Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata"
Posted by: Rubio on 16 January 2006
Do you have any recommendations for a fantastic recording of the "moonlight sonata"? I have read here on the forum that Annie Fischers recording from the 50s on EMI should be very good, but I haven't managed to locate it anywhere on the internet. I would be very happy to get some other recommendations!
Posted on: 16 January 2006 by graham55
Rubio
There are so many, and you'd do well to have two or three recordings in any event.
If forced to choose just one, I'd plump for Emil Gilels on DG.
Good luck!
Graham
Posted on: 16 January 2006 by Rubio
quote:
There are so many, and you'd do well to have two or three recordings in any event.
So do you have any more recommendations (preferable with some comments on the differences between these recommendations). I have already ordered Lucchesinis complete piano sonatas so there I will have another version, I think.
Posted on: 16 January 2006 by Earwicker
Brendel. Then get a recording of Liszt's Pensée des morts to see what could be done with the piece!
EW
Posted on: 16 January 2006 by Rubio
quote:
Liszt's Pensée des morts
So, which recording of this Liszt piece by Brendel should I buy? Do you have a recommendation with an OK sound quality (label and so on)? Is this piece a nice place to start exploring Liszt.
Posted on: 16 January 2006 by Earwicker
Hi Rubino,
This recording is the one to go for:
It's best value, and will give a fine introduction to the other famous sonatas. Brendel is incomparable in this repertoire. THe new Digital recordings are better still, but cost more. The double CD I recommend is £10.99 from Amazon!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000417L/qid.../203-6441348-3240707As for Pensée des morts, it contains a wondeful section based on the Moonlight - this astonishing intertextuality is pure alchemy! But if you don't know any Liszt at all, start at the top with the B minor Sonata; high octane!
EW
Posted on: 16 January 2006 by graham55
Gilels? Solomon? Pollini? Kempff? Fischer? Kovacevich? Brendel? Schnabel? Gieseking? Backhaus? (And that's just a few!)
I wouldn't even begin to suggest which is BEST. F*ckit I don't play piano, so how could I say?
Graham
Posted on: 16 January 2006 by Rubio
Well, I start with Gilels, Brendel and Moravec
. Maybe it will be easier when I receive the penguin guide soon...
Posted on: 16 January 2006 by Earwicker
quote:
Originally posted by Rubio:
Well, I start with Gilels, Brendel and Moravec
. Maybe it will be easier when I receive the penguin guide soon...
Not a bad place to start!
By the way, Gramophone's website has an extensive archive of CD reviews and is a better authority/guide than the Penguin:
http://www.gramophone.co.uk/cdreviews.aspGive it a try.
EW
Posted on: 16 January 2006 by Tam
Gramophone's website is frequently down. It is also for less user friendly if hunting down a particular work and much harder to compare at a glance. Personally, I have always found the penguin guide very reliable, more so that Gramophone's reviews (with which I disagree much more frequently - I suspect this is down to the much larger number of staff they have writing).
As to the work in question. The Kempff 50s mono account is very fine (though probably not available separately), there's also a nice stereo account by him on a box (confusingly) of mono recordings from the 50s.
regards, Tam
Posted on: 16 January 2006 by Todd A
Annie Fischer's EMI recording is indeed one of the better renditions of this sonata, but it is hard to find. It's made its way to CD at least twice - as part of a 4-disc EMI France set with a lot of Beethoven and some Schumann and Schubert and a 2-disc Artist Profile which is mostly a truncted version of the four disc set, except for an otherwise unavailable Bartok Third Piano Concerto.
You can also try her Hungaroton recording which is nearly as good, and it can be had on a single disc.
Other fine versions of this sonata include Wilhelm Backhaus' mono recording (my favorite, but it's hard to find, too), Walter Gieseking on EMI, Yves Nat, and Rudolf Firkusny (also hard to find on EMI).
Posted on: 17 January 2006 by Rubio
Posted on: 17 January 2006 by Rubio
Posted on: 17 January 2006 by NaimDropper
If you want to get off the track a bit, check out Marcus Miller's version on his latest solo CD.
Funky Moonlight Sonata on bass guitar from one of the true bass masters.
David
Posted on: 17 January 2006 by Todd A
quote:
Originally posted by Rubio:
When is the version on the "Introuvables" CD from?
The EMI recording is from around the same time as the BBC Legends recording. I prefer the EMI to the BBC, though the latter is very good.
quote:
Originally posted by Rubio:
Is it this Backhaus CD you think about?
No, I'm referring to his mono recording for Decca from the 50s. It's worth noting that Decca is reissuing one of Backhaus' two cycles as part of the Original Masters series next month. Aside from confusing labeling - is it the mono or stereo cycle? - it's quite the potential bargain.
--
Posted on: 18 January 2006 by Robert Downer
Hi Rubio,
Try the BBC Radio 3 web site (building a library). They contrast the recordings. I enjoy the passion of the Belart CD with Radu Lupu (ref 450-004-2).
RD.
Posted on: 19 January 2006 by Anna Tooth
Hi rubio
Watch out for my updates of label release via this forum... we've recorded the fantastic Norwegian pianiast Haavard Gimse playing the Moonlight Sonata, amongst other pieces.
Haavard is a very highly respected and critically acclaimed pianist, and we have two other recordings with him. Gramophone said of the last album we released with him - Grieg -"Gimse's projection of tone, judgement of rubato and control of colour are enthralling...the sound is warm and natural and this comes highly recommmended"
You can check out some mp3s of his playing here:
haavard's chopinhaavard's griegAnna
Posted on: 21 January 2006 by ClaudeP
I really like Inger Sodergren's version, plus it's available a budget price if you can find it.
Claude
