BaL 7.11.20 - Beethoven: Piano Sonata No 29 in B flat, Op 106 ‘Hammerklavier’

[Bryn]

I agree with you that at the beginning of the development section there is a curious lacuna but, as if to atone for it. the passage following is pure mercury. Horowitz did not record this sonata and I, for one, am grateful' But Gilels idiosyncratic? Have you heard, the otherwise redoubtable, Cherkassy? Indeed has anyone???

"Cherkassy?" Que? Are you Shura?

[Bryn]

Just delivered, the CD replacement for my LP of Peter Serkin's mid-1980s recording (Graf of unspecfied provenance).



Good to have the 'fill-ups', too.

[vinteuil]

Just delivered, the CD replacement for my LP of Peter Serkin's mid-1980s recording (Graf of unspecfied provenance).
Good to have the 'fill-ups', too.

... hi Bryn - I see some of the amazon reviewers were distressed by the recorded sound quality - was it an issue for you?

(I'm sure I'll get it anyway... )

.

[Bryn]

Re the Peter Serkin recordings of the late sonatas, the Amazon translation of a Japanese customer review is worth quoting in full, though it perhaps belongs more on the favourite jokes thread:

The 29th, the longest in Beethoven's piano sonata, “Hammarkravia”, has been a song for me for many years.

Recently issued and highly rated【Special】I tried listening to Murray Peraia's “Hammer Lavia” - certainly the origin is, from the impression of Perahia until now, the strength is alsoYes, at first I thought it was different (Kana), but as I proceeded to listen, pianism that echoes a beautiful beautiful sound is exactly the same... I felt, finished listening with the previous impression of Perahiawas.

Unlike the previous Perahia, this performance can be heard in a
way that the sound is recorded, theBut it is not a factor (?It is a big place that simply comes from the difference in the way of recording.)


In comparison,
Peter Zelkin's “Hammarkravia” is a performance that is tackling the unfamiliar Forte piano.Honestly, there is a lot of strength, but in fact, the power of Beethoven wrote that he tried to exceed the limits of the piano of that era (the forte piano, the predecessor of the grand piano)Thinking of that challenging music, Peter Zelkin seems to have expressed everything Beethoven has tried to do with this song.

Why? Many of you listeners of the classical will want to behave so far and face a lot of songs... An
expression of Beethoven = a true artist, a modern ticking thingIt is not supposed to be writing music in the way of viewing (listening)! What?
( Classical music residents are too smart.I'm really stupid, but it seems superfluous to me.There are many people who are well headed to envy.When

Beethoven wrote this “Hamma Lavia” (well,
this is my delusion.)- Carefully prepare the material (motif) to be imagined, and when writing, improvisation (improvisation) parts, while playing, the flow of the song is instantaneously on the scoreWhile writing down, I completed this “Hammarkravia”... It may be that Beethoven had done such a way of creation in this song?
Maybe Beethoven has already done such an experimental way of composing music?

- If you say something like this,
“No, no, people who died nearly 200 years ago should have thought that way!” What it seems
to be said, can you really say so, right?
Beethoven is only a lot of people, isn't it?
Such a person was
able to write something like the three big piano sonatas of the late stages that have earned up to the sound of jazz-like through the Romanticism?
Did you write such a brilliant music at the end of the string quartet No. 16, which even predicted the sound of Bruckner and Webern after that?

Beethoven is greater than most of the human beings of today.This is definitely.If it wasn't, I would not write music that would appeal strongly to people even in this era.

Well... I have written so far quite
wildly, but - like speaks for the smart feelings of such schoolchildren,” even fart of the small world of classics“No,” Peter Zelkin, who likes the Rolling Stones, has played out in a very rock spirit, is here “Hamma Lavia”.

I've never listened to such a “Hammar-Lavia” or any other!In the past few years I have believed
that this is the best “Hammerkravia” that expresses the spirit of Beethoven and the spirit of this song.
( It was a great performance! I don't know anything other than those who say this, those who are highly rated at this amazon.

This disc is a set of two, and you can
listen to the six piano sonatas of the late stage, and it contains “Rondo” No.1 & 2 Op. 51, so get it.There is no hand.

So far I have made a rather violent remark, but this is also the performance of Peter Zelkin, so please let me know.(Poripoori)

[Bryn]

... hi Bryn - I see some of the amazon reviewers were distressed by the recorded sound quality - was it an issue for you?

(I'm sure I'll get it anyway... )

The recording perspective and quality does vary considerably between the different sonatas (+ the two OP. 51 Rondos) but I have not let that put me off. The playing makes it all worthwhile.

By the way, I got mine from Music Magpie (via the Amazon marketplace). It came quickly and in excellent "Used: Very Good" condition. Total cost, including p&p, £7.36.

[vinteuil]

The recording perspective and quality does vary considerably between the different sonatas (+ the two OP. 51 Rondos) but I have not let that put me off. The playing makes it all worthwhile.

By the way, I got mine from Music Magpie (via the Amazon marketplace). It came quickly and in excellent "Used: Very Good" condition. Total cost, including p&p, £7.36.

... excellent : the same offer still seems to be there on musicmagpie - I'm going for it



.

[Keraulophone]

FWIW, Angela Hewitt chose Paul Lewis’s recording to illustrate the first movement last week on R3. She pointed to his clarity of presentation, allowing listeners to hear what’s going on throughout the texture, a positive asset in her Bach playing. She added that she aimed to learn it during the current lull in concert-giving.

[BBMmk2]

Looking forward to this one!

[Ein Heldenleben]

Sounds like this is a pre-record which should make for a tighter two-fer..

[Goon525]

I just wish they were allowed more than 45 minutes. This is fascinating.

[Ein Heldenleben]

I just wish they were allowed more than 45 minutes. This is fascinating.

Yep - she’s so right about Barenboim.

[Goon525]

The winner was fairly clearly signposted early on. But I know she can’t deal with 90 odd versions, but no mention at all of Gilels, Levit, and many of the favourites referred to above?

[Ein Heldenleben]

Schnabel’s “Les Dawson “ moments ..why can’t we hear the Les Dawson Hammerklavier itself ? That’s also not fair on Les - he didn’t play many wrong notes though pub piano is a little easier than fugue .Although I enjoyed this BAL I wish she’d drawn on a wider range of performances.
I notice Uchida was complimented on her unpedalled “waltz “ section In the slow movt.

[Dave2002]

Brautigam's fortepiano version was mentioned, and an excerpt played, and the discussion suggested that it was really good. Yet it disappeared from view by the end of the program. It was an interesting programme, but there were comments about style - for example remarks about some pianists putting in extra low notes which they thought Beethoven would have written if had an instrument which could play them.

Having mentioned that fortepianos can be played in ways which are seemingly impossible on much heavier modern pianos, period instrument recording are then disregarded. This seems to project a very fixed mindset.

I was surprised that Gulda featured so prominently in the programme. There are clearly many worthwhile recordings of this piece, and I'm not sure that there really is a winner. I liked the comment about Schnabel having more of the music, but fewer of the notes. Kempff's performance would seem to be worth investigating. There was a comment about there being really 25 or so different "styles" - ways of playing this piece - which suggests that those who like the work should acquire several recordings.

[LeMartinPecheur]

Scherzo speeds

I was struck by KH's comment about Gulda's speed which I think she said was about 2 minutes, and decided to look at timings of my 13 versions. FWIW, most come in between 2'40 and 2'50 where Gulda, as far as I can judge from Amazon, could manage 2'20 and never went beyond 2'30. The outliers on my shelves are Solomon, Rosen and Serkin, all speedsters at 2'30, and Richter much slower at 3'01.

Was sorry that KH didn't give us Solomon's transition to the 4th mvt, surely some of the most infinitely mysterious, stunningly beautiful pianism ever captured

Was interested in her view of Paul Lewis's disc. I recently picked up his complete sonatas for a song and passed on to a discerning friend my spare 'three-fer' with Op106. He loathes the whole set, feeling that it's sort of LvB with all the LvB taken out, none of the angry, witty heaven-stormer at all. I know what he means but still find something valuable in the care, clarity and lucidity of his expositions of the notes. Indeed, the excerpt of IV that KH played made me keener to revisit his recording. Not at all sure my mate will have been won over though Views?