Beethoven's last piano sonata. Op.111

[pastoralguy]

I've now moved on to Andras Schiff's latest recording from ECM which I borrowed from our local library. Obviously, extremely refined piano playing but, perhaps, a little lacking in drama? I also find the start of the second movement to be, dare I say it, a bit metronomic.

Just my extremely humble opinion.

[Daniel]

I always found Bruce Hungerford very persuasive and direct in this sonata. When I first heard it in the mid eighties it struck me as sounding different and fresher than any other interpretation I'd heard at that point, and still gets to the heart of it for me, with very few airs and graces.

[ahinton]

I see my to have acquired an obsession with this amazing work and am continuing to listen to new recordings of it. At the risk of having my head chewed off, I took the plunge and listened to Schnabel's 1942 New York recording. Alas, I didn't find it particularly enjoyable although I was surprised at how good the recording was.

I will try again but I'm so used to listening to fantastic pianists play it that I find Schnabel's fallibility uncomfortable.

You're by no means alone in that! Interesting composer, though (Schnabel, I mean - the other one goes without saying)!

[pastoralguy]

Well, no sign of fallibility in Mitsuko Uchida's recording on Philips. Wonderful playing and a superb recording.

Alas, I attempted to play Peter Serkin's recording of op. 111 last night but the recording quality was dire. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it's possibly the worst recorded cd I've ever heard. The piano really sounds like a badly maintained pub instrument! To what extent this was due to the recording or the instrument itself I don't know but it's not a cd I intend to listen to again!