Grigory Sokolov: Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms [Box Set] [Box set]

Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Frederic Chopin (Composer), Johannes Brahms (Composer), Grigory Sokolov (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Grigory Sokolov
• Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Frederic Chopin, Johannes Brahms
• Audio CD (October 18, 2005)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 5
• Format: Box set
• 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: Opus 111
• ASIN: B000ALCFZ2
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #148,618 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grigory Sokolov - The (Almost) Unknown Major Pianist, November 8, 2005

By 

J Scott Morrison (Middlebury VT, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Grigory Sokolov: Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms [Box Set] (Audio CD)

One of the best-kept secrets in the piano world is the amazing Grigory Sokolov, a man in his fifties who won the Tchaikovsky Prize in 1966 at the age of sixteen. He has been somewhat reclusive. tending to play in Europe only, and has generally not made studio recordings, but among the cognoscenti his recitals are sought after and often sold out. All the music recorded in this five-CD box has been released on single CDs before (and as a box from Opus 111), and is here offered at budget price. I have owned three of the five previously. Earlier this year I also reviewed a marvelous DVD of a recital he gave in the Châtelet and filmed by the redoubtable Bruno Monsaingeon. Since Amazon has not yet included the contents of this box (or even told us how many CDs are included) I will list them now:

CDs 1 & 2: Bach: Art of Fugue; Partita No. 2

CD 3: Beethoven: Rondos in C Major and G Major, Op. 51; Rondo, 'Rage over a lost penny,' Op. 129; Sonata No. 4 in E Flat Major, Op. 7; Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101

CD 4: Chopin: 24 Préludes, Op. 28

CD 5: Brahms: Ballades, Op. 10; Sonata in F Minor, Op. 5

Possibly the most marvelous thing about Sokolov's playing is his variety of touch. He can play in a tiny whisper, with a lightning fast leggiero, with deep-in-the-keys but never clangy fortissimo. His legato is legendary and he tends to obtain it more by finger technique than with pedaling. One can argue with his interpretive choices but never with his musicianship or sincerity, and certainly not with his almost inhuman virtuosity.

All five CDs were recorded live in recital and in gorgeous sound. There does not appear to be much in the way of editing. There are a very few dropped notes, but on the whole the playing is incredibly accurate as well as being musicianly. His 'Art of Fugue' is rather a combination of some Romantic gestures coupled with a purity of tone that depends more on touch than on pedaling. His Brahms is a bit more Romantic but is not sentimental -- something is that is not easy to avoid in the Ballades particularly. His Beethoven is much the same. 'Rage over a lost penny' is the most exciting performance I've ever heard since I heard Brendel play it live in the 1960s. Sokolov, like Michelangeli (to whom he has been compared), does not play many of the Beethoven sonatas, but the ones he plays are his utterly.

The Chopin is the glory of this set. It sings, whispers and roars as need be. It is ultraromantic and yet is not maudlin or sickly sentimental. This is masculine Chopin.

At this bargain price this set is a must-have, I should think, for those who enjoy masterful playing and are willing to become acquainted with a heretofore unknown pianist sometimes called 'the new Sviatoslav Richter.'

Scott Morrison

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get anything Grigory Sokolov recorded, July 29, 2006

By 

Warren Wen - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grigory Sokolov: Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms [Box Set] (Audio CD)

Grigory Sokolov is definitely one of the most underrated pianist for the past few decades, and I truly believe he is the best still around.

Currently there are two CD boxes( each contains 5 CDs)and one DVD (Live in Paris) available in the market. This is one of the CD set, including some previously single release. Because of his reclusive personality and unwilling to record (perhaps due to perfectionism) , he never had contract with major labels and therefore lots of people were not aware of him. However, the one single DVD is good enough to do him justice--you have to see it to believe it.

He is one of the best classic pianists ever, along with Gilels, Richter, etc----definitely the best still around. If you have not heard of him, get both CD sets and DVD--that will be the best investment for your classic music collection and years of enjoyment. And if one of us get lucky, we might still be able to see him one stage one day.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Out of this world, October 5, 2007

By 

M. Gurhan Kulle (Istanbul, Sisli, Turkey) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Grigory Sokolov: Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms [Box Set] (Audio CD)

Mr. Sokolov is THE Pianist. He is a poet with a stand apart from all others in the past and at present. If you have rarely heard his name or think he might be just another classical fully trained pianist, you are mistaken. If you have not heard him play, you have not heard how a piano is an instrument of music. Both this and the other five sets contain pure live recorded accounts of excellent compositions. Recordings make you feel you listen to a live performance. When listening to a good interpretation it should knock your head off. This gentlemen does it so many times that one loses the count.