Arrau plays Beethoven Sonatas

Advantages: a new take on a familiar warhorse
Disadvantages: is it worth full price?

...It's unlikely that any music lover who has a good recording of Beethoven's violin concerto on CD (say: Perlman, Grumiaux or Szigeti) would ever say to him or herself: 'boy, I wonder what that sounds like on the clarinet'. In fact, the only people who might would be clarinetists, for they tend to feel (mistakenly, as it happens)that there just isn't enough original repertoire written for their instrument. So here, spanking new, is a Deutsche Grammophon CD offering us an original work in Mozart's Clarinet Concerto and an arrangement of the Beethoven prepared by Russian pianist/conductor Mikhail Pletnev. The soloist is Michael Collins, who plays the familiar Mozart on his basset horn with all the joy and panache we expect. The Beethoven is a different cup of tea. It's difficult to listen to the famous melodies without hearing the fiddle (or... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Classic Brendel, good sound
Disadvantages: Classic Brendel

...After having spent quite some time, both in the studio and the concert hall, concentrating exclusively on the Beethoven Piano Sonatas and Piano Concertos, Brendel, whilst always being limited to some, (not inconsiderable, it seems) extent by physical problems in and around the areas of his back and arms, is now free to explore other music avenues. This is the second disk of Brendel's Mozart with which we have been presented over the recent past; the other being his account of two of the concertos. Here we have performances of 3 of the unaccompanied sonatas. Brendel has long been considered as being a Mozartian of zest and insight. But, for me at least, his interprtations of this Master can seem a little quirky. Its as if he doesn't, in some way, relate to the personality and musical language of Mozart with quite the same success as he... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Thrilling, daredevil chamber music performances from the legendary Martha Argerich and partner-in-crime Gidon Kremer.
Disadvantages: Violinist Kremer occasionally on the mannered, spastic side; only forty-three minutes of music.

...unenlightened hierarchy of classical music preferences. To me, the performers are having more fun than the listeners (me, specifically) when it comes to chamber music. Well, leave it to Martha to upset another bias of mine. Here she teams up with her good friend, Latvian violinist Gidon Kremer, to play a couple of sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827). (The CD represents only part of their recordings of Beethoven’s sonata cycle for piano and violin.) Once again, Argerich’s formidable talent is in full display. Violinist Kremer, a frequent chamber music partner of hers, proves an able and equal partner. The Sonatas for Piano and Violin. The works on review are the Sonata no. 4 in A minor, and the Sonata no. 5 in F major ("Frühlings-Sonate" ["Spring"]) for Piano and Violin. For comparison, I chose the Anne-Sophie Mutter-Lambert Orkis version... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful