Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Karl Böhm, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra :: Decca Beethoven Recordings, 1950-1958 [Box Set]

Early Gulda in fine form

King Lemuel | Puyallup, WA | 02/20/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have to differ with the other reviewer's comments that "this collection is a must have for anyone seriously interested in Beethoven's piano sonatas." It is instead a nice collection that borders on historical due to its poor recorded sound, especially the early 1950s mono recordings.



This set is of interest mostly to those who are fans of Gulda and are curious about his early recordings. If you are new to Beethoven's sonatas and are looking for your first set, you really should consider spending your 90 bucks on a modern great sounding stereo set or even consider buying the recently released Barenboim live DVD Complete Sonatas Box (8 recitals) on Deutsche Grammophon. Gulda's later stereo set costs around 30 bucks via Amazon Marketplace!



Some of the mono in this set does not sound as good as my Arthur Schnabel Beethoven Sonata Cycle recorded in the 1930s. Both the mono and stereo sonata recordings have tape hiss like sounds that are noticeable especially during the slower movements.

"

You have to be on Gulda's wavelength, and tolerant of some b

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 02/08/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Friedrich Gulda lost a good deal of his classical credibility -- no doubt unfairly -- when he moved to jazz, but to grasp what he was, you need to respond to a protean talent that enjoyed crossing boundaries. In Beethoven his mercurial imagination led to quite a lot of fast, staccato playing that feels impatient to me, although as the enthusiastic reviewers state, his style can be delightful in the early sonatas. He reaches his peak in this early cycle with the "Pathetique," "Hunt," and "Tempest" sonatas. I enjoyed his slow first movement in the "Moonlight," but slow with Gulda doesn't necessarily mean more romantic -- there's not much of that in him. His "Waldstein" and "Appassionata" turn their backs on Beethoven's declared passions, and one begins to feel that Gulda takes a stand against "depth" in general. Therefore, my own connection with him is hit-and-miss. I find myself responding to his mind far more than his heart.



The late sonatas are puzzling and do not reveal themselves through any set preconception. They are a test of individual insight and interpretative persuasion. Gulda hits quite a few peaks here, and there were stretches when I could see what his die-hard fans are saying. I don't hear why one of the five-star reviewers finds this "Hammerklavier" a failure in particular; Gulda is no more impatient here than in many other places, and I find his reading coherent and involving. He certainly communicates through the first movement's difficulties easily (although to claim that he has a "surpassing" technique seems exaggerated). The mono sound is dull, which is true of the twelve sonatas recorded in mono; some are tubby, in fact, and hiss varies from moderate to extreme.



What keeps me from giving more praise is Gulda's habit of setting a tempo or, more often, a mood and not varing it enough. Try the tenderly lyrical finale of Op. 109, which is too plain-faced. The Fuga finale of Op. 110 is taken considerably slower than Beethoven's Allegro ma non troppo -- not that Gulda is alone in this -- and achieves a convincing gravitas: it's one of the best movements in the whole cycle and comes in good stereo sound. The same holds true for Op. 111, as far as gravitas and sound go. In general, the late sonatas convince me that they are lived in, but Gulda lacks the strong profile of great Beethoven interpreters like Serkin, Edwin Fischer, and Schnabel.



As a cycle, this one has the kinds of ups and downs I find in those by Kempff, Brendel, Goode, and Arrau. If you are on Gulda's wavelength, he can be very satisfying, but in the end Brendel, Goode, and Kempff, all of whom resemble Gulda stylistically, are more consistent."