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34 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must have, October 24, 2005
This review is from: Decca Beethoven Recordings, 1950-1958 [Box Set] (Audio CD)
This collection is a must have for anyone seriously interested
in Beethoven's piano sonatas. Gulda is one of the very
best pianists of the 20th century, and the Beethoven
sonatas are his specialty. Although Gulda's reputation
was confused by his later involvement with jazz, this has no
bearing on his classical performances, which are superb. The
present collection is nothing short of a musical epiphany.
Gulda's performance of Beethoven
sonatas is possibly the very best in one
direction of interpretation of
these pieces (S. Richter's being almost exactly opposite).
To start with, Gulda has supreme technique, by far
surpassing even the high demands of Beethoven, and
therefore plays exactly as he intends, which is very subtle.
Gulda has an amazing range of touches in the
left hand, from a wonderful
dry rapping or knocking sound (Op. 2 no. 2,
movement 2) to rumbling sounds, to unparallelled pianissimo
(Op.13, movement 2), to attacks
(Op. 111, movement 1). In his right hand,
he has wonderful articulation throughout
all the sonatas. For the way Gulda hanldes an
extremely difficult passage, listen, for example, to the arpeggio
cadenza in Op. 57, movement 1. For wonderful use of dynamics
and smooth transitions between pianos and fortes, listen
to Op. 31, no. 1. Gulda's feeling for syncopation is
absolutely superb (Op.2 no.2 movement 4, Op. 57, movement 3).
For a Kafka-like
mood, listen to Op. 57, movement 2. The ultimate test
of any Beethoven piano interpreter is the Hammerklavier
sonata (Op.106). Gulda is great in movements 1, 2 and 3, but I
would say Gulda's is one of the very few intelligible
performances of the Fugue in movement 4 I ever
heard recorded. This piece is extremely
difficult in the conflict of tempo, fugal elements and
melodic sonata forms. Beethoven himself considered
the Hammerklavier sonata his best piano piece.
Gulda gets it all seemingly without any exertion,
with plenty of room to spare.
In a Gulda performance, the
Beethoven sonatas flow naturally, and the
flow is never interrupted. Listening to these performances
is always a joy, and is extremely instructive for any
pianist.
There are a number of other treats in this set, for
example the wonderful violin sonatas performed by
Ricci and Gulda.
The only drawback is the relatively low
technical quality of the early recordings, but this
is to be expected in a recording from the 50's.
However, listening to this performance is well
worth it.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Epic Traversal, May 2, 2007
This review is from: Decca Beethoven Recordings, 1950-1958 [Box Set] (Audio CD)
I first became interested in the pianism of Friedrich Gulda when I picked up a disc of Mozart concertos with him, Abbado, and the Vienna Philharmonic (in nos. 20 and 21 [which are still available]). It never crossed my mind that this Mozart disc, which I snagged as a cheap impulse buy, would immediately rival and eventually surpass the Perahia recordings of those two concertos (which just happened to be my favorite at the time). What struck me most about Gulda's technique was the crispness and overall clarity of his playing. What's best is that he achieved this clarity without the slightest hint of dryness; from that moment on, I became a devoted Gulda fan.
Here we have what I believe to be the summit of Gulda's recorded legacy: his first epic traversal of the 32 Beethoven sonatas. He made two, with the second being, I believe, the lesser of the two giants. More staccato, very speedy playing, and less warmth is how I would characterize his later recording (but with better sonics) - it's still a great set, just not quite as great as the one we have here.
Interpretation-wise, Gulda is far from the Post-war Germanic style of plodding, ponderous tempos. Quick, crisp playing is the norm here, and it is a nice contrast to Arrau and Barenboim's (EMI) classic sets. Gulda really shines in the early sonatas, especially in the slow movements (and even more specifically, in the slow movements of op. 7 and op. 10 [nos. 2 and 3], which are truly heart wrenching). His interpretations of the early masterpieces have a Mozartian tautness to them, while still implementing ample legato phrasing when called for. I feel safe to say that few would be disappointed with Gulda's way here.
As for the middle sonatas, some may find a little more to gripe about, but not much. His interpretations are still outstanding in my own opinion, but some may feel they lack the same perfection that Gulda achieves in the early and late sonatas. The first movement of the "Moonlight" is.....well, interesting. Slow, very slow (on par with Solomon), and Gulda tends to blend and overlap all the modulating harmonies throughout (almost as if his foot was cemented to the pedal for the entire first movement). I believe it to be a welcomed change from the standard. The "Waldstein" will be a bit on the fast side for some listeners (indeed, it may be the fastest I have ever heard - in all three movements); however, his way with the "Pastorale" and "Tempest" is nothing short of spectacular. Particularly noteworthy are Op. 78 and 79, which I believe get definitive performances.
When I reached the late sonatas (starting with op. 90) on this 11 disc set, I was truly in awe. Gulda certainly gave my previous reference recordings (Pollini, Arrau, Solomon, and Rosen) a good run for their money. The only weak-link here is the "Hammerklavier", which is a much earlier recording (1951- and it sounds every bit its age). Gulda just does not seem to be in the same mindset as he was with the others. Sharp, disjointed, and overall choppy playing is how I would characterize it (although he does have some fantastic things to say in the slow movement and final fugue). Never-mind though, this is a minor quibble in an otherwise stunning set. The final three sonatas get near definitive readings, and in op. 111 Gulda is rivaled only by Solomon (and even then, he is not surpassed). You also get what I like to call two "bonus" discs containing the C major piano concerto, two violin sonatas, the "Eroica" variations, and two Bagatelles. These are all early recordings, and the sound is dated, but the music-making is still first rate (particularly in the two violin sonatas).
As far as the sound goes overall, it's not bad. There are 14 sonatas in mono - (op. 2 [1,2,3]/ op. 7/ op. 10 [1,2,3]/ op. 13/ op. 14 [1,2] / op. 49 [1,2]/ op. 81/ and op.106), the rest are in early stereo (all the "bonus" material is mono). Overall the sound is pretty good, with the late mono recordings (1954, '55, '57, '58) being just as good, if not better than the early stereo recordings. There is still a good deal of surface "hiss" present in the early stereo takes, which I believe Decca could have done a better job at reducing. Nevertheless, the sound is more then adequate for these timeless recordings.
So overall, this is a truly distinctive set of the immortal 32 by one of the great Beethoven interpreters of the twentieth century. The price tag is outstanding, and the music-making is priceless. It's certainly a welcomed addition to the "Original Masters" series, and more importantly, a more then justified addition to any Beethoven shelf.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
You have to be on Gulda's wavelength, and tolerant of some bad sound, February 8, 2010
This review is from: Decca Beethoven Recordings, 1950-1958 [Box Set] (Audio CD)
Friedrich Gulda lost a good deal of his classical credibility -- no doubt unfairly -- when he moved to jazz, but to grasp what he was, you need to respond to a protean talent that enjoyed crossing boundaries. In Beethoven his mercurial imagination led to quite a lot of fast, staccato playing that feels impatient to me, although as the enthusiastic reviewers state, his style can be delightful in the early sonatas. He reaches his peak in this early cycle with the "Pathetique," "Hunt," and "Tempest" sonatas. I enjoyed his slow first movement in the "Moonlight," but slow with Gulda doesn't necessarily mean more romantic -- there's not much of that in him. His "Waldstein" and "Appassionata" turn their backs on Beethoven's declared passions, and one begins to feel that Gulda takes a stand against "depth" in general. Therefore, my own connection with him is hit-and-miss. I find myself responding to his mind far more than his heart.
The late sonatas are puzzling and do not reveal themselves through any set preconception. They are a test of individual insight and interpretative persuasion. Gulda hits quite a few peaks here, and there were stretches when I could see what his die-hard fans are saying. I don't hear why one of the five-star reviewers finds this "Hammerklavier" a failure in particular; Gulda is no more impatient here than in many other places, and I find his reading coherent and involving. He certainly communicates through the first movement's difficulties easily (although to claim that he has a "surpassing" technique seems exaggerated). The mono sound is dull, which is true of the twelve sonatas recorded in mono; some are tubby, in fact, and hiss varies from moderate to extreme.
What keeps me from giving more praise is Gulda's habit of setting a tempo or, more often, a mood and not varing it enough. Try the tenderly lyrical finale of Op. 109, which is too plain-faced. The Fuga finale of Op. 110 is taken considerably slower than Beethoven's Allegro ma non troppo -- not that Gulda is alone in this -- and achieves a convincing gravitas: it's one of the best movements in the whole cycle and comes in good stereo sound. The same holds true for Op. 111, as far as gravitas and sound go. In general, the late sonatas convince me that they are lived in, but Gulda lacks the strong profile of great Beethoven interpreters like Serkin, Edwin Fischer, and Schnabel.
As a cycle, this one has the kinds of ups and downs I find in those by Kempff, Brendel, Goode, and Arrau. If you are on Gulda's wavelength, he can be very satisfying, but in the end Brendel, Goode, and Kempff, all of whom resemble Gulda stylistically, are more consistent.
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