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24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The purest interpretation of Beethoven's piano sonatas ..., July 31, 2002
This review is from: Beethoven: Les Sonates pour piano (Audio CD)
Unlike many more famous interpreters such as Emil Gilels, Alfred Brendel, Rudolf Serkin ..., Yves Nat plays so naturally that the sound could even appear rough ... It is also to be said that the recordings were made in the fifties and it greatly contributes to the authenticity of the sound ... You should definitely listen to these discs if You happen to be a Beethoven fan : in fact, You might remain amazed while listening to the latest sonatas, especially the last one, as Nat plays them much faster than any other as far as I know ... It gives an impression of lightness and simplicity even if these pieces are far from being easy and I think that this interpreter deserves the title of most natural interpreter of Beethoven's piano sonatas !
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nat is King - Unqualified!, October 5, 2006
This review is from: Beethoven: Les Sonates pour piano (Audio CD)
I think that it's really difficult to pick one pianist as the "best" for all 32 sonatas, but if you pin me to the wall, I absolutely will choose Nat without hesitation. I like the other reviewers' choice of the word "natural". IMO, Yves Nat has by far been the most successful at giving us the direct line to the subtlety, spirit, and power of the compositions as works of BEETHOVEN!! remarkably achieved through his own humility, transparence and devotion to the music itself. This is in great contrast to what I consider to be performances that are really more like two composers: Beethoven/Arrau, Beethoven/Gould etc. I was first introduced to Nat's cycle 2 decades ago by my former family-in-law. They were from Paris, and I naturally assumed that they held a strong bias for these interpretations of this French pianist. But, as I listened over the years to the complete recordings, I came to realize how consistently sensitive and passionate and just basically amazing the entire Nat cycle is. I also came to realize that he is perhaps the most overlooked, underrated, and unrecognized Beethoven Interpreter of all who have recorded the complete cycle on a major label. I said goodbye to Claudio Arrau, Kempf, even Schnabel--I was a bit obsessive. Since then, I've calmed down a bit and enjoy listening to other interpretations, but there is no question that Nat remains my "desert island" favorite for all time; though I have to admit that Annie Fischer has recently come to be a close second. Just a word of warning: these were recorded in the 50s and the sound is mono; but, I urge you not to be too put off by that. If you can get your hands on the Nat recordings, just listen to the 'Waldstein' Op.53. You will run out and buy the set immediately. Tell me if I'm wrong.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
beautiful natural performances, October 2, 2003
This review is from: Beethoven: Les Sonates pour piano (Audio CD)
Yves Nat's performance of the Beethoven sonatas is a remarkable feat--His interpretations are "natural" as though the music is being composed as he plays. Therefore, the performances offer an inner satisfaction to the listener. Nat is also a great pianist with a beautiful tone and solid technique welded to his conceptions. A sleeper set that stands comparison to more famous versions.
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