Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, John Lill :: Beethoven: The 32 Piano Sonatas [Box Set]

These'll Grow On You

J. Lambie | LA, CA | 07/25/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a bit of a saga.



My mother used to play "drop the needle" with me when I was a kid. She'd play the same parts of different recorded performances and ask me to describe how and why they sounded or "felt" different. She never argued with my analyses/reactions but would point out other things for me notice. Especially solo piano recordings as she was a decent pianist herself. She made me aware of things like clarity and "muddiness", finger legato as oppoaed to pedal, release as well as attack, rubato and a host of other things. Okay, nice trip down memory lane, what does this have to do with Lill's Beethoven?



Ultimately, your taste is your taste. If you love the X performance of the Y sonata, you are absolutely correct to do so. But just because you are swept away by X's power and emotion, that doesn't mean it's "the best". It's just the one you prefer. For me, over the years, I have come to prefer the Lill performances over any of the other complete cycles (sixteen) and most of the individual performances (far too many) that I own. With Lill, at any given moment, I hear more of the music. However, when I first purchased one of his recordings, I was not impressed. I listened to a movement of the sonata I prefered on the album and put it on the shelf for a couple of years. It wasn't as good as (the SAME AS) my favorite. (At that point in my listening, I prefered grandiosity. If Beethoven didn't sound like Lizt or Chopin, someone just didn't understand the situation.) Years later, when I actually listened to the whole album, it was as if doors were flying open in my head.



If you know the sonatas, I urge you to try some of the samples above. And not just your favorites. Listen to some that you either don't listen to often or (is it possible?) don't care for. Really listen. Close your eyes for a minute and just...listen.



This cycle dosen't die. Recorded originally on ASV, it then went to Brilliant Classics and now is out on Resonance. No one has re-enginered them so the few glitches on the recordings remain but the sound is quite good for the most part. Check it out.



Also, if you like the Prokofiev sonatas, Lill does a breathtaking

complete cycle that you can still find at Amazon UK, Germany or France from time to time. It's sometimes mis-labled as Prokofiev 9 Symphonies or Concertos but since he didn't write nine of either, when you order, you get the nine sonatas."

A Scintillating Alternative

P. Dyer | Los Angeles | 10/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I fell in love with the Lill set of the Complete Beethoven sonatas as a teenager, and acquired all the individual albums either on audio cassette or on vinyl. As an adult, I became acquainted with the iconic Brendel set on Phillips, and this remains a favorite overall. But the Lill has some fine interpretations throughout. Standouts are his No. 12 in A flat, in which his phrasing and tone throughout mine the offbeat loveliness of this "problem" sonata to perfection; his No. 18 in E Flat where the final movement (Presto con fuoco) is, in my opinion, more thrilling than Brendel's, because Lill's attack is more unbuttoned and his tempi discernibly faster; and his No. 25 in G, where the Presto alla tedesca is executed with such crisp adolscencent enthusiasm, it almost compels you to stand up and dance. And these are just a few salient points of distinction. I would not choose it over the Brendel, or even the Schnabel (whose "Pathetique" remains unsurpassed in my opinion), but it will repay your investment handsomely as a scintillating alternative in many departments."