein for many years and have a number of his recordings but I didn't have any of him performing Beethoven Sonatas. This disc shows off Rubinstein's masterful technique with power and drama. The dynamic range of the SACD format can be challenging to a system and the listener's ear. Setting the volume high enough to produce the softer sections at a realistic level can produce sound at much higher levels during the really loud sections.

As a matter of curiosity I set the level at the beginning of the Moonlight Sonata at a level that sounded convincingly as if a 9 foot concert grand were placed at the front of the room. It didn't take too much imagination to visualize the piano there in the room with me.

As the recording progressed I realized that the level of the music was getting pretty loud so I set up a sound pressure level meter and started checking the peak sound levels as the louder sections were being played. I was interested in noting the meter was frequently registering levels of 84 to 88 decibels and would on occasion pass the 90 decibel level at the loudest parts.

I have read that the sound pressure level at a concert grand can reach 105 decibel peaks at the piano bench when the piano is played with great force.

Please forgive my enthusiasm for the technical part of music reproduction; the results have been a surround music system which has provided many hours of enjoyment for me.

The quality of the reproduction you will get in your home will be in direct proportion to the quality of your system, especially the ability of your system to reproduce multi-channel music. The newer uncompressed audio formats promise a bright future for music lovers; as frequently happens the audio engineers are going through a learning curve and the early results are a mixed bag. I'm hopeful that we'll soon be seeing these newer formats engineered and recorded up to the potential they offer.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A legendary pianist performs works from a legendary composer, August 12, 2009

By 

Eric S. Kim (Southern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beethoven Sonatas [Hybrid SACD] (Audio CD)

Rubinstein has to be my favorite pianist when it comes to Beethoven. He conveys the right amount of tranquility and excitement for all four of these sonatas that are featured on this disc. Unlike Rudolf Kempff, Rubinstein plays the first movement of the "Moonlight" very slowly (but not too slow) and the third movement very quickly (but not to the point that it feels like the speed of light). I think this portrays Beethoven's original intentions almost perfectly. "Pathetique" is also a hit, with a relatively intense first movement that actually sounds intense, and a meditative second movement that actually sounds meditative. "Appassionata" and "Les Adieux" are some of my least favorite works from Beethoven, but the two pieces still manage to make me feel very comfortable. Rubinstein once again plays brilliantly here. Now normally, I focus only on the composer and his music rather than the players that perform the music, but here, I can't help but admire Rubinstein for his extraordinary performances of Beethoven's greatest piano sonatas. Kudos to both the composer and pianist for these splendid recordings.

Also, one of the reviewers said that the slight tape hiss ruined this recording. Well, that's because these works were recorded in the early 60's, where analogues were being used. So therefore, all of the tape hiss can't be removed even with today's technology. And besides, why be so bothered by it? This is a classic recording of some of Beethoven's most beloved piano works, and we should all enjoy it for what it is.