Customer Reviews

Emil Gilels Plays Beethoven (Box Set)

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For me to write a review on Gilels is almost ridiculous, since he was one of the best pianists of the century. For me, Richter and Gilels are the best pianists I've ever heard.

This set is made up of live recordings - which as the title suggests - taken from old Russian archives. As such, the sound is sometimes not that great, but I'll take these recordings over any digital recording, even Brendel's, which I own and love. The contercos are masterfully played, I especially like Gilels in the 3rd concerto. He plays the cadenza better than anyone I've ever heard, Richter included.

Gilels' style is perfectly suited to the powerhouse sonatas, the hammerklavier and appassionata. The hammerklavier is obviously amazing, but the appassionata alone is worth the price of the whole set. I've never heard such power in the first and third movements, he plays the fortissimo passages so heavily that I wonder how the piano can withstand such an onslaught. This is exactly how I imagine Beethoven would have wanted it in this sonata, after all, his own pianos couldn't take the punishment he dished out. The third movement is completely wild, as aggressive as you'll ever hear, but you never think that it's over done, I think it suites the mood of the music perfectly. Once he hammers the final chords of the final movement, you're out of breath, completely amazed at what you've just heard. There are some smudged passages near the end and some wrong notes here and there (he was human after all... sort of) but with the tempo he takes, and playing as loudly as he is at the end, it's impossible to be perfect in a live recording. That being said, I have an old Russian lp of Richter playing a live appassionata in Moscow in 1960, where he adopts the same tempo as Gilels at the end of the third movement and plays the hell out of it and it's a lot cleaner than Gilels. But overall, I think this recording of the appassionata is my favorite, slightly edging out Richter's live recording. I also have studio recordings of the appassionata with Arrau, Brendel, Backhaus, Fischer, and Horowitz, none of them measure up to Gilels either.

Only one gripe: in the third movement of the appassionata, Gilels doesn't play the repeat in the first subject. And since his playing is so good, it's a shame that the third movement is about three minutes shorter than it should be.

This set would be a treasure at any price, let alone the modest price being asked for it here. Don't be fooled by the fact that this is on the Brilliant Classics label, even though the recordings haven't been remastered, it's a document of the kind of incredible piano playing that I'm afraid we'll most likely never see again.

Brilliant has done us all a great favor by unearthing historic broadcast performances (and other material) from the radio archives of the former Soviet Union. Already available are superb Richter, Shafran and Oistrakh anthologies. Now we have two volumes dedicated to Gilels, unquestionably one of the great "keyboard lions" of the Twentieth Century.

The volume under consideration here, devoted entirely to Beethoven, is particularly valuable, insofar as the recordings are all relatively recent (1961-1984), the sonics are almost uniformly good (given the vagaries of live broadcast material), and the performances constitute an illuminating gloss on Gilels's studio recordings of this same repertoire--a Beethoven sonata cycle for DG left incomplete by the pianist's death, a concerto cycle with Szell and the Clevland Symphony for EMI, and earlier EMI traversals of concertos 4 & 5 with Ludwig and the Philharmonia. Whereas in the studio Gilels, even at his most insightful, could be too deliberate, in live performance he is altogether freer, more spontaneous, while missing none of the majesty he always evoked in Beethoven.

The concertos are a case in point. Taken down in 1976 from a cycle of live performances with the USSR State Symphony under Kurt Masur, these renditions convey a graciousness and poise not found, on the whole, in the more tight-fisted versions under Szell (the conductor may have been the culprit--a poor match, in any case). Yet the pianist is also disposed to take more interpretive and technical risks than in the studio; some pay off, others don't; but the creative tensions of these live occasions prove riveting regardless of occasional misfires. Masur and his USSR forces are clearly in their element as well; there is nothing routine or merely 'accompanimental' about the orchestral contribution. Szell and Ludwig get more refined playing from their respective orchestras in Gilels's studio versions, but Masur is more enlivening than either. The one exception for this listener would be Concerto #4, where, in an effort to emphasize the warmth and elegance of Beethoven's writing, the conductor inclines too much toward mellowness (the finale, in particular, tends to hang fire).

The sonata performances are simply tremendous. The "Hammerklavier", in particular, though somewhat more loose-jointed than Gilels's celebrated DG account, goes more directly to the heart of the matter. It is less Olympian, more humane, and also far more exciting. Much the same could be said of the other sonatas in this anthology. In live performance Gilels's Beethoven tends toward the incendiary, even if that virtually guarantees some technical slips (which Gilels has a way of cleverly concealing--I have rarely heard a pianist so effective at "damage control"!). Some listeners may find such occasional finger faults and dropped notes irritating on repetition; that caveat aside, however, this box contains some of the most brilliant performances you are likely to hear of these evergreen masterpieces.

Who then should purchase this set? Economy-minded neophytes should probably look elsewhere for "standard recommendations" in this repertoire (I would suggest Kempff or Ashkenazy for the sonatas and Fleisher-Szell or Kempff-van Kempen for the concertos). For those who already know this music inside out, and who may already cherish Gilels's studio versions of these works, this box is an essential supplement made all the more attractive by being surprisingly well recorded (for Russian archive material), decently presented, and very inexpensive. Strongly recommended.

The set is wonderful, yet I will remark two movements: the third of the Moonlight Sonata and also the third of the 23 Appasionata. The problem with third movements is virtuosismo and lack of music. In general. But:

Gilels is a master, perhaps because the master speaks through his fingers. The third of the No. 14 is seldom understood, and usually played mechanically or with meaningless ritardandos, crescendos, etc. You can listen to Barenboim or any other and that particular movement will always fail. However, Gilels plays a unity, a sense...

Again, for the same reason, the 23 excels. All the sonata; however, the third movement is mad. Interpretation is abstract to the highest degree and virtuosismo really finds itself at the service of music (I can assure that Gilel's virtusismo is outstanding; I have not seen anything like it -no Pollini, Solomon, etc...).

Unfortunately the recording, due to its age (or who knows) perhaps has not the brightness necessary to enjoy the mere sound, especially the pianissimos. It is worth having in any case, beyond any doubt. Since I bought it I have never listened to other Moonlights or Appasionatas (the first of the Moonlight is brilliant!). I have remarked the two third movements above, because they exemplify the understanding of the music. Interpretation is brilliant throughout. If you buy the blue 10 cd-set, you will see this again in Chopin's Nocturne 48... but that is another matter. Have a look at the "Emil Gilels" DVD edited by via.

I've always known Gilels to be a Master, but never really got into his studio Beethoven Sonata recordings, the DG sound was awfully dry for me and the readings also drier than many I've heard (than say Annie Fischer or Schnabel for instance).

When I saw this set some out, I jumped on it because they were all live! And I know Gilels turnes into another person when he plays live. The sonatas are so much better than his studio recordings, BUT the concerto's with Masur blew my mind!!! Gilels is like a forest fire destroying everythings in its path! Never in all my comparisons heard such fire, verve, power and force in these concertos! Blazing Wizardry!

The only thing to mention is that the sound on these live recordings vary from: very very good ---> good ---> almost poor.


Nevertheless, an absolute must for all Gilels fans and Beethoven fans likewise...screw the sound when you got performances like these!

I've never been a big Masur fan, so I was not expecting too much from these concertos. But I must say that he had the USSR SO in fine form. It goes without saying that Gilels' performance is excellent, as usual. I really must rank this set of the concertos pretty close to my favorites - Fleisher/Szell, Kovacevich/Davis, Kempff/Paul Van Kempen, either of Arrau's & Katchen/Gamba. As for the sonatas, I've always liked the way Gilels played them, especially the "name" sonatas, and these certainly do not disappoint. As the other reviewers have stated, you must hear this Appassionata. The thing that bugs me the most about this set is not so much the sound, which is not bad considering the source, but some jackass that waits for all of the quiet pianissimo parts to cough. It just makes me want to strangle him, but I've gotten used to it (like Richter's Sophia Recital during Pictures at an Exhibition), and I just concentrate on all the wonderful piano playing by one of the best artists of last century. Highly Recommended.

You will love it or hate it; you will shed tears or throw these at the wall: because Gilels presents the listener with a classic black and white interpretation. Violently caressing, dangerously pure, these are the thoughts which arise after hearing Gilel's interpretations. And this is what makes them unique. Many pianists would not dare to offer up such strikingly bold renditions--for reasons we need not go into but which easily come to the fore when dwelt upon. Gilels was himself. But then again, perhaps Gilels was purging himself of Beethoven's spirit? Well, that sounds quite non-sensical. But once you hear this set, you will know what I mean!

One really just needs to give it a chance. You need to hear the aggressive Russian Symphony Orchestra in its 'Rachmaninov-ness', if you will, as Gilel pours out the tumultuous notes; you need to hear the original fingerwork and truly unique renderings of Beethoven's masterworks.

These renditions are easily comparable to Fleischer's, Brendel's, Gieseking's, et al. It is a truly remarkable listen. I can't promise that you'll like the set. But what I can promise you is this: you'll fall in love with it or truly hate it. Einfach wunderbar!

Gilels is one of my favorite Beethoven interpreters, and this box proves again what a great pianist he was.
However, I do have a bit of a problem with the recording quality. These are all live performances, and there is a lot of audience noise, sometimes just too much...But well, can't deduct a star for that when his playing is that magnificent! You can always listen to some audio samples and make up your mind.
You might want to consider buying the Deutsche Grammophon box set instead, which has a great sound quality and is usually quite affordable (try Amazon marketplace). But if you have problems choosing, then just buy both!

I think Emil Gilels was for classical music what Oscar Peterson was for Jazz. In fact Peterson's characteristic note accents gave a special flavor to the music. Gilels was the master on the use of dynamics. His interpretation of Concerto no. 5 is the best I know. He was an exceptional unique pianist that, besides a phenomenal technique, transmited all the emotion.
The only remark is that the recording is not very good, only fair, but the interpretations are 10 stars.
I bought 2 boxes.

Beautiful technical and romantic conservation of Gilels playing Beethoven sonatas and all 5 concertos. Great sound! Brilliance and emotion that leaves the listener breathless, a slice of eternity! This set will warm many evenings to come with timeless art.