Cheap Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas (Music) (Ludwig van Beethoven, Stephen Bishop Kovacevich) Price

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Customer Reviews of Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas

Unfair, perhaps, but I approach this set with ears conditioned by years of listening to those of other pianists, and it's fair to say that those points of reference, intentionally or otherwise, are the cycles of Schnabel, Kempff's stereo set, Yves Nat, Bernard Roberts, Russell Sherman and Richard Goode, as well as the partial set by Solomon. As a whole, Kovacevich does not fare well, I feel. His approach to all the sonatas is consistent; he is a strong, physical player with an aggressive view of the music and the clarity of touch to bring it off with aplomb no matter the tempo or dynamic level. He essentially plays all the sonatas in the same way - this may please some, but I find it a fatal flaw.

To give credit, Kovacevich's style produces a 'Waldstein' sonata that is just astonishing, with a second movement quietly tense like a drawn wire and a finale that seems to sweep the pianist away, extraordinarily powerful, yet still Kovacevich loses none of his command of the keyboard. One of the great recordings of this great piece of music, yet surely available on a separate CD. Otherwise, the set is simply not worth investing in simply for that sonata. Because where the 'Waldstein' impresses, others frustrate or displease.

As examples; the Opus 2 sonatas just don't work, they cannot be attacked the way Kovacevich does. I am spoiled by Goode, I'm sure, but in this set under review the Opus 2 works are almost unlistenable. And where is the limpid beauty of the 'Pastoral' sonata? Again, Kovacevich presents the notes clearly, yet so intent on each attack, each item of taccato, marcato, staccato, the he misses all the phrasing, the design, the music. I think here of Yves Nat, who plays with classic French clarity, yet has so much to say about the music, who plays so musically. Another strength of the set, the 'Tempest' sonata, seems so only in the sense that it is pleasing to listen to, but after not go here to listen to it again. And Kovacevich produces too many brittle moments in the late sonatas for them to be satisfying; he captures much of their grandure, but the mystery escapes.

Overall, I would compare this set with that of Bernard Roberts. Both pianists take a fairly rough view of the music, yet Roberts has a great deal of his own thoughts to share with the listener, and his late sonatas are especially satisfying. The recording quality may be more than partially responsible for that, as Roberts is cushioned by a nice depth of resonance [not to everyone's taste], while the sound on this set is quite bright, with nothing to shade playing that is often overly bright to begin with. If one wants a strongly consistent approach to this music, I feel Roberts is much more successful musically, and a fantastic bargain as well.

While it is some accomplishment to produce a Beethoven sonata, this cycle as a whole is unsatisfying and cannot be recommended except to partisans of the artist.

It doesn't get any better
Beethoven was a composer with almost too many different moods, and all are exposed in the 32 Sonatas. Someone who wants to tackle all 32 successfully should have the ability to give every piece its own voice. I think many pianists simply didn't have it, in the past as well as nowadays. Schnabel was great in the adagios, but not in some of Beethoven's faster movements. Arrau's cycle suffers from seriousness and too much struggle. Barenboim is not so masculine. Goode is a great narrator, but he plays a bit 'easy'. Serkin didn't perform all. Only Brendel and Kempff seemed really 'complete' to me, but both prefer a lucid approach which I really like but is not the final word in Beethoven.

And then there was Kovacevich. Yes, my friends, he is the guy who has it all. I think he's in nature someone who wants to present a quite severe and angry Beethoven. But, unlike the others, he does not fall into the trap of seriousness when playing Ludwig's more humorous creations.

Kovacevich is at his best when he can create excitement. He performs lots of sonatas with much Sturm und Drang, and power, but he knows when to stop. His playing in the music is often gentle and lyrical (very faithful to Beethoven's original text by the way, unlike many others), but when Beethoven says to play 'fortissimo' or 'agitato', Kovacevich really does so, that's all. His performances are often enormously exciting and thrilling to the top. Sonata no. 5, a bit overlooked, rages like a thunderstorm. It's really wonderful to hear the Pathetique, no.8, in such a solid and even threatening performance. The Presto of the Moonlight is an apocalyptical ride, which is quite contrasting to the measured and almost pretty performances I was used to. The Waldstein is overwhelming, with a great powerful attitude that serves the music well. And really, Kovacevich's Appassionata has to be a near-definitive version of this opus. Seldom has the work been performed with such an intimidating and aggressive attitude.

However, apart from all breathless excitement, Kovacevich's slow movements are also very special. He does not exaggerate anything here, but plays most slow parts in a rather intimate and expressive, yet not too heavy way. It's quite a difference from the insane action in the faster movements, but also a bit of a relief: as if the pianist is getting to a calm mood again after the storm. I read someone (maybe in Gramophone?) who said that Kovacevich is the only pianist able to forget about all and everything around him while playing. This is absolutely true. In the first movements of opus 101 and 110, the last of opus 109 and likewise things, he simply IS the music. His Largo of the 7th sonata for instance, is the fastest I have, but it's nothing worse than Arrau or Horowitz who play this piece extremely slowly. The Moonlight's Adagio is quite sober, but not less impressive. The Hammerklavier Adagio goes about 4 minutes faster than many other versions, which I found quite refreshing. I could go on for a long time about this, but it's enough to say the slow movements are terrific as well.

But we aren't finished yet. Beethoven also made some great fun in his music. Kovacevich does not hide it from us. In the Haydenesque sonata no.2, he is dancing, and the sonata no. 3 is lively and dancing even more. The final of sonata no.18 ('the Hunt') is played with a great 'beat' and much joy. And listen to no. 25! So simple, yet so charming! Here Kovacevich excels just as he does in the heavier works.

I would like to pay some special attention to the late sonatas. These are every bit as good as Pollini's legendary recordings, and often even better. Opus 101 is unrestrained joy; the Hammerklavier provides some great new insights and tons of excitement, opus 109 and 110 are outstanding (the combination of the arioso and the fugue has seldom sounded so good; additionally, the fugue's conclusion is a blaze of sunlight), and the magnum opus is the last sonata. The first movement is absolutely breathtaking, and I've never heard anything like it before. The explosion of sound Kovacevich offers in the recapitulation of the first movement has to be heard to be believed. After the high-voltage pianism in the first part, Kovacevich plays the theme and variations with a serenity that is almost impossible. The jazzy third variation is performed not only with a great sense of rhythm, but also with intensity you'll rarely hear. The following scene is superbly silent and the final trills are enchanting. It's clear that Kovacevich wanted to makes this sonata his masterpiece, and he surely did.

Does he really have no weak moments? Well, you could argue that the first movement of the Hammerklavier is not as majestic as others present it, or that Op.101's March is too strong etc. And, admitted, Kovacevich's tone-colouring is not from the level of, say, Arrau and Michelangeli. But he has so much to offer in return, that I don't really care about that. Even if there are pieces that could be performed much better (I do not see many, to be honest), that would not make the set as a whole less impressive.

Kovacevich's early sonatas blossom: they're played with real ease and fun. The middle-period sonatas have great attitude and offer some of the most exciting piano-playing I know of. The late sonatas are enchanting, played in a most fair and sincere way. Just like Beethoven intended them when he composed the music. Kovacevich is to me, without any doubt, the greatest (and surely the most all-round) Beethovenian of our time. Of course, there are many cases in which this-or-that pianist may play the so-and-so-sonata better than SK. But nearly every performance of a sonata Kovacevich takes under his hands is marvellous, and the effect of this set as a whole is unprecedented.