Beethoven: The Complete Sonatas [Box Set] | Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Goode

Beethoven: The Complete Sonatas [Box Set] | Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Goode | Goode plays LvB: Some personal history...

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	Beethoven: The Complete Sonatas [Box Set] Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Goode Nonesuch, 1993 average customer review:based on 37 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

It's interesting that the great Beethoven sonata cycles areseldom the ones by the big-name virtuosos. Horowitz never attempted one. Neither did Rubinstein. Ashkenazy recorded them all, but with only partial success. Richter never managed all 32 works at one time, and Gilels died before completing his cycle. The most successful complete recordings--Schnabel, Kempff, Arrau, and Backhaus--are all by pianists with a solidly intellectual mindset, however powerful their technique. Goode joins this select company, turning in performances of uncompromising integrity and musical strength. Of course, his reputation as a musician's musician precedes him: here is a player sensitive to Beethoven's every nuance, presenting the composers thoughts with exemplary clarity and taste. This is the Beethoven cycle for the '90s. --David Hurwitz

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A monument of western civilization and great performances

The 32 Beethoven sonatas are a peak of western civilization. They contain an entire universe. There are so many treasures here: of course the well-known Pathetique, Moonlight, Appassionata and the only slightly less familiar Waldstein, Les Adiex etc.
But I also love the little-known sonatas, some of which are rarely heard. Before writing this review, I listened to Nos. 24 and 25. No. 24 is one of the more obscure of the set -- a short two-movement work. The first movement rambles through a few themes with some typical Beethoven rumbles. The second is a short, fast movement with some strange sonorities in the bass. No. 25 is one of the easy sonatas to play -- but so difficult to play well. It is sunny and good-humored and witty.
That's one of the things one gets from this music: Beethoven was of course profound and tragic and grandiose but he could also be witty and elegant -- he's almost the only great composer whose sense of humor comes through in his works.
I love the Opus 10 set -- early Beethoven, muscular, compact, tightly wound, temptestuous. I love the final movement of the first sonata which is an incredible statement of intent -- dark and virtuosic. I love the Tempest sonata and No. 27 -- another two movement work which is a bridge between middle and late Beethoven. And of course the final five are incredible.
I have no idea if this set by Richard Goode is the best available. I haven't the means or the time to do a comparison. But you can't go wrong with these intelligent, unflashy performances. There's no weirdness here or displays of ego. Goode allows us to hear Beethoven, not his view of Beethoven. His technique seems to be solid and the interpretations are always sensitive and understated.
One little peeve: I wish there was a set of the sonatas that presented them in order. I understand they have to be grouped somewhat out of order to fit comfortably on the CDs but I wish it were possible just to listen to them straight through from one to thirty two.
That having been said, there are hours and hours of enjoyment here.

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Goode plays LvB: Some personal history...

I'll be brief (promise!) Many many years ago my favorite Beethoven sonatas were op 109 and 110, and my favorite version was the LP by Dame Myra Hess on Angel. I couldn't find a better one, major inner-groove distortion notwithstanding (what's that? say the younger folk--ask your Dad).

After some years, I heard RG's late sonatas about the time CDs were first coming out. Bye bye Myra and distortion too! It sounded to me, and still does, as if RG could simply hear the music on a longer time scale than the rest of us. This allowed him to develop strategies and tactics that made the music "work" better. Well, it's kind of hard to explain what I mean.

Anyway, not having much money, I bought RG's late sonatas only. For the rest, it was Jeno Jando on Naxos, a steal at $5/disc in those days. Mr. Jando is a superb pianist but a bit dry for my day-to-day taste in Beethoven. So when the money got a bit better, I bought the whole RG box (but kept the Jando).

Which is a roundabout way of saying that RG has been my go-to guy for Beethoven's sonatas for many years. I enjoy listening to alternatives but remain happy with RG overall. I ABSOLUTELY disagree with some critics here who find him getting weaker in the final sonatas. If anything, the opposite is true.

The "best" version of these fantastic sonatas will always be a very personal choice, but I suspect few will go far astray with RG's most excellent set.

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Complete Box Set of Beethoven's Sonatas

I agonized over what pianist's recordings to order for Beethoven's Sonatas, and enjoyed all the comments about people's favorite recordings. I'm very happy with Richard Goode's performance, and glad I ordered his set.

The set came in good time and good shape - what I've come to expect from Amazon and its sub-sellers.

A scrupulous musician provides a satisfying Beethoven cycle

The issue with an enterprise as huge as a complete Beethoven cycle is how to judge it. Should we look for overall accomplishment, or should each sonata be judged on its own merits? Is it fair to ask that some sonatas rank among the best on records, or is good-enough the right standard? Richard Goode provides a Solomon's choice, which is why I think his complete Beethoven sonatas have received such wide circulation and praise. Nothing here rises to the summit occupied artistically by Schnabel, but Goode has better technique than Schnabel. Nothing is as imaginative and fiery as Richter, but Goode doesn't go haywire as Richter definitely could. Nothing bears the stamp of a great keyboard personality like Horowitz, but Goode resists making the music be all about himself rather than the composer.

By temperament Goode is a classicist, so the early sonatas strike me as his most successful. When he has to essay the heroism of the middle period and the enigmas of the late period, Goode's playing falls somewhat short in power, imagination and authority. But he never flags in his determination to do right by the composer, even when he falls back on conventional, fairly generic interpretations. His integrity has its own strengths, and there are surprising times, as in the first movement of the Waldstein, when Good is unexpectedly convincing. It's important, then, which way you approach these works. I listen backward from the greatest, but some prefer to listen forward from the earliest. Those listeners are the ones who will likely be most pleased by this cycle. Certainly Goode doesn't short change any sonata -- he is always accomplished and musical.

Finally, one must give credit where credit is due. To date, this is one of two complete Beethoven cycles from a prominent American (or even American-based) pianist that I know of. The other, from Russell Sherman, is more original than this one but also more controversial (I believe it reached completion, but I am going on memory). If you want an American cycle to compete with current European contenders like Andras Schiff, Angela Hewitt, and Paul Lewis, Goode's is an admirable choice. In a better world we'd have cycles from William Kapell, both Serkins, Fleisher, and Perahia, just to name talents from our shores that I esteem above Richard Goode. Nonetheless, this is quality pianism from first to last.

P.S. - A commenter who consuslted arkivmusic.com discovered other complete Beethoven cycles by American pianists who, to tell the truth, are unknown to me.

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Goode loses interest, and so did I.

This was the first classical CD set that I ever sold on Amazon. Years ago, when the set was first released, there was all this breathless reverence for Mr. Goode's genius, and I started to get excited, too. I had many individual recordings of Beethoven sonatas, from Rosen, Pollini, Gilels, Solomon, Kempff, and so on, but no complete set at that point. When I took home the set and unwrapped it, I started from Sonata #1 and was duly impressed--Goode plays the early sonatas as great compositions in their own right. The problem is that as Beethoven matures and becomes ever more interesting as a composer, Goode becomes progressively less interesting. Somehow the eccentricity, grandeur, and mysticism of Beethoven's late sontatas elude him. The box set became a musical albatross around my neck, so I had to dump it.

If you're going to buy a complete set of Beethoven's sonatas, I recommend you fork over the extra money to get Alfred Brendel's 1996 cycle on Philips. It has fine modern sound, no shortage of wit and passion despite what some critics say, a full grasp of Beethoven's artistic development across his career, and a live concert recording of the Hammerklavier that towers over anything else I have heard. The Adagio Sostenuto movement of that sonata is one of the most profoundly moving pieces that Beethoven ever composed, and Brendel fully plumbs its depths without making it glacially slow--a common miscalculation made by other pianists, even great ones.

If you don't mind mono sound, the Schnabel set is also a must. Ultimately, you'll want to get MULTIPLE recordings of the individual sonatas by different performers. I swear you'll never get tired of hearing even the most popular warhorse sonatas. But when there's such a wealth of GREAT recordings out there, why settle for merely Goode?

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Tracks
Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2/1: Allegro | Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2/1: Adagio | Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2/1: Menuetto: Allegretto | Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2/1: Prestissimo | Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 2/2: Allegro vivace | Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 2/2: Largo appassionato | Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 2/2: Scherzo: Allegretto | Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 2/2: Rondo: Grazioso | Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2/3: Allegro con brio | Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2/3: Adagio | Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2/3: Scherzo: Allegro | Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2/3: Allegro assai | Piano Sonata No. 5 in C minor, Op. 10/1: Allegro molto e con brio | Piano Sonata No. 5 in C minor, Op. 10/1: Adagio molto | Piano Sonata No. 5 in C minor, Op. 10/1: Finale: Prestissimo | Piano Sonata No. 6 in F major, Op. 10/2: Allegro | Piano Sonata No. 6 in F major, Op. 10/2: Allegretto | Piano Sonata No. 6 in F major, Op. 10/2: Presto | Piano Sonata No. 7 in D major, Op. 10/3: Presto | Piano Sonata No. 7 in D major, Op. 10/3: Largo e mesto | Piano Sonata No. 7 in D major, Op. 10/3: Menuetto: Allegro | Piano Sonata No. 7 in D major, Op. 10/3: Rondo: Allegro | Piano Sonata No. 4 in E flat major ('Grand Sonata'), Op. 7: Allegro molto e con brio | Piano Sonata No. 4 in E flat major ('Grand Sonata'), Op. 7: Largo, con gran espressione | Piano Sonata No. 4 in E flat major ('Grand Sonata'), Op. 7: Allegro | Piano Sonata No. 4 in E flat major ('Grand Sonata'), Op. 7: Rondo: Poco allegretto e grazioso | Piano Sonata No. 9 in E major, Op. 14/1: Allegro | Piano Sonata No. 9 in E major, Op. 14/1: Allegretto | Piano Sonata No. 9 in E major, Op. 14/1: Rondo: Allegro comodo | Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor ('Pathétique'), Op. 13: Grave; Allegro molto e con brio | Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor ('Pathétique'), Op. 13: Adagio cantabile | Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor ('Pathétique'), Op. 13: Rondo: Allegro | Piano Sonata No. 10 in G major, Op. 14/2: Allegro | Piano Sonata No. 10 in G major, Op. 14/2: Andante | Piano Sonata No. 10 in G major, Op. 14/2: Scherzo: Allegro assai | Piano Sonata No. 11 in B flat major, Op. 22: Allegro con brio | Piano Sonata No. 11 in B flat major, Op. 22: Adagio con molto espressione | Piano Sonata No. 11 in B flat major, Op. 22: Menuetto | Piano Sonata No. 11 in B flat major, Op. 22: Rondo: Allegretto | Piano Sonata No. 12 in A flat major ('Funeral March'), Op. 26: Andante con Variazioni | Piano Sonata No. 12 in A flat major ('Funeral March'), Op. 26: Scherzo: Allegro molto | Piano Sonata No. 12 in A flat major ('Funeral March'), Op. 26: Marcia funbre (Sulla morte d'un Eroe) | Piano Sonata No. 12 in A flat major ('Funeral March'), Op. 26: Allegro | Piano Sonata No. 13 in E flat major ('Quasi una fantasia'), Op. 27/1: Andante; Allegro; Andante | Piano Sonata No. 13 in E flat major ('Quasi una fantasia'), Op. 27/1: Allegro molto vivace | Piano Sonata No. 13 in E flat major ('Quasi una fantasia'), Op. 27/1: Adagio con espressione | Piano Sonata No. 13 in E flat major ('Quasi una fantasia'), Op. 27/1: Allegro vivace | Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor ('Moonlight'), Op. 27/2: Adagio sostenuto | Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor ('Moonlight'), Op. 27/2: Allegretto | Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor ('Moonlight'), Op. 27/2: Presto agitato | Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major ('Pastoral'), Op. 28: Allegro | Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major ('Pastoral'), Op. 28: Andante | Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major ('Pastoral'), Op. 28: Scherzo: Allegro vivace | Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major ('Pastoral'), Op. 28: Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo | Piano Sonata No. 16 in G major, Op. 31/1: Allegro vivace | Piano Sonata No. 16 in G major, Op. 31/1: Adagio grazioso | Piano Sonata No. 16 in G major, Op. 31/1: Rondo: Allegretto | Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor ('Tempest'), Op. 31/2: Largo; Allegro | Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor ('Tempest'), Op. 31/2: Adagio | Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor ('Tempest'), Op. 31/2: Allegretto | Piano Sonata No. 18 in E flat major ('Hunt'), Op. 31/3: Allegro | Piano Sonata No. 18 in E flat major ('Hunt'), Op. 31/3: Scherzo: Allegretto vivace | Piano Sonata No. 18 in E flat major ('Hunt'), Op. 31/3: Menuetto: Moderato e grazioso | Piano Sonata No. 18 in E flat major ('Hunt'), Op. 31/3: Presto con fuoco | Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major ('Waldstein'), Op. 53: Allegro con brio | Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major ('Waldstein'), Op. 53: Introduzione: Adagio molto | Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major ('Waldstein'), Op. 53: Rondo: Allegretto moderato | Piano Sonata No. 22 in F major, Op. 54: In tempo d'un Menuetto | Piano Sonata No. 22 in F major, Op. 54: Allegretto | Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor ('Appassionata'), Op. 57: Allegro assai | Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor ('Appassionata'), Op. 57: Andante con moto | Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor ('Appassionata'), Op. 57: Allegro non troppo | Piano Sonata No. 19 in G minor, Op. 49/1: Andante | Piano Sonata No. 19 in G minor, Op. 49/1: Rondo: Allegro | Piano Sonata No. 20 in G major, Op. 49/2: Allegro ma non troppo | Piano Sonata No. 20 in G major, Op. 49/2: Tempo di Menuetto | Piano Sonata No. 24 in F sharp major ('A Thérèse'), Op. 78: Adagio cantabile; Allegro ma non troppo | Piano Sonata No. 24 in F sharp major ('A Thérèse'), Op. 78: Allegro vivace | Piano Sonata No. 25 in G major ('Cuckoo'), Op. 79: Presto alla tedesca | Piano Sonata No. 25 in G major ('Cuckoo'), Op. 79: Andante | Piano Sonata No. 25 in G major ('Cuckoo'), Op. 79: Vivace | Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat major ('Les Adieux'), Op. 81a: Adagio: Allegro (Les Adieux) | Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat major ('Les Adieux'), Op. 81a: Andante espressivo (L'Absence) | Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat major ('Les Adieux'), Op. 81a: Vivacissimamente (Le Retour) | Piano Sonata No. 27 in E minor, Op. 90: Mit lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit Empfindung und Ausdruck (Vivaciously and with feeling and | Piano Sonata No. 27 in E minor, Op. 90: Nicht zu geschwind und sehr singbar vorgetragen (not too quickly and very songfully) | Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101: Etwas lebhaft und mit der innigsten Empfingung (Somewhat lively and with deepest feeling) | Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101: Lebhaft. Marschmassig (Lively. March tempo) | Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101: Langsam und sehnsuchtsvoll; Zeitmass des ersten Stuckes; Geschwinde, doch nicht zu sehr, und | Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major ('Hammerklavier'), Op. 106: Allegro | Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major ('Hammerklavier'), Op. 106: Scherzo: Assai vivace | Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major ('Hammerklavier'), Op. 106: Adagio sostenuto | Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major ('Hammerklavier'), Op. 106: Largo; Fuga; Allegro risoluto | Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109: Vivace ma non troppo; Adagio espressivo | Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109: Prestissimo | Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109: Tema: Molto cantabile ed espressivo; Variazioni 1-4 | Piano Sonata No. 31 in A flat major, Op. 110: Moderato cantabile, molto espressivo | Piano Sonata No. 31 in A flat major, Op. 110: Allegro molto | Piano Sonata No. 31 in A flat major, Op. 110: Adagio ma non troppo; Arioso dolente; Fuga; Allegro ma non troppo; L'istesso tempo di A | Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111: Maestoso; Allegro con brio ed appassionato | Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111: Arietta; Adagio molto semplice e cantabile

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