Re: Beethoven Piano sonatas

On Feb 5, 4:50 pm, Bob Harper <bob.har...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
td wrote:
On Feb 5, 11:46 am, allan...@xxxxxxx wrote:
On Feb 5, 9:24 am, td <tomdedea...@xxxxxxx> wrote:

I think his own playing had changed, too, which is a common enough
thing among pianists.

Sorry, but that simply won't fly.

You don't KNOW enough about his playing to make such a statement.

 Based on his DG recordings of Bach, Mozart,
Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, and his own transcriptions--and
this is quite a sample of material--it's fair to say that at this
phase of his recording career his playing was characterized by a
certain gentleness and understatement.

I think you simply don't know what you are talking about. There is
lots of strength and overt statement in Kempff's playing, and that
despite DG's engineering defects. Had Kempff recorded for Philips, for
example, or continued his contract with Decca, this would have been
quite clear.

It is simply silly to make hypotheses based only on recorded examples
of Kempff's playing when there are many alive who DID hear him in
person and who would strongly disagree with your assessment.

You can say that the sky is green on some photo you happen to have.
It isn't, of course, despite the "evidence" of your picture, which can
be easily falsified. So, also, with DG's recording of Kempff in the
stereo medium.

Incidentally, DG also falsified other pianists they recorded over the
years, but that is another matter. Here we are speaking only of
Kempff.

TD

If I were to purchase *one* of Kempff's Beethoven cycles, should it be
the mono or the stereo. What am I giving up from the other one? I assume
from your comments above that you'd say the mono.

TIA.

Bob Harper- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


Bob Harper,

You asked about the choice between the mono and stereo Kempff sets. I
recommend the stereo set, but it really depends on specific sonatas.

The stereo version is much better in Op 2-2, 27-1, 31-1, 78, and 106,
better in Op 22, 27-2, 31-3, 90, 101 and 110, a just a little better
in Op 7, 10-3, and 81.

The mono version is much better in Op 79, better in Op 2-1, 10-1,
10-2, 14-1, and 32, and just a little better in Op 14-2, 26, 28, 49-1,
and 49-2.

That's 14 sonatas in which the stereo is better and 11 in which the
mono is better. You pay your money and you take your choice.

I recommend the stereo set because there are three performances in
which Kempff outshines almost all other recordings, namely, Op 31-1,
which makes this unpopular work sound like great music, Op 2-2 where
he accomplishes the same for another unpopular work, and Op 22.

Both sets leave out about half the first movement exposition repeats,
which is unfortunate.

Dick Mathisen
.

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