Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Daniel Barenboim :: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas

Another excellent Beethoven piano sonatas cycle

John R. Blackburn Jr. | Santa Clara, CA USA | 08/31/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's apparent that the matter of which Beethoven piano cycles (or large portions thereof) you favor is very much a matter of very personal and subjective taste and preference. I already have those of Kempff, Pollini, Gelils, and Goode. Each very good in its own way, even the older Kempff and Gelils DG remasters, which sound excellent. Although I admire Barenboim's other piano recordings, it's not as if I seek him out, and I unintentionally found this set by searching here on Amazon and giving the sample tracks a listen. I'm impressed on many levels. For one, it includes all 32 sonatas. The pure and deep all-digital sound is nice, as is Barenboim's unhurried (yet never too slow) and purposeful control and performance of the early, middle, and late sonatas. The slower adagio and andante movements are delicate but never lose their momentum, as is the case with other, more leisurely pianists. The faster pieces are dynamic but never bombastic or overperformed. A nice balance all the way around. This cycle now goes to the top of my list."