Help out Steve: Ludwig van Beethoven, best recorded versions of these works?

Hi Steve,

I'm happy to share my favorites:

Symphonies any/all: Andre Cluytens - all on super bargain EMI discs or there's a remastered set. I've got the cheap ones and they're great. I guess it's the buyers advantage when the conductor's name is no longer household (was it ever?).

Cello Sonatas: You can't do better than Lynn Harrell and Vladimir Ashkemazy on London (DECCA). They play them beautifully, dramatically and sweetly depending upon Beethoven's mood that moment, and they're well recorded.

Quartets: My favorites are both on the dry side sound-wise. I guess it's my first hearing string quartets as soundtracks on DECCA 78s of dramatic works. The two favorite sets are the Galimar (sorry the spelling my be wrong) on RCA and the Talich Quartet on Calliope. Both are great quartets well recorded (ribbon mikes I assume).

Sonatas: Alfredo Perl has recorded a series for Arte Nova that are as good as I've heard. A more mello (perhaps) but equally enjoyable way with these same sonatas is Michel Block's series for Opus Magnum. Both these sets are digitally recorded but well done.

I may have left someone worthy off the list. I haven't heard everyone, but I really enjoy this music. Beethoven is great enough to work with a wide range of interpetations. I didn't pick for sound quality, but it's always part of the equation.

Best regards,
Kevin

 

I've liked the Carlos Kleber version of the 5th and 7th Symphony in the past (on DG) - didn't so much enjoy the early digital Karajan of the same. Can't say I've listened in a while, though.

 

Tall order, since there are many fine recordings of these great works.

A couple of suggestions:

Late String Quartets (you've got to hear Opus 132 as well, and they're all wonderful):
Quartetto Italiano has a nice budget set on Philips that was well regarded in the vinyl era.
The Lindsay Quartet on ASV is also recommended; at least one of their sets (Opus 130/133?) is available on SACD.

Piano sonatas: The gold standard for musicality and intelligent playing remains Artur Schnabel's complete set from the 1930s; I believe the EMI cd version is still in print. Very listenable for its age. A more modern recording to check out of the late sonatas might be a recent one from Mitsuko Uchida, long known for her Mozart mastery. Other Opus 109-111 recordings I like are Rudolph Serkin on DG and Vladimir Askenazy on London.

 

I can recommend a few Beethoven recordings on the list:

For the Opus 131 and the other late quartets my favorites are by the Yale Quartet on Vanguard. The Guarneri Quartet recorded all the Beethoven quartets for RCA in the early 70's and redid them for Philips about twenty years later. I prefer the RCA set, thought the Philips is good too.

I grew up with the "Hammerklavier" sonata in a great reading by John Ogden on RCA. As far as I know none of his recordings ever made it to CD.

The Cello Sonatas are available in fine performances by Martha Argerich and Mischa Maisky on DG.

There are many fine readings of the 6th and 7th symphonies but I'm hopelessly stuck on Toscanini. His recording of the Seventh with the New York Philarmonic is a classic but his later recording with the NBC Symphony isn't bad either. For more "modern" recordings of the Beethoven I'd go with Carlos Kleiber on Orfeo or DG, or Gunter Wand on RCA.

For the Beethoven Sonatas Schnabel is the guy!

Hope this helps!

 

I really like the lush sound of the Krips/London Symphony Orchestra symphony cycle. These were released on Everest and I spent a fair amount of time hunting down the OOP CDs. I don't know if the many other Krips/LSO Beethoven cycles are the same performances or not.

I like the Cleveland Quartet's readings of the string quartets and other pieces, on Telarc.

 

oops. Never mind...

 

I recommend these performances purely on musical grounds, the sound quality varies - these are not necessarily the best recorded performances, so this is not a direct answer to your question, Steve.

The Early String Quartets (Opp.18/1-6)
Quartetto Italiano - Philips 426 046-2 (3CD-set, 1989; 1972-1975 recordings)
Takács Quartet - Decca (2CD-set, 2004)

The Middle String Quartets (Opp.59/1-3, 74, and 95)
Quartetto Italiano - Philips 420 797-2 (3CD-set, 1989; 1971-1974 recordings)

The Middle String Quartets (Opp.59/1-3, and 74)
Takács Quartet - Decca (2CD-set, 2003)

The Late String Quartets (Opp.127, 130, 131, 132, and 133 "Große Fuge")
Quartetto Italiano - Philips 426 050-2 (4CD-set, 1989; 1967-1969 recordings)

The Late String Quartets (Opp.95, 127, 130, 131, 132, and 133 "Große Fuge")
Takács Quartet - Decca (3CD-set, 2004)

String Quartets Opp.18/1-3
Lindsays - ASV CD DCA 1111 (UK; 2001)

String Quartets Opp.18/4-5, 14 (Beethoven arrangement of his Piano Sonata Op.14/1)
Lindsays - ASV CD DCA 1112 (UK; 2001)

String Quartet Op.18/6; String Quintet Op.29
Lindsays - ASV CD DCA 1113 (UK; 2001)

String Quartets Opp.59/1 and 3
Lindsays - ASV CD DCA 1114 (UK; 2002)

String Quartets Opp.59/2, 74
Lindsays - ASV CD DCA 1115 (UK; 2002)

String Quartets Opp.95, 127
Lindsays - ASV CD DCA 1116 (UK; 2003)

String Quartet Op.130
Lindsays - ASV CD DCA 1117 (UK; 2001)

String Quartet Op.132; String Quintet Op.104
Lindsays - ASV CD DCA 1118 (UK; 2003)

String Quartets Opp.131, 135
Lindsays - ASV CD DCA 1119 (UK; 2003

The Complete Piano Trios
Vladimir Ashkenazy/Itzhak Perlman/Lynn Harrell - EMI 747455 8 (4CD-set, 1986)

The Violin Sonatas
Itzhak Perlman/Vladimir Ashkenazy - Decca 421 453-2 (4CD-set, 1988; 1974-1977 recordings)

The Cello Sonatas
Mstislav Rostropovich/Sviatoslav Richter - Philips 412 256-2 (2CD-set; 1961-1963 recordings)

Piano Sonatas Opp.2/1 and 3, 111
Solomon - Testament SBT 1188 (UK; 1951-1952 mono recordings that do not sound very good)

Piano Sonatas Opp.10/3, 13 "Pathétique", 27/1, 27/2 "Moonlight"
Solomon - Testament SBT 1189 (UK; 1951-1956 mono recordings that do not sound very good)

Piano Sonatas Opp.31/2-3, 53 "Waldstein", 54
Solomon - Testament SBT 1190 (UK; 1951-1954 mono recordings that do not sound very good)

Piano Sonatas Opp.57 "Appassionata", 101, 109, 110
Solomon - Testament SBT 1192 (UK; 1951-1956 mono recordings that do not sound very good)

Piano Sonatas Opp.81a "les Adieux", 90, 106 "Hammerklavier"
Solomon - Testament SBT 1191 (UK; 1952-1956 mono recordings that do not sound very good)

The Piano Sonatas
Wilhelm Kempff - DG 447 966-2 (8CD-set; 1951-1956 mono recordings)

Piano Sonatas Opp.2/2-3, 7, 10/1-3, 13 "Pathétique', 14/2, 22, 26, 35 "Eroica Variations", 27/1-2, 28 "Pastorale", 31/1-3, 49/1-2, 53 "Waldstein", 57, 79, 81a "les Adieux", 90, 101, 106 "Hammerklavier", 109, 110
Emil Gilels - DG 453 221-2 (9CD-set; 1972-1986 recordings)

Piano Sonatas Opp.2/1-3
Alfred Brendel - Philips 442 124-2 (1994 recordings)

Piano Sonatas Opp.7, 28, 49/2
Alfred Brendel - Philips 446 624-2 (1995 recordings)

Piano Sonatas Opp.10/1-3
Alfred Brendel - Philips 446 664-2 (1996 recordings)

Piano Sonatas Opp.13 "Pathétique", 14/1-2, 22
Alfred Brendel - Philips 442 774-2 (1995 recordings)

Piano Sonatas Opp.26, 27/1, 27/2 "Moonlight"
Alfred Brendel - Philips 438 863-2 (1994 recordings)

Piano Sonatas Opp.31/1-3
Alfred Brendel - Philips 438 134-2 (1993 recordings)

Piano Sonatas Opp.53 "Waldstein", 54, 101
Alfred Brendel - Philips 438 472-2 (1992-1993 recordings)

Piano Sonatas Opp.57 "Appassionata", 78, 79, 90
Alfred Brendel - Philips 442 787-2 (1994-1995 recordings)

Piano Sonatas Opp.81a "les Adieux", 106 "Hammerklavier"
Alfred Brendel - Philips 446 093-2 (1994 recordings)

Piano Sonatas Opp.109, 110, 111
Alfred Brendel - Philips 442 124-2 (1995-1996 recordings)
Maurizio Pollini - DG 429 570-2 (1976-1977)

Piano Sonatas Opp.101, 106 "Hammerklavier"
Maurizio Pollini - DG 429 569-2 (1977)

Artur Schnabel's mid-1930s performances of the Piano Sonatas (8CD-set, EMI mono 7 63765-2) are legendary, of course.

 

Opus 131 - string quartet

Possibly my favorite piece of music, as well. Without question, if I were forced to choose only one set of music, B's late quartets would be my "desert island' pick. I'm a contrarian in that I favor the Alban Berg Quartet's (EMI, studio) performance of these pieces above all others I have heard. Many consider the AB's too austere in this music and prefer Quartet Italiano. I myself tend to feel that -- near the end of his life, fully deaf, struggling with suicidal depression, having gone through a life-threatening illness -- Beethoven was in a rather austere mood when he composed them.


Opus 69 - piano and cello sonatas

Richter and Rostropovich on Phillips.


Opus 18 # 6 - string quartet

The Takacs Quartet's version is a great recent interpretation, in good modern sound.


Opus 110 and 111 - piano sonatas

Pollini, Kempff, and Gilels, all on DG (in the case of Kempff, I prefer the historic, mono recordings from the 50's). Richter on Praga is brilliant, but OOP and tough to find.


Opus 106 - piano sonata

For me, Richter, Richter, and Richter -- both the BBC (still in print) and Praga (OOP) recordings. Richter was the first pianist who finally made this piece COHERE for me. Now I can listen to and appreciate others -- Pollini, Gilels, Serkin, Kempff -- but Richter's towering technique and sensibility remain the touchstone.


Opus 81a - piano sonata

Moravec, on a brilliantly recorded VAI CD, prized by Classical audiophiles.


Opus 31 #2 - piano sonata

Kempff's DG mono recording. Again, a fantastic set on the whole.


Symphonies 6 & 7

Walter for the 6th (on a worthy Sony SACD). For the 7th, Kleiber's classic DG account (also on SACD) all the way, for me.


Opus 24 - piano & violin sonata

I love the fairly recent DG recording by Pires and Dumay. Also, surprising for DG, in audiophile sound.

 

You can find a 5-CD box set of these (I think it's the same cycle) for $9.99 at your local K-mart or Wally World. I just saw it at the former this afternoon! This was my first CD collection of the nine symphonies, and I played it a lot for a while. Not great sound, but very nice performances.

I also have the Szell/Cleveland Orchestra vinyl set.

I agree that the 7th Symphony is a comparatively lost gem; the second movement is especially haunting (it was used to good effect in the movie Mr. Holland's Opus).

 

Pollini on the late piano sonatas is pretty acclaimed. You can get him on a double CD for a reasonable price. For the famous violin sonatas (Spring and Kreutzer) Maxim Vengerov on Apex is quite good and less than $7.

 

To my ears the best performance of the 7th Symphony is clearly Carlos Kleiber's recording with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (DG), which is coupled with his even better version of the 5th. It's available on both CD and hybrid SACD.

 

Complete piano sonatas by Robert Silverman

Try this set, recorded by Stereophile's John Atkinson. You can read about the recording here ....

Regards
13th Duke of Wymbourne



http://stereophile.com/musicrecordings/298/

 

Wow, did I goof up the spelling. I meant Guarneri, not whatever I called them. Yes, very good recordings indeed.

 

Steve,
you have some very good recos, although some of them are performances I don't care much for. I'm not a classical snob or expert but I know what I like, and I like BEETHOVEN.

My picks would be as follows:

Late String Quartets- -- Lindsay SQ on ASV. They've recorded the full Late SQ cycle twice for ASV, I have the earlier CD set. I've also seen them live, they are The Bomb, absolutely incredible - the cellist uses a Stradivarius..very rare. Don't bother with anything else, these works are their specialty. Mind you, if you can find the Vegh Quartet recording on LP, they are highly regarded also...I haven't got a set and even though I prefer playing LP's, I'm very happy with the Lindsays. I will probably buy the newer set at some point, they supposedly issued it feeling they'd improved some aspects of the performances.

Piano sonatas-- here there's a lot more latitude, but also more (unacceptably) crummy interpretations. I'm partial to Vladimir Ashkenazy's recordings on London/Decca. Richter is also great, I'm not sure how many of the sonatas he recorded though. Same for Stephen Bishop and Arturo Benedetti Michaelangelo.

Piano/violin sonatas-- Ashkenazy/Perlman on London/Decca.


Symphonies 6/7--- ok, now you have MANY fine and essential readings. Some of my personal favorites are:
Bruno Walter on Columbia LP (stereo - 6th and 7th - phenomenal. Walter was a legend by the stereo age and usually got the best out of any orchestra!)
Cantelli on EMI/Testament (7th - very good)
Reiner/CSO on RCA or Chesky reissue (6th - very nice)
Kleiber on Deutsche Grammophon (7th - phenomenal)
Bohm on DG (7th - also excellent)

But there are certainly others, and although I have at least 20 readings of these two symphonies on LP, I'm sure there are other great ones I've never heard.

Also, here's a good resource for recommended recordings, well organized by composer:
http://www.classical.net/

 

Opus 131 - string quartet. - I'm partial to the Yale Quartet recordings of the late quartets.

Symphonies 6 & 7. I started listening to Beethoven when I was a young boy. I had the George Szell recordings, and I wore the record of symphony # 6 down to the bare grooves. #3 is also great, as is, of course #5 (particularly if you study his genius in the incredible exploitation of a simple three-note rhythmic motif), but 6 & 7 are my favorites.

- George Szell for 6 (and 1, 3, 5, 8 & 9). Georg Solti and the VIENNA PO (not Chicago) on London for 7.

Piano Concerto #5 (Emperor) - Leon Fleisher/ George Szell

Violin Concerto - Arthur Grumiaux/Alceo Galliera

Overtures esp. Egmont and the Leonores - George Szell

 

+1 for Grumiaux on the VC...oustanding.

 

Its also available on dvd-a.
I got the sacd and ditched the dvd-a.....but its the only time I felt the dvd-a was better than the sacd.

 

Hi Tim,

I'm not sure about the sound quality on the 5-CD set for $9.99, but if it's not on Everest remastered by Vanguard, I'd be careful. I had a Stokowski Shostakovich #5 that made from the same tapes as the Everest release and it sounded horrible on the early release and great on the Everest remastering by Vanguard. Some of the Everests were recorded on 35mm film, often by Bert Whyte - the same one who wrote for Audio Magazine - they are mostly outstanding, but the remasterings vary quite a bit.

Actually, I've never heard this cycle. I'd like to know if you've heard it and the sound it good. That's a great price if it is.

 

Beethoven

A fine modern edition of the Beethoven symphonies comes from a name that has not acquired household familiarity. David Zinman leads the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra for Pro Arte, using recently revised texts and modern instruments.

I very much enjoy an overlooked symphony set on Decca conducted by Pierre Monteux. These are early stereo recordings originally made by RCA. Mr. Monteux neither rushes or plods his way through, and keeps an even tempo. The Bruno Walter performance of the sixth is considered the standard, though, as is Carlos Kleiber's seventh.

I grew up with Artur Rubinstein's piano sonatas on RCA, but I don't think there is a complete set available. Maurizio Pollini's fluid playing style on DG appeals to me.

George Szell's piano concertos on EMI are well paced and precise, but some find him too cold. I haven't heard his Beethoven symphonies, and wonder if that criticism carries over.

I've given Philips' Quartetto Italiano late string quartets one listening, and to be honest, I found the music hard to digest the first time around. I don't think I had the patience that day to absorb what they were playing. I need more time to appreciate those compositions.

 

If you end up liking the Symphony #7, Carlos Kleiber has a DVD-video of it paired with Symphony#4, so you can watch him conduct it.

 

Not sure. I have a complete sonatas box by Arrau on Philips, 18
LP's. I believe Kempff also did a full cycle(?).

Good assessment, IMO I believe some quartets just have no business attempting the late quartets. They may be technically accomplished, but they don't properly convey the drama of this music. Hear the Lindsay and you'll be captivated from start to finish.

 

If you are seeking information for a remastering or reissue project, I would think that you are better off learning about difficult-to-find but much-sought-after performances. This assumption, if true, would mean that most of the recordings made from the late 70's to now most likely would not be your choice, since the chances are CDs of those recordings are already available and the original vinyl would not be too difficult to find. There are exceptions, however, such as Carlos Kleiber's 5th Symphony on original GERMAN DG (the English pressing simply does not compare to the German original).

Also, it appears that these "smaller pieces" are mainly piano solos, trios or string quartets. The music and the performance may be excellent but for someone to pay a premium for a Steven Hoffman master reissue, I would think there should also be some amount of "audiophile" quality to the recording as well. And to me, piano solos rarely amaze me sonically, as there is not much of a sound stage and the piano and human voice are two very difficult sounds to capture realistically anyway. I actually would prefer a mono recording of piano solos but I don't think that would sell as well as a full stereo version of the Emperor concerto, for example.

With all that said, if piano solos are what is being asked of you, I would strongly recommend Julius Katchen and Clifford Curzon, simply because their original LPs are so coveted and difficult to find. Besides, Katchen is my personal (and many audiophiles') favorite. Whatever you do, however, stay away from Curzon's (with Knappertsbusch) Emperor concerto on Decca, as I have not heard any copy of this that is "audiophile" (I have the original Decca, though not the blue bordered sleeve original, and three original London bluebacks, and used to have several more bluebacks). As much as I prefer orchestral music to piano solos purely from the sonics point of view, I would buy a SH master of those box sets. As much as I like Brendel, Ogden, Lill, Rubenstein and others, I just would not find their versions rare enough for me to pay a premium for an audiophile reissue.

Also, as to the symphonies in general, I think many people consider Furtwangler, Karajan (his 60's or 70's collection, depending on personal taste) and Solti to have performed as definitive version of them as anyone else. I would definitely consider buying a SH master of their performances.

I am not as familiar with trios and quartets to recommend any great artists/performances/recordings that are coveted and rare.

I hope my two bits help.