Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas

Overall, Pollini is not a special Beethoven sonata interpreter. It does not help that DG does not often give him good sound quality, as we will never know what it was like in person. Having seen Pollini twice at Carnegie Hall, he sounded much warmer and more musical in those works (mostly Chopin) than his commercial recordings of those works. However, in the Beethoven here, he lacks an appropriate style and musicality for the early, middle, and late sonatas. Of course all must be interpreted separately, but Pollini always seems detached from the unique soul of each sonata. While no pianist (not even Schnabel) played all of them at the highest level, I am afraid Pollini's set is just worth having a set to have but not necessarily to listen to carefully.

This is the testament of two great artists: Beethoven and Pollini. The attention to detail, the multiple shades of a thousand passions, the perfection of expression...it’s all here (from both of them).There are other excellent sets...grand and glorious in their own ways but this is The Reference.

Lets face it, these sonatas are extremely demanding for the pianist on many levels. Players who attempt the cycle in 1-3 years are taking on too much and their performances tend to be very uneven. Pollini has said in interviews that he prefers to select works for piano that he can develop a connection with and continue to discover over time. This box set covers 40 years of Pollini's playing and it shows, Pollini is a master of this material. His sense of time is impeccable, and this is the main element in his playing that leaves everyone else behind.Most of the recordings were done in Hercules Hall in Munich and the acoustics are perfect for solo piano. The two live recordings sound good too. His piano is a modified german Steinway and it sounds great.If you like Beethoven I highly recommend this set of CDs. Dont forget to go to youtube to taste/compare the various players before you make your purchase, dont just go off reviews.

EXCELLENT SELLER!!!!!!!!!!!!! EXCELLENT PRODUCT!!!!!!!!!!! POLLINI IS THE BEST AND DE CDS ARE FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!

I know all about the common criticisms that Pollini is too "cold, calculating, precise, too perfect, that he's great for modern composers, but not for Beethoven." Well, I don't buy it. Anyone who has listened to his phenomenal (and extremely critically-acclaimed) recording of Beethoven's Late piano sonatas (#28 - #32) will know just hollow those criticisms ring. It is true, Pollini does exhibit an unmatched piano virtuosity, but there is plenty of personal expression to be had. To these ears, it can be difficult to listen to other pianists after listening to Pollini's style, I've never heard such a dynamic contrasts of sounds before, it's like I can clearly hear the shape and contour of every note played. For this reason, his playing sounds dynamic, vibrant, 3-D, while a lesser pianist can sound monochromatic by comparison. The Allegri are energetic, the "Presto Agitato" of the Moonllight Sonata truly sounds like it's going to break off its hinges! The Appassionata truly sounds impassioned, just listen to to those powerful outbursts at the beginning. The Adagi and Cantabili are full of expression and warmth.Every great pianist contributed something unique to Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas, the keywords for Pollini's contribution are "Dynamic" and "Contrast". I've never heard such dynamic playing, rich in contrasts which makes each note pop. Each note sounds absolutely vital. The contrast is already inherent in Beethoven's sonatas, Pollini only puts extra emphasis on it and makes it a strong point, thereby adding another dimension to the music that you may have not heard with another pianist.Pollini offers a wonderful and unique addition to the already rich history of Beethoven piano sonata cycles. He stands right there with the greatest, like Gilels and Kempff (to name a couple of my other favorites).

Great playing.

I find it almost impossible to review Pollini. Two months since buying this recording and I'm still working back and forth listening to all the other artists whose recordings I own and who have recorded these extraordinary sonatas. Pollini is a marvelous, technially brilliant artist and, to my ears a true musician. And sometimes his performance is breathtaking. But not always. These recordings span forty years of Pollini's career. Even though it is clear after just a couple of times listening through them all that Pollini is extraordinarily consistent over those years at least in technical brilliance of execution... nevertheless... The more I listen through them, or pick out certain individual sonatas for a compare and contrast with other recordings.. Well, it amounts to this. The couple of live performances included on these recordings are wonderful. I do not doubt that his musical intelligence was on full throttle during preparation for the studio recordings. And one value of these recordings is that in every case they bring something out of the score. So that listening to other performers before and after listening to Pollini's version, changes one's perception. Nevertheless there are Beethoven sonatas that benefit from the purity musical intelligence, but others that really need to allow the emotions and feeling in the music to breath more. I can't think of any other way to put it. Always Pollini offers us insights into the music, if we are prepared to go along with him. Sometimes these are very compelling. Other times the insights crowd out or suppress the emotional aspect that must be included in the performance to make it complete. Five stars because this is a wonderful collection that can be used profitably for reference with other great performances. - It never hurts to revisit another artist's performance, especially a favorite performance, after listening to Pollini. - Over these past couple months and for the next couple I'm incorporating listening to Pollini with Gulda, Badura - Skoda, Richter, (various) Schnabel, Arrau, and various others...

Stereo recording,feel like listening to Kempff playing in 50-60s

This review is addressed to those who are already familiar with Maurizio Pollini's approach to Beethoven's piano sonatas, and may be considering either buying the box or buying the missing album(s) to complete one's collection. The recordings were done between 1975 and 2014, and as a rule every sonata was played in concerts many times over many years before the recording. Needless to say that Mr. Pollini's mastery of the piano reached a level that is technically near perfection and thus very hard to exceed.The product: The cover shows a nice photo, but the overall presentation is of the average (poor) quality that became standard now-a-days, that is a rather fragile card box containing 8 CDs in plain card sleeves and a booklet with a list of tracks, recording dates, and a well-written but rather superficial essay by Paolo Petazzi introducing Beethoven's sonatas. The liner notes of the original album releases were made available on-line at the Deutsche Grammophon site (how long will this information be available?). All recordings have been previously released (the latest album was released almost simultaneously with this box). One recording of each sonata was included, the latest recording being chosen when more than one was available (that was the case in Sonatas # 11, #17, and #21). Sonatas #12 and #21 were presented in live recordings, and the overall sonatas in studio recordings.What you don't get in this box: The original albums (10 CDs in 9 albums, plus a bonus CD accompanying one of the albums) include studio recordings of Sonatas #17 and # 21, a live recording of Sonata #11, and a bonus CD with live recordings of Sonatas #23 and #24 that were not included in the box. The original album with live recordings of Sonatas #11, #12, and #21 includes the music scores with synchronized playing cursor ("CD-pluscore") that is also missing (Addendum: That album was released in 1998; the "CD-pluscore" function is not supported in recent Windows versions).Summarizing, 5 stars for the music, interpretations, and recording quality, but only 3 stars for the physical product presentation, considering its durability and lack of extra material.

La forma sonata nace en la segunda mitad del siglo XVIII y se descompone en tres partes, algo así como en una disertación filosófica: exposición, desarrollo y re-exposición y, a pesar de ello, deja bastante libertad al compositor. Las treinta y dos sonatas de Beethoven constituyen un universo único de experimentación y de emoción y recorren toda su carrera creadora desde el op. 2 (dedicado a Haydn) hasta la op. 111: desde lo prospectivo y retrospectivo hasta lo fatalista e introspectivo alcanzando las esferas de la contemplación trascendental (“Ce sourd entendait l’infini” decía Victor Hugo). Son formas-procesos que integran la variación, la fuga y la fantasía e incluyen una fuerte dosis de teatralidad sin excluir lo popular, lo excéntrico y lo cómico (‘Witz’, humor burdo) muchas veces emulando un cráter en erupción. Los opp. 2, 10 y 31 agrupan tres sonatas, los opus 14, 27 y 49 dos y las diecisiete restantes van con su propio número. Quince están escritas en tres movimientos, once en cuatro (ya una arquitectura sinfónica) y seis en dos ofreciendo una dialéctica ambiciosa.Según Hans von Bülow este cuerpo de obra convertiría al compositor en un heraldo del mundo moderno y merece el calificativo de 'El Nuevo Testamento' que es único según Alfred Brendel por tres razones: (1) refleja la entera evolución del genio del compositor con las 'Variaciones Diabelli' y las Bagatelles completando la imagen, (2) no hay entre ellas ninguna obra menor y (3) Beethoven nunca se repite a sí mismo: cada sonata es un nuevo organismo (“no two sonatas are the same in any way, shape, or form”). En palabras de un crítico, Beethoven recorre “early-life fantasies, mid-life anxieties and late-life wisdom”. La fascinación existente con estas obras no solo depende de los retos técnicos que platean y de su exploración de colores tonales, sino también de una especie de penetración psicológica que se va haciendo más apremiante a medida que avanzamos con cada número de opus. Von Bülow impondría en un mismo recital la escucha de las cinco últimas sonatas para que se apreciara su coherencia. La elocuencia emotiva de estas obras fascinaría a la generación romántica: en 1827, año de la desaparición del compositor, vería como el joven Mendelssohn daba a conocer la Grosse Sonate für das Hammerklavier op. 106 en Alemania y Liszt en París, mientras que Clara Wieck rendiría a la audiencia vienesa con la Appassionata.En relación al piano, Beethoven puso a prueba rudamente el mecanismo del instrumento y propició su desarrollo mecánico: ya en 1798 los fortissimi del primer movimiento de la Pathétique (su octava) hacían temblar los muros de las salas de audición. Habría que esperar hasta 1801 (con su duodécima sonata y la ‘Clara de Luna’) para que el compositor se liberara de los cánones del género, dejando entrar una sensación de improvisación e impredecibilidad en su discurso musical: en la décimoctava desaparecieron los Minuetos, las 19 y 20 se desarrollarían en dos movimientos, la Waldstein (num. 21) exploraría las posibilidades del nuevo Érard, la Appassionata (num. 23) estallaría en contrastes entre forte y piano y los sforzandi reinarían. Un nuevo instrumento más potente, un Streicher, potenciaría la escritura de la Hammerklavier op.106 (para cuando escribió la op.101 en 1816, Beethoven estaba totalmente sordo, lo cual viene a decirnos que su imaginación en ese punto ya se había divorciado del sonido del instrumento). El Beethoven visionario ya no escribía para el piano de su época y las tres últimas (similares a meditaciones esotéricas) culminarían en una obra en la que conviven todos los opuestos: el estatismo frente al ímpetu, las tinieblas frente a la luminosidad, la acción heroica frente a la contemplación serena: incluso hoy día, hace falta un piano bien preparado para reproducir esas sonoridades casi sobrenaturales de la Arietta de forma satisfactoria.El pianista milanés se ha tomado su tiempo (casi 40 años) para completar esta integral del 'Nuevo Testamento' (Hans von Bülow dixit) de un Beethoven vivaz, no académico, orgánico y no muy jovial. Deutsche Grammophon opta por las últimas versiones de las tres sonatas que Pollini grabó en dos ocasiones (Opp.22, 31 No.2 y 53) y se queda con las versiones de estudio de Op. 57 y Op. 78 (que también llegaron a ofrecerse en 'vivo').Si escuchamos las sonatas de la integral en el orden en que fueron grabadas (y no en el orden numérico en el que aparecen en este cofre) se hará evidente que el paso del tiempo tiene su influencia: progresivamente el pianista se hace expresivamente más angular, más acentuado, más contrapuntísticamente complejo, más el libertario y más comunicativo; técnicamente, viajamos del periodo 1975/77 (limpieza, potencia, arquitectura lúcida, pero también una cierta falta de sutileza en el fraseo) a su periodo final, en el que hay una pérdida de estabilidad y precisión y un pedal omnipresente que amenaza la claridad de las texturas (pero reteniendo una cierta majestad) pasando por su era intermedia de virtuosismo inmaculado, brillante y aristocrático, que se caracteriza por mantener sus virtudes anteriores (una articulación soberbia, una seguridad aplastante y una sonoridad cristalina, perlada y milimetrada) aderezadas por una mayor sutileza interpretativa, que es espléndida de control y contrastes.En general, todas las obras resplandecen con un fuego interior, alcanzando una notable cohesión profunda como productos de un ideal patricio. Evita 'ritardandi' o 'luftpausen' caprichosos y enfatiza la estructura, que emerge prístina. Su forma de interpretar tiene un aire de inevitabilidad: cuando se le escucha, parece no haber otra forma distinta posible de interpretar, aunque obviamente las haya (Arrau/Decca, Backhaus/Decca, Kempff/DGG, Nat/EMI, Schnabel/EMI). Habrá quien le acuse de 'emocionalmente frío', pero lo cierto es que Beethoven admite muchas lecturas y ésta es tan válida como cualquier otra. Ocasionalmente, parece dejarse llevar por su tremendo virtuosismo: por ejemplo, la 'Waldstein' es interpretada como una pieza de bravura de temperamento colérico y de angustia implacable y uno hubiera preferido algo más de sosiego ("version d'extrêmes: tempétueux, furieux et dechaîné, joué d'un même geste et portant l'urgence du concert"), aunque el pianismo de Pollini (salvo en su última época) silencia cualquier crítica. Pollini recorre toda la gama de formas de expresión en este viaje a lo largo del tiempo: su 'Patética' es melancólica, su 'Appassionata' salvaje, su 'Waldstein' colérica y su 'Hammerklavier' olímpica. Cualquier sonata, incluso la más modesta, recibe el mismo tratamiento de autoridad y dedicación.Una integral muy valiosa en 8 CDs, que son tomas tanto es estudio como 'en vivo' con ese extra de fricción: muy dado a las tomas 'en vivo', el público le importa, se siente responsable y cada momento cuenta y cada nota tiene su objetivo y se nota.En palabras de un crítico, este ciclo nos hace vivir lo que Beethoven recorrió: “early-life fantasies, mid-life anxieties and late-life wisdom”.La calidad de sonido es, en general, excelente, aunque habrá quien la vea como excesivamente brillante y algo clínica, como es habitual en Deutsche Grammophon.P.S. El 5 de Enero de 2022, Pollini cumplió ochenta años de edad.

Beethovens Sonaten Gesamtwerkfür Klavier solo gespielt und interpretiert von Maurizio Pollini - einVermächtnis dieses Künstlers inSachen Beethoven das zu über -zeugen vermag ! Pollini spieltausgewogen manchmal eigen -willig aber stets durchdrungenvon expressivem Ausdruck undGestaltungswillen !!! Beethovenliegt ihm - das merkt man in je -dem Satz ! Ein schon zu LebzeitenPollinis überzeugendes Vermächt -nis in Sachen Beethoven !Er überzeugt auf ganzer Linie !Kaufempfehlung !

Pollini bemüht sich bei seinen Beethoven-Klaviersonateninterpretationen um eine individuelle Note, was ihm bei vielen der Sonaten auch gelingt, leider jedoch nicht bei zu vielen: Pollini spielt für mein Gefühl etwas zu oft etwas zu sehr konventionell, wie man Beethoven im klassischen Unterhaltungsprogramm gern hört, - kommt mir vor. Es ist unüberhörbar, daß Pollini ein ganz großer klassischer Pianist ist, er spielt teilweise extremst virtuos, und immer schön, - vielleicht zu schön -, der aber für Wiener Klassik und Frühromantik zu sehr "romantisiert" ist, wo ein wenig das mit der Stahldrahtbürste des Klavierinnenlebens gegen den Strich bürsten, die mentale Renitenz des (ehemals) reichshauptstädtischen Kulturselbstverständnisses "musik-metaphorisiert" darstellt und in der Interpretation umsetzt, - was aber Pollini unterläßt. Pollini ist für Konsumenten empfehlenswert, die einen unproblematischen Beethoven wünschen, über den man nicht zuviel nachdenken muß, auch nicht zuviel zum Nachdenken hergibt, der aber immer wieder aufhorchen läßt, daß da noch mehr ist oder sein könnte, als die, vom Zerebralsystem übersetzte, Luftvibration, vulgo "Schall" in vulgo "Musik": Pollini ist absolut kein "le must", aber zur gemütlichen Abrundung einer Beethoven-Klaviersonatenaufnahmen-Sammlung durchaus nicht völlig falsch.

First of all, I haven't listened to all 32 sonatas yet, but have been drawn to my favourites. I find many of the movements on the fast side, going by so quickly that details seem to get lost. Sort of "it's hard to see the trees for the forest" so to speak. But with one exception, Pollini is actually following Beethoven's tempo markings so he can't be faulted. Only in the third movement of Op. 57, marked "allegro ma non troppo" he chooses to ignore the "ma non troppo". In fact, the movement gallops ahead at such a pace, that one is hard pressed to understand how he will manage the even faster coda, which in fact, he pulls off with great panache! I read that Pollini has a reputation for cool, emotionally detached playing, which I find incredible. His playing here is as emotional and hot blooded as I've ever heard. Now for the trills. To be a truly great player of Beethoven, you have to have immaculate, sustained trills. Beethoven demanded it in all his creative periods. The last movement of his 3rd sonata (in C major), the 3rd movement of the 21st sonata (in C major) and the 2nd movement of his last sonata (the movement being in C major) require trills that shimmer, with not a hint of a waver in pulse or accent. Many of the most accomplished professionals can fall short of this magic (I'm not naming at least one that I know of). So here's the deal breaker - Pollini's trills are exquisite, perfectly even but not cold, but glowing - transcendental in fact. The best I've ever heard! No one set of any composer's work is going to be perfect, but this a remarkable accomplishment.