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Hearing Beethoven *In Color*

TrulyJulia@aol.com | Kansas City | 09/09/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The previous reviews posted were rather technical and I want to put in my 2 cents' worth (no pun intended, lol) on a non-technical level. It requires no special training to clearly hear the difference between what most of us are used to and what we hear on this recording! All you need is a functional pair of ears. Until I heard Beethoven sonatas played in this historically-accurate tuning, I'd been missing a great deal of the music (although I didn't know it). The best analogy I can think of is the first time I saw a color TV after a lifetime of knowing only black-and-white. Remember the beginning of The Wonderful World of Disney, where Tinkerbell flies to the top of the castle and touches her magic wand to it whereupon it becomes drenched with vivid color? THAT is what happens to the music when it comes to us through the tuning on this album. I literally had to gasp at some of the modulations. I highly recommend this album to everyone who loves piano music. After you've bought one for yourself, be sure to buy a few to give as gifts so that you can spread the exhilaration of hearing Beethoven's sonatas as he meant them to be heard. Brava to Ms. Katahn and to all those involved with producing this recording--I look foward to their future ventures in the Wonderful World of Color!"