Customer Reviews

Beethoven: Les Sonates pour piano

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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 !

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.

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.

If you could buy only one set of the complete Beethoven sonatas, which would I recommend? Sorry, it wouldn't be this one. Maybe Kempff, or Brendel, or Kuerti.

But there is still plenty to recommend in this unusual rendition of some of the greatest piano music ever written. Nat's interpretations are lighthearted. His style is wonderfully simple, not grandiloquent. And his tempos are something else!

It isn't my favorite set of the Sonatas. But I listen to it occasionally and I find it delightful.

Yves Nat was indeed, a majuscule personality, a notable artist of the piano, with a peculiar. His roughness was one of his most distinctive features that made of him much closer to the well known pianism of Schnabel.

His worriment was always the search of the legitimated expression, spiced with his vision and enriched with an introspective approach. That's why his style sounds so peculiar, individual -if you may- but extremely interesting because there's a solid reason for this and not a mere device of simple ostentation.

This set of Sonatas must be part of your collection in which must be included Kempff, Badura Skoda, Schnabel,Gulda, Barenboim, Annie Fisher, Egon Petri, Emil Gilels and Richard Goode.

Beethoven interpreters often bring out more beauty and humanity than the force, power and weight of his Sonatas. Yves Nat does just that and more, he is similar to a male version of Annie Fischer!

He plays the Sonatas faster than we're used to but throughout brings more subtleties, spontaneity, weight and fire than many many others. You often get the feeling that they are live performances (which they are not).

The mono sound is acceptable, with a full range and depth, there is some slight hiss at times which easily you get over.

I disagree with some other reviewers saying that Nat's playing is "Natural". (Wilhelm Kempff and Wilhelm Backhaus are "natural" in my opinion, they don't think when they play, they just brings out the beauty easily...) but you feel that with Yves Nat he actually has thought things through and is continuously moulding the Sonatas as he is playing them! He purposely and forcebly constructs each sonata to make it it's own world (which to me is not natural) but you never get the sense that he is being contrived or selfish about it.

That's why Nat is so great, almost like a Klemperer at the piano!

This is a truly wonderful set--Nat makes the performances sound so natural. Not perhaps as profound as Schnabel but great in their own way. The sound is actually quite good--EMI did a good job both in recording and remstering the 50s mono.Highly recommended.

Beethoven: Les Sonates pour piano is a recording with Yves Nat playing Beethoven's Sonatas and was recorded in the 1950's and what Glenn Gould did for Bach Yves Nat does for Beethoven. Yves Nat plays with vigour and with a masculine touch which is right for Beethoven's emotion driven music. The booklet contains well-written liner notes by André Tubeuf and translated into English by Brian Prescott. The sound quality is surprisingly good to be well over 50 years old and EMI has done a splendid job with this. Highly recommended. 5/5.

This is a very particular interpretation of Beethoven. It's passionate, impulsive and engaging. It's not analytical where every note has been thought of
separately. If I had to compare Nat to a sculptor the name Rodin would come to mind.

I dont think there is a "best" interpretation of the Beethoven sonatas, but this is one of the finest, however I dont think it should be the only version you should listen to.
Nobody else played the sonatas like Nat did.
This is surely a good reason to go and listen to these recordings.