Beethoven - Piano Sonatas
Nos. 1, 6, 8, 11-14, 16, 21, 23, 24, 26, 28-32
Rudolf Serkin
Sony SM5K87993 (5CD)
Release date May 2003
| McAlister Matheson Music | Contact us | Order form | Home page | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| About us | Discount Scheme | Special Offers | Reviews | Gramophone Editor's Choice | Top Ten | Newsletter | Recommended Recordings | Concerts in Edinburgh | ||||||||||
Rudolf Serkin’s ambivalence to the recording process, encapsulated by his frequent comment to his producer, “Don’t bother to edit this - I can play it better” means that – alas – we do not have a complete Beethoven sonata cycle from him. Sony has just reissued all of the recordings that he made for CBS between 1962 and 1980. The sound, inevitably, is of variable quality, but never less than acceptable, while the playing is invariably of a very high order indeed. An essential purchase, I’d say. Beethoven also features prominently on DG’s twofer, entitled The Incomparable Rudolf Serkin; see Sandy's review.
Reviewed by Sandy Matheson