Cheap Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 28, 28, 30 (Music) (Emil Gilels) Price

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Customer Reviews of Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 28, 28, 30

A fine album, though not a first choice
Emil Gilels, as distinguished a Beethoven interpreter as any, gives satisfying accounts of four of Beethoven's late piano sonatas. The op. 90 and op. 101 sonatas, both analog recordings, are given solid performances. The op. 109 and op. 110 sonatas, both digital recordings, are given excellent readings in which moments of brilliance are displayed. The third movement of the op. 110 sonata (the one with the fugues) is particularly impressive. The disc is extremely generous, as it offers over 79 minutes of music.

I refrained from giving this cd a five star rating because, despite the exquisite playing and excellent sound quality, it is not in my opinion a primary recommendation. Pollini's performances of the late sonatas are comparable to Gilels', and Kempff's surpass them. In addition, Kempff's and Pollini's albums contain Beethoven's final sonata, op. 111, whereas Gilels' album does not. This cannot be held against Gilels, as he died before recording the final sonata for DG. However, the absence of the op. 111 sonata does diminish the desirability of Gilel's album in relation to its competition.

Nevertheless, this is a fine album that is well worth purchasing. Highly recommended.