Search - Beethoven, Stephen Kovacevich :: Beethoven: Popular Piano Sonatas

Beethoven, Stephen Kovacevich
Beethoven: Popular Piano Sonatas
Genre: Classical

Track Listings (12) - Disc #1
1. Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor Op. 13 "Pathétique" I. Grave - Allegro di molto e con brio
2. Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor Op. 13 "Pathétique" II. Adagio cantabile
3. Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor Op. 13 "Pathétique" III. Rondo (Allegro)
4. Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor Op. 27 No. 2 "Moonlight" Adagio sostenuto
5. Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor Op. 27 No. 2 "Moonlight" Allegretto
6. Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor Op. 27 No. 2 "Moonlight" Presto agitato
7. Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 "'Waldstein" I. Allegro con brio
8. Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 "'Waldstein" II. Introduzione (Adagio molto)
9. Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 "'Waldstein" III. Rondo (Allegretto moderato)
10. Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat major Op.81a Les Adieux I. Adagio - Allegro "Les Adieux"
11. Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat major Op.81a Les Adieux II. Andante espressivo "L'Absence"
12. Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat major Op.81a Les Adieux III. Vivacissimamente - Poco andante "Le Retour"
Track Listings (10) - Disc #2
1. Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor Op. 57 "Appassionata" I. Allegro assai
2. Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor Op. 57 "Appassionata" II. Andante con moto
3. Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor Op. 57 "Appassionata" III. Allegro, ma non troppo - Presto
4. Piano Sonata No. 25 in G major Op. 79 I. Presto alla tesdesca
5. Piano Sonata No. 25 in G major Op. 79 II. Andante
6. Piano Sonata No. 25 in G major Op. 79 III. Vivace
7. Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major Op. 106 Hammerklavier I. Allegro
8. Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major Op. 106 Hammerklavier II. Scherzo (Assai vivace) - Presto
9. Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major Op. 106 Hammerklavier III. Adagio sostenuto (Appassionato e con molto sentimento)
10. Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major Op. 106 Hammerklavier IV. Largo - Allegro risoluto

CD Details

All Artists: Beethoven, Stephen Kovacevich
Title: Beethoven: Popular Piano Sonatas
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: EMI Classics
Original Release Date: 1/1/2010
Re-Release Date: 5/4/2010
Album Type: Original recording remastered
Genre: Classical
Styles: Historical Periods, Classical (c.1770-1830)
Number of Discs: 2
SwapaCD Credits: 2
UPC: 5099996592229

Synopsis

Album Description

'Kovacevich is no pianistic egoist ... He wants you to love and appreciate Beethoven's music as he does. When combined with such refinement of technique, energy , sense of colour and imagination, it's an attitude I find particularly compelling'
Gramophone Magazine In 1967 Kovacevich made his New York début and since then he has toured Europe, the United States, the Far East, Australia, New Zealand and South America. As a soloist and conductor, he is probably best known for his interpretations of the core classical repertoire, including Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and Bartók. His international reputation has been built both on his concert appearances, renowned for their thoughtfulness and re-creative intensity, and on the highly acclaimed recordings he has made throughout his career. In addition to his solo work, Stephen Kovacevich enjoys good relations with orchestras as a conductor and by directing from the piano. He has directed the London Mozart Players, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in this way. His chamber music partners have included Jacqueline du Pré, Martha Argerich, Steven Isserlis, Nigel Kennedy, Lynn Harrell, Sarah Chang, Gautier Capuçon, Renaud Capuçon, and Emmanuel Pahud. EMI MASTERS celebrates the full glory of the greatest performances from the world's greatest catalogue of recorded music. Digitally remastered at Abbey Road Studios direct from the original master tapes, these classic recordings emerge with unparalleled immediacy. You will be left in no doubt that you are in the presence of legendary musicians and ageless interpretations.

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CD Reviews

An accomplished pianist at super budget, but...

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 05/12/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"EMI's price for this two-fer is so low that it beats out the fairly anonymous pianists hired by Naxos and other budget labels. In addition, given Stephen Kovacevich's high reputation in Britain -- he has lived there for decades, although born as Stephen Bishop in Los Angeles in 1940 (he took on his Croatian mother's surname). The Gramophone has extolled his Beethoven cycle, which crept along with a few releases every few years. there's no doubt that the pianist knows his own mind, but for me there are several flies in the ointment.

First and most distressing is the piano sound on these CDs, which is hard and grating. I have no idea how the same bad sound could pursue Kovacevich over such a long span of time, but it's hard for me to find a single sonata in better sound. Second is the general style adopted here, which vacillates strangely between pedestrian and explosive. I hard Kovacevich in concert, and my overall impression of his Beethoven was dullness and conventionality, yet he is fond of punchy rhythms and pounding interjections. for some reason this passes as style in certain quarters, but I find is hard to listen to. If you need a sample, the opening "Pathetique" sonata has a fair share of the keyboard-bashing, while the "Moonlight" opens with a good display of conventionality before moving on to a crash-bang finale.

The odd thing is that the younger Kovacevich, as heard in many recordings with Colin Davis on Philips, was a wonderful interpreter. As with Murray Perahia, middle age seems to have brought on the dullness, but I can't account for the other irritations. of course not everyone will agree. What sounds crude to me may be forceful to other ears. Having owned almost all of these sonatas on their original release, however, I can attest that my eagerness to hear them n a regular basis in minimal."