Buy it now from Amazon

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 8, 14, 21 & 23 / Wilhem Kempff

Deutsche Grammophon

• List price: $11.98
• Lowest new price: $5.41
• Lowest used price: $0.78

1. Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor ('Pathétique'), Op. 13: 1. Grave - Allegro di moto e con brio
2. Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor ('Pathétique'), Op. 13: 2. Adagio cantabile
3. Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor ('Pathétique'), Op. 13: 3. Rondo. Allegro
4. Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor ('Moonlight'), Op. 27
   2: 1. Adagio sostenuto - attacca:
5. Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor ('Moonlight'), Op. 27
   2: 2. Allegretto - attacca:
6. Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor ('Moonlight'), Op. 27
   2: 3. Presto agitato
7. Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major ('Waldstein'), Op. 53: 1. Allegro con brio
8. Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major ('Waldstein'), Op. 53: 2. Introduzione. Adagio molto - attacca:
9. Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major ('Waldstein'), Op. 53: 3. Rondo. Allegretto moderato
10. Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor ('Appassionata'), Op. 57: 1. Allegro assai
11. Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor ('Appassionata'), Op. 57: 2. Andante con moto - attacca:
12. Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor ('Appassionata'), Op. 57: 3. Allegro, ma non troppo - Presto

Average customer rating:

Great piano music

The piano sonatas or character pieces from Beethoven are a great music to experience,this CD has the Mondschein Sonate or better know as Moonlight Sonata.The quality of the music and the interpreter are just fine I recommend it.

Special!

I am no expert of beethoven's piano sonatas. I like the perfomance, even though there are others that I think I like better (Fisher, Solomon). However the sound isn't that great, it's lacking something, and I don't know what it is...I would still recommend this cd, because of the performance!

well...

I'm in the process of trying to build a better collection of classical recordings that I've had over the past few years. So, I dumped a bunch of my crap "budget" recordings and started consulting a guide by NPR. Upon the recommendation of that book, I went out and purchased this Kempff recording of Beethoven's sonatas, and I must say that I'm rather disappointed.
I don't pretend to be an expert on the intricacies of Beethoven's piano music (or anyone else's music for that matter), but these performances just seem sloppy to me in several places (particularly the Waldstein Rondo and Appassionata Allegro assai). There is too much fumbling over the faster passages to make the purchase of this CD worthwhile.
I'm already thinking to myself that I'm going to have to do less listening to others' opinions and start just trusting my own instincts. Frankly speaking, 3 stars was probably a bit generous, but I'm just a novice at this whole music review thing.

Middling

These performances are classic. To modern ears, Kempff has a delicate hand, and very good sense of dynamics. Lots of contrast. OTOH, some of the fast playing is a little muddled technically, the notes not quite clear and the pace hard to define, for example in the fast sections of Moonlight and Waldstein. These are very early recordings. Perhaps people weren't used to trying for technical perfection. And his flexibility with pace is a little too radical for my liking. Lots of parts seem too fast or too slow to me. Overly severe slowing and speeding in some cases.

Oh, and the recording quality is good...for the early 60s. That would not be a reason to avoid this disc.

I recommend unreservedly

This review is probably useless but I will not allow this wonderful disc to continue its 3 and a half star rating. Sound is fine. Performances immense but in a rather understated way which rewards repeated listening as more dynamic readings will not. I feel Beethoven sonatas need clarity and transparency for maximum enjoyment. i doubt if anyone would have the nerve to suggest this is not achieved by Kempff. I could draw comparison with that other master of understatement Solomon as his Beethoven is so transparent and I recommend his Testament recordings. Kempff is no Kovacevich and vice versa but I feel one can get rather fed up with K as K stamps his own personality on such works which leads to pretty impressive listening at first but I find it is Kempff I tend to go back to. Perhaps therefore purchasers should be warned to persevere if finding the disc seems disappointing on initial listening.