Post by Henk vTPost by dkPost by Henk vTPost by MELMOTHPost by Andy EvansWow - almost unlimited choices here, two centrepieces of the chamber/solo
piano repertoire.
In fact, it is mostly for Beethoven/Pollini that I ask for advice...As
I said, I never really liked this pianist...But it is the pathological
mania of "collecting" that stimulates me !...
The Guarneri, I know them well !...I think that the complete works I am
quoting is their first recording...
PS : Since yesterday evening, I've been listening to Martinu's Quartets
(by the Stamitz, in a magnificent Brillaint boxed set that includes the
Quartets of Smetana, Janacek and Martinu)...What wonderful music !.
If you are a collector of the Beethoven sonatas, Pollini is a must, as are
Arrau, Backhaus, Barenboim, Brendel, Annie Fischer, Gulda, Kempff,
Kovacevich, Nat, and Schnabel - even if you don't like them.
Bread and butter are musts, however everything else is optional.
Several items from the list above are plain bad food, and quite a
few are poison.
When do you plan to move out of the cave where you spent the
last 80 years?
These are the sets that impressed critics a lot in the last century.
"Impressed the critics" is not a good recommendation. We've had
plenty of discussions about this topic over the years. The 'critics"
failed to build their case(s), or even show up in court.
Post by Henk vTMaybe I missed a few. In any case, these are the sets that a collector
like Melmoth should have, and already has.
I also have all the sets mentioned above, and then some. Besides
Limonade I only listen to Schnabel and Gulda nowadays. Anyone
who takes Beethoven seriously and executes his music seriously
does not know how to read a score. Gulda and Schnabel bring out
some of the edginess, roughness and crude humor in his music,
though not nearly to the same extent or as stupendously performed
as HJ. My taste has also changed over time, and I no longer look at
Richter as the ne plus ultra in everything he played, and certainly not
in Beethoven.
Post by Henk vTBTW, as long as H J Lim is the only way out of the cave,
I'd rather stay in it.
Caves can be dangerous places.
dk