Beethoven: Favourite Piano Sonatas

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Beethoven's piano sonatas are widely referred to as the New Testament in keyboard composition after the "Old" in the vein of Bach. These "name" sonatas are, by virtue of how they are referred to, some of the best known music period. If you have never heard this music then you simply must and this is a great opportunity.

In regards to interpretation however I feel that Brendel misrepresents Beethoven. Beethoven was a fiery revolutionary but you would never guess that after listening to Brendel who trades Beethoven's natural heroism for a pretty sense of poetry. One can tell that he deliberately mutes the thunder in the 8th and 23rd sonatas for a tempered frustration. Richter on the other hand brings out a full fledged implosion of anger. Brendel also adopts quicker tempos but combined with his emotively muted temperament he is on the verge of dashing through the pieces. This is Beethoven on a small scale which while being cute dosen't really compare to Schnabel, Richter or Pollini. None the less it is an interesting and often enjoyable contrary perspective. The price and quality of musicianship makes this an attractive introduction to these works.

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Philips collected/published everybody's favorite B's piano sonatas played by a beloved Beethoven pianist with an affordable price. Each person has a preference about who plays what....but I am staying with what I grew up with. Alfred Brendel brings out what (I imagine) a willful German composer created with his strong method. No sentiment or excessive fluency that shows the pianist's technical supremacy is present. I love it when musicians play for the composer rather than for themselves.

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There is some wonderful Beethoven playing to be heard in this set. In matters of light and shade, expansive tempos and luminious piano poetics, Brendel has got what it takes. His best performances here are clearly the Pastoral, the Tempest and perhaps the Les Adieux. The Pastoral especially requires patience and imagination which Brendel delivers. The famous Tempest finale is not rushed, but handled warmly and most beautifully. Brendel's Waldstein Sonata is not among the best but it's adequate.

But when it's time to really take the gloves off and dig into the full breadth of Beethoven's heroic, passionate thunderer mode, Brendel is not up to standard. The Pathetique Sonata was revolutionary when it was composed. It's not that long, it's not that new structurally but there is the lifeblood of the coming Romantic movement in this music. The opening movement under Brendel does not summon up the necessary might this music is forged from. Listen to Richter and hear it soar.

The Moonlight Sonata's opening Adagio Sostenuto is very famous and Brendel has what it takes but what about the finale? After the perfect foil of the tiny second movement, we hear the great counterpart to the opening adagio... the psychotic presto. Brendel is just not prepared, doesn't have the skills to make one feel this manic piece. It needs much more speed and a devil may care attitude. This is too careful. I've heard Gilels and others surpass Brendel very easily.

But the Appassionata is the biggest disappointing. I tried listening to Brendel's rendition multiple times and have found that it lacks everything this sonata is all about. This is one of the most wicked piano works ever composed. It is about a passion so deep, it should obliterate all who know it. A pianist who takes on this beast should possess a fire-breathing technique and no fear of dark grandeur. Listen to Gilels' giant interpretation on DG or Richter's versions on RCA and Melodiya. After those experiences, try coming back to Brendel! I don't doubt you'll be as annoyed and bored as I was.

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I recently heard Brendel's 70s recordings of the "famous" Beethoven sonatas first time in quite a few years (I heard them before). Initially, I was not moved. It sounded like he was just playing the notes. As I listened more attentively, however, I started to get impressed. Clarity is the key word here - the clarity of playing and intention. No detail is too small to Brendel. Every marking by the composer (staccato, legato, crescendo, decrescendo, diminuendo, etc) is observed with utmost care. He is one of the few musicians who understand the importance of clearly differentiating between forte, mezzo-forte, and fortissimo (and varying levels of piano in that matter). It also appears he painstakingly prepared the voicing of certain chords so they sound in very particular ways. Listening to Brendel is like watching familiar movies through an HDTV. Compared to his playing, Ashkenazy glosses over quite a few details even though I love his romantic view of the works. Brendel's Beethoven is like a house solidly built inside and out, with every nail firmly hammered in. In comparison, Ashkenazy's is like a house that is glamorously painted outside without as much craftsmanship committed inside.

Perhaps the downside of Brendel's approach is that everything sounds too intentional. It's as if Brendel pushes the score into my face, pointing at notes and markings for me. More imagination and spontaneity may have helped. But no one can deny this is a faithful materialization of what Beethoven wrote, astonishingly executed. Of course you can supplement Brendel with the Russian guys such as Gilels, Richter, Horowitz and particularly Kissin, whose rendition of Moonlight sonata defies any comparison. They truly know how to conjure up a perfect storm or squeeze every drop of juice from the score. But it would be misleading to think Brendel delivers no emotion from these sonatas. After all, the emotions are already in the music when played right. And no one knows more how to play the music right than Brendel does.

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When I found this recording in my library I was sourprised: The most beloved sonatas of Beethoven, played by a pianist I appreciate so much. How could I forget I own it?
I listened again, and understood. The sonatas are wounderful, but the playing is at most OK, and these works deserve much more. Almost every piece here has at least one much better performance: I prefer, for instance Gilels for the Appasionata, Rubinstein for the Pathetique, and Barenboim for the Les Adieux. This recording simply doesn't get to me.