Classical music reviews

I can't quite see ranking Maazel's stainless-steel Fidelio anywhere near the top. He gives us a brusque, often crude outline of Beethoven's noble intentions. This is one opera where the character of the composer must be taken into account--Beethoven was a heroic humanist and an ardent romantic. He composed Fidelio intending Leonore to be a secular saint, Florestan a political marty-idealist, and Don Pizarro the eseence of ancien regime evil. The overall arc of the plot is an ascent from gloomy oppression to rapturous freedom.

I listen for those qualities in any performance and find them in abudance under Furtwangler, Klemperer (both live on testament and studio on EMI), Karajan, and Bernstein. None are perfectly sung, but here we have the steely Nilsson miscast unless you want raw vocal power, a stalwart Florestan in McCracken who's only interest is in reaching the back row with his lungs, and a Don Pizarro who tries to be thunderous without sounding remotely evil. Where's the pity and compassion, the idealism and the joy?

Against those deficits, we have strong playing from the Vienna Phil., but they are following Maazel's crude dieciton, so that basically comes to naught. I'm happy to hear Nilsson once, just for the visceral thrill, but for repeated listening this set falls far short.

.
Source: Studio recording made at Sofiensaal, Vienna, March 1964.

Sound: Very good 1960s analogue stereo, digitally remastered in 1996. This recording was made at the height of the period when opera producers believed they must provide three dimensional sound. Voices move hither and yon on the stage and a controversial (but relatively light) reverberation was used in the dungeon scene for "realism."

Cast: Leonore / Fidelio - Birgit Nilsson; Florestan - James McCracken; Don Pizarro - Tom Krause; Papa Rocco - Kurt Boehme; Marzelline - Graziella Sciutti; Jaquino - Donald Grobe; Don Fernando - Hermann Prey; First Prisoner - Kurt Equiluz; Second Prisoner - Guenther Adam. Conductor: Lorin Maazel with the Konsertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor and the Wiener Philharmoniker.

Format: Disk 1 - Overture, track 1; Act I, tracks 2-15; 71:25. Disk 2 - Act II, tracks 1-10; 47:12.

Text: Spoken dialogue has been cropped to the bare minimum required to join the musical numbers and, frankly, I consider it to be no great loss.

Documentation: No libretto. Short summary of the plot by act. Track listing identifies parts being sung and provides timings.

"Fidelio" is Beethoven's only opera. It has never enjoyed unalloyed success and yet, now in its 201st year, it remains more firmly in the standard repertory than many highly acclaimed works.

Beethoven was a man of the concert stage, not of the theater. His opera has never been entirely happy as a theater piece. He labored long and hard over "Fidelio" because he found the plot, Leonore's boundless devotion to hapless Florestan, to be personally uplifting. Beethoven was a larger than life individual and his main characters are even more so, becoming scarcely human personifications. Leonore is intrepid faithfulness, Florestan is virtue enchained, Don Pizarro is ferocious malignancy and Don Fernando is princely benevolence. On the other hand, Papa Rocco, his daughter Marzelline and that poor chump Jaquino are lay figures out of domestic comedy. The prisoners are refugees from darkest Brechtian drama.

I have seen a number of full productions of "Fidelio" and I have seen it done in concert form. On the whole, I think it works better as an oratorio than as an opera. This is partly attributable to the disparities among the characters but even more to the rhythms of the piece. In the truly operatic operas, the music serves the drama and there is always a feeling of forward motion. This is as true of Mozart as it is of Verdi, Wagner or Strauss. In "Fidelio," the drama forever serves the music: characters remain firmly in physical and emotional place while they navigate Beethoven's magnificent musical ideas. (To my mind, the only approximation of this extraordinary stasis is the big ensemble in the middle of the last act of "Die Meistersinger.")

I know of no recorded "Fidelio" that is faultless, but this one is better than most. This is a "Fidelio" that puts the pedal to the metal. Conductor, cast, chorus and orchestra are at full power. They make no slightest gesture to please those who yearn desperately for tinkly, lightweight Beethoven on period instruments. No, indeed.

The star of the piece is the late and much missed Birgit Nilsson. She is in full hyper-soprano mode here, in a place accessible only to one other, Kirsten Flagstad. Brilliant as Christa Ludwig is on the competing, nearly contemporary Klemperer recording, I always feel that she is just the slightest bit underpowered as Leonore. (I am also astonished to discover that an earlier Amazon reviewer saw fit to admonish Nilsson for being able to sing the part of Leonore too easily. Good heavens, what next?)

In listening to this recording for the first time in a number of years, I was surprised to discover just how good James McCracken is as Florestan. Many years ago, I saw him as Canio in "Pagliacci" and as Don Jose in "Carmen." He was fine, but in those heady days, many of us--myself not least--took him for granted, just as we did Mario del Monaco. Both tenors, we thought, were too ready to go over the top. Well, today, there are all too few tenors who can even see the top, let alone go over it. The good, grey Gramophone Magazine once said, "McCracken is melodrama incarnate." Well, yes--and a good thing it is, too. As Florestan he can roar out as an equal partner to Nilsson, herself. When, bound in his dungeon, he has a vision of the Angel Leonore, he sounds practically unhinged--and I love it! His only peer as Florestan is Jon Vickers and McCracken's all-out melodrama is a salutary reply to the slightly saccharine touch provided by Vickers.

Tom Krause is good as Don Pizarro, slightly more baritonal and lyrical than Berry on the Klemperer recording but of about equal quality. Neither of them matches the sheer viciousness that was Gustav Neidlinger's stock in trade.

Kurt Boehme is a peer of Klemperer's Frick. Ideally, I want a little more warmth in the character than either offers.

Graziella Sciutti is not especially impressive in her big solo, "O waer' ich schon mit dir vereint," but she blossoms in the magnificent ensembles. Her voice blends particularly well with Nilsson's.

In the throwaway role of Jaquino, Donald Grobe is all right, but his voice is a little too thick and muscular. He sounds like a budding Lohengrin rather than a gormless, lovesick porter. If anyone had asked my guidance, I'd have moved the lighter voiced Kurt Equiluz from First Prisoner to Jaquino and made Grobe the First Prisoner. The other throwaway part is that of Don Fernando. Prey represents luxury casting, but even he can do nothing with that colorless man.

The chorus is fabulous in what must surely be part of their core repertory.

Maazel's conducting is excellent, if you are inclined toward a rather melodramatic reading of the score, especially of the overture.

Five stars.

If you like Birgit Nilsson, look at my review below for Erich Kleiber's 1956 performance with Birgit Nilsson under the label Koch Schwann. That is Birgit Nilsson's best recorded Leonore and if you follow Birgit Nilsson's history like I do, you should acquire that set. This set is good - but just know that there is a better birgit Nilsson performance out there.

REVIEW:

I always by lesser known labels with trepidation because I can never know what kind of sound quality I will get. However, so far my experience with Koch Schwann is that they provide superb sound quality. This is the second Koch Scwhann set that I bought. Yes, this performance is in mono, but it is superb mono - the best possible with lots of space around the music. I think Koch Schwann has access to the original masters because these transfers are superb. Everything is crystal clear. The mono sound quality is definitely full-price quality.

Having put the question of sound quality to rest, what about the performance. Well, this is Birgit Nilsson's first recorded Leonore, and in my opinion, it is certainly her best. It is definitely better than her Maazel performance. Here she seems more involved than in the Maazel performance. Perhaps it is because she was not that famous in 1956 (her Met triumph was 1959) so it is possible that she worked harder at her characterization here and there is a palpable difference. In Maazel, she seems to lack interest in doing the part well - perhaps she was then famous and very busy doing too many roles and that affected her. Yes, I would definitely recommend this Birgit Nilsson set in mono and at full-price above the Maazel Decca set in stereo and at mid-price. Firstly, the sound quality here is superb - you needn't worry about the mono - it is superb mono. Part of the reason is that this was done specially as a radio broadcast and not from staged performances so the producers made sure that the singers are clearly heard and the orchestra well- balanced. Secondly, Kleiber's conducting is definitely superior to Maazel. Maazel (25 years old, thereabouts) was very young when he conducted the Decca set with Nilsson and his inexperience shows. On the other hand, Erich Kleiber (father of Carlos Kleiber) was a legend - witness his legendary Figaro with Decca in 1955. Unfortunately, he passed away shortly after doing this broadcast.

There is another performance Birgit Nilsson as Leonore - the Rome 1970 version with Leonard Bernstein. That version is terrific but for one thing, the sound quality there is not as good. And although Birgit Nilsson with Bernstein was better than with Maazel, she is still the best down here. Yes, this is Birgit Nilsson's best Leonore. All the rest of the singers are in top form.

I also concur with the honors piled on these legendary performances. These recordings of Op. 59, No.3, Op. 74 & Op. 133 are pure perfection, with a fiery intensity and a old world enchantment. Sure there is the occasional intonation slip up, but I find it rather charming and a simple reminder that this stuff is very hard to play. In addition, you need not have reservations about the sound quality. In fact, I wish more chamber music sounded this clean and direct with not so much reverb blended into the mix. As one Amazon reviewer said - Enjoy the honest sound, the quality is marvelous. These are magnificent chamber works of Beethoven. There's also a companion Sony Essential Classics CD to this one (Op. 59, No.1 & 2) and both are a must-have for any respectable LVB collection! Such great music at such a acceptable price. A no-brainer! Oh, and just for the record, Op. 133; known as the Grosse Fugue is the best version I've ever heard.
The Budapest Quartet never drop the ball on this one.
Treasure `em!

Perfect is the only word that can describe this rendition. There's solemnity when it's required, panache when permissible, vigour when it's warranted - in short, "just as the Master intended". The first and last movements of op. 59 #2 of this performance moves one to tears. There's a fiery intensity combined with a sensitive understanding in all these performances that makes this a definite buy.

There's a certain je ne sais quoi about perfect renditions which makes it extremely difficult to describe their qualities in words. These particular recordings have that stamp of perfection about them - it's almost magic, the way the transitions between passion, delicateness, and blitheness are done.

About the music itself - the Harp is relatively uninteresting; and the Gro?e Fuge has been discussed too much. The Razumovskys, I feel, are talked about less than they should be. #1 is almost a symphony, with the resolution in the final movement as perfect as any. #2 is dense, the buildup patient and painstaking, the scherzo wonderfully diverting, and the climax heart-wrenchingly passionate. #3 is somewhat of an enigma - you'll need to see if you take to it.

Completely concurring with other reviewers who marvel and rejoice over this Sony Classic. Such fine music at such a reasonable price.

Particularly wanted a copy of the Great Fugue after hearing the Detroit Symphony do it, both in its original score, and updated for full, modern orchestra. Preferring the original, this is just a marvelous performance with its complexities and fugal tensions. With its changing tempos and ranges of instruments so thoroughly explored and vibrantly presented, this is such a classic piece, one wants to listen to it over and over.

This String Quartet recorded this back in early '60's, so the quality is marvelous. Enjoy the honest sound, not slicked up with all the new recording and editing capabilities. Their playing is passionate, yet not pretentious.

The second movement of the String Quartet in C Major is outstanding, with its risky progressions and extension of forms, especially its ballad like sound.

The Harp Quartet is marvelous, with its combined lower voices adding a pizzicato effect and its soaring lyricism.

This is certainly an example of just how fine Bernstein could get his orchestra to play. The Second symphony of Beethoven is a real treat. The Slow movement solo by Stanley Drucker on clarinet is absolutely flawless and every nuance is superb. In fact, this Beethoven 2 is really on of the very best ever done. There are few orchestras in the world who can play the Beethoven D Major this well, and I doubt you could find any recent recordings that are on par with this level of excitement and committment.

The Seventh has always been a tricky piece, and my only criticism is the sound is certainly not better than Kleiber's on DG with the Vienna. What is so enjoyable is the obvious ease with which the NYP can produce such wide dynamics without any intonation flaws. Incredible playing...also check out the Mahler reissues in this series...they are played beyond reproach!

I own about a dozen recordings of this great symphony, and I've heard a dozen more. This recording is my absolute favorite. It sizzles. I can't think of a single criticism to make against it; not a single solitary minuscule quibble.

Sure, Kleiber's recording is very good; so is Klemperer's and Walter's and Monteux's, etc. But this is the one I keep coming back to. And it doesn't appeal only to the cognoscenti: Whenever I want to introduce one of my pop-music-listening friends to classical music, THIS is the recording I give them. It hardly ever fails to hook them on classical.

Kleiber's recording of the Seventh gets all the acolades (and it's an excellent recording, no doubt about it), but for my money nobody has ever matched Bernstein's magisterial 1964 recording with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. The tempos are absolutely perfect and the Philharmonic are on fire here. This rendition of the Seventh really is "the apotheosis of the dance" (to quote Wagner's famous characterization of it). Their recording of the Symphony No. 2 is likewise thrilling. Buy this disc now.

I don't think that there are any other similar performance which can compare with it.

Each of the three Furtwangler recordings of the Beethoven 9th are outstanding documents, and I am always hard-pressed to decide which one I like the best. The wartime recording has a certain ferocity that I find fascinating; the 1951 Bayreuth is perhaps the most emotion-laden, in spite of frequent complaints about some clams in the third-horn (NOT first-horn, check the score) solo in the third movement; the tension between audience and performers in the finale is palpable, as the frenzied applause attests. The present recording from the Lucerne Festival is perhaps the most sonically satisfying of the three,and I can't imagine that it was unavailable for so many years (especially since EMI's Walter Legge was not the type to NOT release recordings by the Philharmonia Orchestra. Is it possible Mme. Legge --Schwarzkopf--didn't like her performance? I can't imagine why.) It is also interesting to hear Furtwangler's brief spoken introduction. Arguably the third movement recorded here is the best ever done, by Furtwangler or (so it must follow) anybody else.

Since I first purchased the 1951 recording (the original Angel GROC release) back in 1968, I knew that there was no other Beethoven conductor like Furtwangler. Two more performances of this great work are now available--and every one of them presents another facet of this great symphony. It would be wise to own all three.

Beethoven's Ninth has attracted many superlatives as a piece of Music that to a great extent we have become numb to it's incredible power as we all think we know this music-that is until you hear this recording!Furtwangler's credentials in this repertoire are of course well known but when you hear this you know why-there is an incredible erupting,molten lava like feel to the whole thing as if this music is just bursting the bounds and exploding in our heads-and yet the centre of the symphony is the most sublime adagio you're ever likely to hear.It's also interesting that Furtwangler elicited this sound not from the Berlin or Vienna Philharmonics but from the Lucerne Festival Orchestra-a tribute to his incredible conducting ability.Furtwangler also died shortly after this performance so it also serves as an incredible valedictory.There is absolutely no excuse for not owning this CD!

Let me just start off by saying that this set is an absolute no brainer. What more could you ask for than amazing pieces such as the Beethoven Violin Sonatas performed by none other than Itzhak Perlman and Vladimir Ashkenazy, who are both GIANTS in the violin and piano worlds. These recordings are absolutely wonderful, and the performances are definitely what is expected from these incredible musicians, if not more. The sound quality is very good, even though the recording was converted from analog to digital. Highly recommended.

However, if you would like to only have the most famous, and the best, Beethoven Violin Sonatas, you can still get Perlman and Ashkenazy performing the Spring and Kreutzer Sonatas on a separate disc. It is obviously less expensive, because it is only one CD as opposed to four, even though this four CD set is relatively cheap.

I agree that this is the greatest cycle of the greatest set of violin sonatas ever written. Gidon and Argerich are also good but Argerich doesn't articulate her notes clearly like Ashkenazy. You feel that Argerich is kind of "cheating" by skimming to lightly over some notes - whereas Beethoven needs to be played with a greater force. Ashkenazy provides just the right kind of Beethovenian playing.

This set also contains the greatest performance of the greatest violin sonata ever written - the Kreutzer - plus a highly delectable Spring sonata.

If you're not familiar with the rest of Beethoven's sonatas, you'll be surprised at how magnetic they are in the hands of musicians the likes of Ashkenazy and Perlman.

I cannot recommend this too highly. Enjoy.

There are probably better-known recordings of the individual sonatas, but if you are looking for a consistently good collection from start to finish, this would be it, especially if you are familiar only with the Spring & Kreutzer sonatas. This is a collection that gets wonderfully intimate at times, and is a consistent delight to the listener. This is definitely a worthy addition to any collection.

I recently bought this CD, and it's the only one I've been listening to since I first put it in my computer. It has an awesome ensemble of tracks, and my favorites are Heaven, Love Like Blood, At Night, and All Tomorrow's Parties. This collection is different than what Iva Davies has done in the past, since this is a compilation of remakes, but his arrangement of these songs makes it worth listening to. If you're a true Icehouse fan, this is one CD you can't be without!

First of all..I bought this well recorded Japanese import for a total of [price] dollars(shipping included)..yes thats correct ! ...this is a great cd for the older crowds.I highly recommend ! Beautiful music and Icehouse scores again in my book.I have been a fan since 1981

Iva Davies does it again.

Now the lead singer, song writer from the famous band Icehouse, guides our minds and souls to a journey through time, giving us special out of the box, undusted rock classics from the new wave of the seveties.
Classics like "Belin" from Lou Reed, find their soul match with a song from Frank Sinatra.
David Bowie, Taking Heads and other classic are perform with a master voice from Davies. He gives each performance a reason to beleive, a reason to exist, a reason to be heard again.

Knowing the Icehouse discography this CD comes as one of the best works from the group, a work that has every inch of details in its notes, arrange, mix, recording and selecction of songs.

Iva Davies does it again. Literally. He keeps surprising me with outstanding material every time.

There is much to like here. The diction and execution and marvelous. The hushed passages are amazing.

Yet, I rank this below the Previn RPO recording of several decades ago. In that recording the complexity of the structure becomes greater than the sum of the parts, and the ending will make you want to dance (it is after all a dance movement at heart).

Since the Previn is out of print, this recording is the way to go.

Chichester Psalms, by the way, has not had a more brilliant recording. This is vibrant, stunning, and thoughtful.

Leonard Bernstein and William Walton were diverse composers, utilizing a variety of techniques, not only of their own time, but also from the past. Their most famous large-scale choral works are represented on this disk, works masterfully displaying their individualized styles: Walton's Belshazzar's Feast and Bernstein's Chichester Psalms and Missa Brevis.

Walton's 37-minute oratorio, Belshazzar's Feast, is scored for large orchestra, including saxophone, two additional brass bands, a multitude of percussion (slapstick, anvil, castanets, xylophone, etc.), piano, organ, as well as a double chorus and baritone soloist. The text conveys the story of the Babylonian captivity and King Belshazzar/Nebuchadnezzar. The work features stunning choral writing, seen at the outstart for a cappella choir which first sets the scene and mood. The action moves to the pagan feast of King Belshazzar and their worshipping of heathen idols, an orgiastic musical setting of great invention. The famous "handwriting on the wall" is proclaimed by the baritone soloist, before a joyous exaltation of Alleluia's directed to the end of Israel's captivity. A great variety of choral writing is implemented throughout, including both orchestral and a cappella settings; lush chorales, grand fugues, and everything inbetween; all very difficult to perform, occasional colorings of dissonance, polytonality, and "English"-isms, and colorful, dramatic, music. Of interest, is the orgiastic feast praising the various metallurgical gods (featuring the outlandish orchestration) and the unashamedly English sounding, joyous conclusion. My love of this oratorio is unparalleled, intimate musical settings vs. extroverted, and is well programmed with the Bernstein compositions.

Commissioned for the Cathedral of Chichester, the Dean asked for something which would bring the spirit of West Side Story to a religious perspective. Chichester Psalms is just that and more. The text is from Psalms, but sung in Hebrew, and unusual choice for an English cathedral. After a forceful, angular, dissonant introduction, a whimsical dance is taken up in 7/4 time, sometimes forceful, other times light, altogether it is a riot. The second movement features, on this recording, a solo counter-tenor; a beautiful and emotional musical rendering, the simplicity of the harmonic movement and subtle jazz inflections, and scoring for women's voices is breathtaking. A frantic patter song takes over and eventually the two contrasting textures overlap. A re-orchestrated version of the opening begins the 3rd movement, angular and dissonant. But a peacefully flowing melody, first heard in men's voices with not-so subtle chromatic shifting of harmonies, brings the work to an uplifting close. Scored for large orchestra, Bernstein also dramatically shifts between outlandishly grandiose to simple intimate settings of orchestra and voice; a master of drama, this choral work is a sentimental and moving choral work. The unusual Missa Brevis, "Short Mass", also by Bernstein, was music originally written for a drama about Joan of Arc. The music is ancient and medieval sounding, rather transparent, scored for chorus, solo counter-tenor, and percussion only, the medieval rhythms and modern polytonality create quite a unique work. Both works are about 19 minutes long.

These highly dramatic and unique compositions by Leonard Bernstein and William Walton for chorus and large orchestra are masterfully performed by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus under Robert Shaw. The astounding Telarc sonics make every orchestral voice and every vocal sound (text and tone) sound exceedingly clear. In addition, there is a feeling of unbridled passion which bristles throughout these works. While in the scheme of musical history these may seem minor works, they have grown to become my favorites; a great recommendation for some different, superb, dramatic choral works and performances.

A label on this CD proclaims "Grammy winner" (1990, Best Choral Performance). This disc definitely earned it.

Obviously, the main attraction is "Belshazzar's Feast," which here gets one of its finest recordings. Everyone rises to the occasion: the recording is incredibly well-detailed, with dozens of tiny little nuances missing in other recordings (the drum beat in the final "Sing aloud to the God of Jacob," to mention but one), and nearly flawless diction and intonation from the chorus.

The CD then adds two additional works by Bernstein, both of which receive noteworthy recordings here. Shaw's performance of the first, "Chichester Psalms", amply demonstrates its heritage in Bernstein's musicals (the first movement is from an abandoned musical, and the second a discarded chorus from "West Side Story"), while the second, the "Missa Brevis," receives its world premiere recording (and possibly its only recording).

In short: if you are a fan of Walton, Bernstein, or Shaw, you should definitely enjoy this disc.

This unassuming budget classic reissue is among the finest of its genre: The Wagner orchestral highlight album, and features the contents of 1973 LP recital the farthest thing from run-of-the-mill, spaciously recorded with the palpable feeling of the presence of the musicians, not merely an amorphously gorgeous orchestral sonority. The music unfolds without self-indulgent pointing, in a free-wheeling manner that is simply right.

The original Ormandy program is supplemented with a track by Robert Shaw doing a luscious rendering of the famous Bridal Chorus from with his divine women's chorus, a version as good or better than any ever anthologized or appearing in complete opera recordings, its 1959 atmospherically recorded sound barely showing its age.

My only caveat is that this stuff really merited more respectful packaging than this ersatz "Best of" series, but at the price, who should complain?

Wagner was a great composer. His music and use of orchestra are grand and masterful. I am repulsed by his political views, but as an artist he was a genius. This compilation of Wagner is probably the best there is. I listen to it from time to time. The breadth of the orchestral palette, the elevation, and grandeur have been imitated but never duplicated.

I did a test by listening to Szell, Klemperer, Karajan, Kubelik, Bohm, Jochum, Gerdes, Ozawa, Stokowski, and Ormandy play Wagner overtures and excerpts from "The Ring". My verdict: it's Ormandy. What can I say? I feel as is he's underrated, especially in the annals of Wagner worship. I like Stokowski's energy, but he plays around with scores (horrors!) too much. The Szell was great, but a tad limp. Other conductors have their high points, but Ormandy ranks consistently at the top. His conducting is full and rich and the orchestra always sounds great. I ranked the Szell orchestral music from Wagner at 5 stars, so Ormandy rates 6 stars.

David Hurwitz, in his short Amazon review, says the Birmingham orchestra is not a "great" one. I totally disagree and I am absolutely sure that Simon Rattle would agree with me. The orchestral playing on this set is simply superb. Just listen to the finale of the 4th, it is playing of the highest order. As for this set, it has great performances and very routine ones. The best performances are 2, 4, 6 and 7. The first symphony is just a shade below those. The Eroica lacks passion, the 5th and 8th are both flat and the 9th has a great slow movement but the rest is bland. This set also includes a fine performance of the one movement reconstructed 10th symphony. It is middle level Beethoven, good, but not good enough to buy the entire set.

Agreeing with most of the favorable comments here, I would tell someone not to allow the Amazon review to deter one from listening. These (and I speak with favoritism toward the 1st and 3rd) are VERY strong performances. The movement is at a steady clip. Someone noted that it displays the romanticism rather than the brute force some bring to Beethoven, and that seems to explain it well enough. With moderate, steady delivery, these could easily become one's daily set, by which all new performaces are judged.

Walter Weller loves his Romantic Beethoven. It's not the angry Beethoven you hear, but the romantic one. The power and majesty of Ludwig shines brilliantly here. The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra recorded this set over a two week period back in the late Eighties and it sounds as if these `excellent' engineers recorded them at just the right time, like picking fruit at its tastiest. (From the field of rock music, Deep Purple/Made In Japan 1973, comes to mind)

Anyway, back to Weller and the CBSO, the lines are plainly spoken, which brings out the various shades of the music. As one Amazon critic wrote- Weller shows the lyrical, thoughtful and reflective side of Beethoven. And another critic said- Everything comes together on these discs. I totally agree. Weller does especially fine with the slow movements, which is enormous, because I find most versions make the slow movements seem rather dull, but not here! Weller's tempo is purposeful enough to show off the Beethoven subtleties, and the fine tone of the CBSO instruments. The performances are exciting but also thoughtful and just a dash melancholy. The sound quality is absolutely first rate.

I like many different versions of the Beethoven symphonies but over the long haul (after the honeymoon period), I probably enjoy Wellers set the most. With the subtler, more thoughtful exploration of the works. Still giving satisfaction and offering new insights every time. All of these interpretations are near-perfect jewels.
Enjoy!

I've been a fan of Irish pianist John O'Conor ever since I picked up a used copy of his Telarc recording of the Schubert Impromptus, plus I think a Trout Quintet with the Cleveland Quartet. I think getting Schubert right on a modern piano is quite difficult. Too many repeated notes that tend to come out clunky sounding and percussive, when actually Schubert was using them to keep the harmony going while he played out his long, lyric motives. I am happy to put O'Conor on my Schubert shelf, right along with Lili Kraus and the absolutely phenomenal Arcadi Volodos.

I read in the booklet that Mr. O'Conor won first prize in the Vienna Beethoven competition (1973, by unanimous jury vote) and first prize in the Bosendorfer Competition, after. Equally to the point he has performed complete cycles of the Beethoven sonatas in New York, Boston, and London.

I agree with the other reviewers who like this set. Let me explain my positive responses.

First off, the sound is superior. The piano as it happens is difficult to record well as an instrument, partly because of the challenge of striking just the right balance between the immediate sounding board resonances from whatever instrument is being played, and the intermediate air space right around that chosen piano, and finally the remainder of the room or hall acoustic. Large halls usually don't help, just because the large modern concert auditorium is a Late Romantic/Modern expansion, and most of the earlier rooms or halls were much more intimate. Like expanded palace salons or ballrooms or conservatories.

Mechanics Hall in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA, helps return us to this smaller venue; but the challenges of recorded balance are still there to test the recording engineer. The piano in question is a fine example of the Hamburg Steinway, and the engineer does as good a job as I have heard lately of getting the three zones of articulation and ambience in good order.

Now a good instrument and a workable recording balance are not much unless the player knows what he wants to do, relative to his repertoire. Happily again, my ears tell me that Mr. O'Conor has an intelligent, warm, and incisive musical view of Beethoven in these core keyboard literature sonatas.

Though the pianist studied with Wilhelm Kempff, he is not simply an extension of Kempff when it comes to Beethoven. He does achieve a similarly clean and direct approach as I think I recall from the Kempff sets; but he brings additional warmth and even a playful wit that perhaps we don't often enough link to Beethoven's style. Conductor Eugen Jochum supposedly once remarked to an orchestra, The sforzando is the key to playing Beethoven. Neglect the sforzando and the vigor tends to droop.

Mr. O'Conor is not a droopy sounding Beethovenian. He has a smiling and deft way with inner voices, always in keeping with where Beethoven's harmony is going next. He can play loud, but never gets metallic or percussive in a modern sense. In the first rounds, I thought maybe I would find his playfulness eventually too arch, too much imposed on the music from the outside; but I'm almost all the way to the last disc in this set, and I think I can safely conclude that the wit of Beethoven is drawn out successfully here, reminding us that making music is at least as fun as it may be deep.

I hear this approach as giving me a wonderful sense of Beethoven the human being, rather than the larger than life Romantic Giant that a later era perceived and dramatized. This reminds me, if anything, of Bruno Walter's approach to Beethoven - plenty of punch, but not just only muscularity.

I think this set goes way up toward the top, along with my other great favorite (whose sound is not quite so good as this one), i.e., Anton Kuerti. I have never finally warmed up to the Goode set, partly because to me the piano sound comes through as so relentlessly grey-toned. I suspect that if Bruce Hungerford had been able to finish his cycle of the 32 sonatas, I would have had a third candidate, while as it is I must make do with he could leave behind for us. Lili Kraus didn't do the Beethoven sonatas on disc, so far as I know, but I imagine that if she had, her approach might have sounded a bit like John O'Conor. Brilliant, but nevertheless very warm, full of heart. Playful, but capable of communicating the deeper intelligence of Beethoven's harmonic plans.

Five stars. I think Mr. O'Conor must have been happy to record this set, and I for one am quite happy to be able to hear it.

One man's view:
Mr. O'Conor plays with great fluidity, speed--if needed--and a kind of light touch, like dancing fingers--if that's needed. Where did this man come from as a Beethoven player? He can really cut it!
I like his work in the ways I like Brendel's: the rhythms are always sure and steady--and notes are not slurred over at all, even in the fastest runs. Every note is sounded with clarity. And I hear the all important PASSION and SINCERITY here.
I'd recommend this set to anyone! Great, resonant playing of brilliant works! *** And my thanks to all the positive reviews here which convinced me to buy this set! You guys were right....

I love the playing of John O'Connor. Is a good performer with great taste to play Beethoven.