Beethoven: The Violin Sonatas [Box set, Original recording reissued]

Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Vladimir Ashkenazy (Performer), Itzhak Perlman (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Vladimir Ashkenazy, Itzhak Perlman
• Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
• Audio CD (September 10, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 4
• Format: Box set, Original recording reissued
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B0000041UF
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,400 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

There are two really famous Beethoven violin sonatas, the Kreutzer and the Spring. The Kreutzer Sonata inspired the story by Leo Tolstoy, which in turn became the subject of Janácek's First String Quartet, so if you're into comparative studies in the arts, there's a thesis topic for you! The Spring Sonata was featured in Woody Allen's Love and Death, among other places. And perhaps most intriguingly of all, the scherzo of the late sonata, Op. 96, turns up quite clearly in the third movement of Mahler's Second Symphony. So you may already know more about this splendid music than you think. Why not take the plunge with these superb performances and get to know the sonatas at first hand? Just as there are two truly famous Mozart sonatas, there are also two sides to Itzhak Perlman's musical career--the flashy virtuoso and the considerate partner. Chamber-music recordings such as this feature Perlman in this second role, one that gets less attention than his other, more sensational, persona, but which for many listeners is even more musically rewarding. Ashkenazy, no mere accompanist, is very much involved in the proceedings, and the two musicians combine to produce one of the finest sets of Beethoven violin sonatas available as well as one of Perlman's very greatest recordings in any genre. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best complete set I know of, March 31, 2004

By 

chefdevergue (Spokane, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Beethoven: The Violin Sonatas (Audio CD)

There are probably better-known recordings of the individual sonatas, but if you are looking for a consistently good collection from start to finish, this would be it, especially if you are familiar only with the Spring & Kreutzer sonatas. This is a collection that gets wonderfully intimate at times, and is a consistent delight to the listener. This is definitely a worthy addition to any collection.

29 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Greatest cycle of the greatest violin sonatas ever, May 10, 2004

By 

Deborah Chesky (MA. USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beethoven: The Violin Sonatas (Audio CD)

I agree that this is the greatest cycle of the greatest set of violin sonatas ever written. Gidon and Argerich are also good but Argerich doesn't articulate her notes clearly like Ashkenazy. You feel that Argerich is kind of "cheating" by skimming to lightly over some notes - whereas Beethoven needs to be played with a greater force. Ashkenazy provides just the right kind of Beethovenian playing.

This set also contains the greatest performance of the greatest violin sonata ever written - the Kreutzer - plus a highly delectable Spring sonata.

If you're not familiar with the rest of Beethoven's sonatas, you'll be surprised at how magnetic they are in the hands of musicians the likes of Ashkenazy and Perlman.

I cannot recommend this too highly. Enjoy.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two contemporary musical masters pay homage, August 7, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Beethoven: The Violin Sonatas (Audio CD)

Listen to this music if you want a searching, thoughtful dialog by the Great Brooder between two superb interpreters of their respective instruments....two instruments only, that manage to fill the room and the world completely.....
Listen with the best equipment you can justify, because this music alone justifies the technology- the access of which to the common man fulfills Beethoven's wildest, unnamed hope.