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Beethoven: The Piano Sonatas
 
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Beethoven: The Piano Sonatas [Box set]

~ Wilhelm Kempff
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
Price: £42.98 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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  • This item: Beethoven: The Piano Sonatas ~ Wilhelm Kempff

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Product details

  • Audio CD (13 Nov 1995)
  • SPARS Code: ADD
  • Number of Discs: 8
  • Format: Box set
  • Label: Universal Classics
  • ASIN: B0000012XC
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 31,530 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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On this CD:
  1. Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  2. Piano Sonata No. 2 in A
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  3. Piano Sonata No. 3 in C
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  4. Sonata for Piano No. 4 in E flat
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  5. Piano Sonata No. 5 in C minor
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  6. Piano Sonata No. 6 in F
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  7. Piano Sonata No. 7 in D
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  8. Sonata for Piano No. 8, 'Pathétique' in C minor
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  9. Piano Sonata No. 9 in E
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  10. Piano Sonata No. 10 in G
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  11. Piano Sonata No. 11 in B flat
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  12. Piano Sonata No. 12 in A flat
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  13. Piano Sonata No. 13, "quasi una fantasia" in E flat
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  14. Sonata for Piano No. 14, 'Moonlight' in C sharp minor
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  15. Piano Sonata No. 15, "Pastoral" in D
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  16. Piano Sonata No. 16 in G
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  17. Piano Sonata No. 17, "Tempest" in D minor
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  18. Piano Sonata No. 18 in E flat
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  19. Piano Sonata No. 19 in G minor
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  20. Piano Sonata No. 20 in G
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  21. Piano Sonata No. 21, "Waldstein" in C
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  22. Piano Sonata No. 22 in F
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  23. Piano Sonata No. 23, "Appassionata" in F minor
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  24. Piano Sonata No. 24 in F sharp
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  25. Piano Sonata No. 25 in G
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  26. Piano Sonata No. 26, "Les adieux" in E flat
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  27. Piano Sonata No. 27 in E minor
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  28. Piano Sonata No. 28 in A
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  29. Piano Sonata No. 29, "Hammerklavier" in B flat
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  30. Piano Sonata No. 30 in E
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  31. Piano Sonata No. 31 in A flat
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

  32. Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor
    Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
    with Wilhelm Kempff

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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
5 star:
 (6)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Classical Beethoven, from a human perspective, 8 Mar 2009
By J. Severidt "jornfin" (Rovaniemi, Finland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Allow me to quote what I recently wrote about the Kempff mono recordings of Beethoven's piano concertos. I'll go on from there:

I love Kempff's Beethoven. I already reviewed his later, stereo recordings of the 5 concertos and of the 32 sonatas, rewarding each five stars. In trying to describe Kempff's unique style, it is useful to consider an episode of his life: When visiting the dying Jean Sibelius at his home in Finland, the composer asked Kempff to play the Hammerklavier-sonata for him once more. After Kempff had finished playing, Sibelius told him: "You didn't play like a pianist. You played like a human being. "
That's Kempff in a nutshell.

In fact, when Kempff first recorded Beethoven on Schellack-discs, he broke with an established tradition: so established, in fact, it was written in stone. Beethoven was not to be regarded as a human being, but as a titan amongst men. He was played with the utmost seriousness, with reverence. And then Kempff didn't. He played Beethoven, like Sibelius said, like a human being. Even his playing of the last 3 sonatas preserves this moving quality. There is non of the grave stateliness of Arrau, for example, yet tthe works structure is made as clear.

For all my love of Kempff's playing, I had still refrained from buying these earlier recordings in mono: Clearly they were going to sound too terrible to be of more than academic interest. Or were they?
I'll be forever indebted to an American reviewer who said they weren't that. In fact, these recordings of solo piano do show their age, but less so than the recordings of the concertos do, and even those are quite listenable. The piano does - every once in a while - sound a little hard, and the left hand is clearly less audible than the right hand. Yet, there is great immediacy, and a feeling of actually listening in on a real man playing a real instrument, and that makes up for lack of audiophile detail (even for me, who has spent very much money on stereo equipment).

If you like Kempff's stereo cycle of the sonatas, there is no reason not to buy these, too. They'll cost you less than going out for dinner once, and they'll provide you with essential insights into Kempff's development, and, above all, with hours of listening pleasure.
Even though I ultimately prefer the later (stereo) recordings of the concertos for their added insight and maturity, I am not so sure about the sonatas: Everything that I love about the later recordings is actually more pronounced in these earlier ones. There is an incredibly human touch, and they are even more clearly placed in the context of Viennese classical music; Beethoven is clearly perceived as an heir of Haydn and Mozart - which he was, of course.

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32 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars meticulous performances, 2 Jun 2002
By Mr. P. Curtis - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is strong and steady playing in what is righly regarded as one of the premier interpretations of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas. More intense and exciting versions of the best-known sonatas can be found elsewhere (the Appassionata is a little too controlled), but as a complete set, this has no equal.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful performances., 2 April 2007
By Eric Hulley (Houghton) - See all my reviews
These recordings by Kempff are absolutely essential listening. They bring out the beauty in Beethoven which many pianists simply pass over: this is particularly true in the early sonatas. You may already own a number of different versions of these sonatas but these interpretations are not to be missed!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The best compilation going
I have to agree with the general tone of the other reviews. While you will find better individual recordings of each sonata out there, you will not find a better collection. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Chunky Wilberforce

4.0 out of 5 stars Very satisfying Beethoven piano sonatas integral
My review is a tad premature, as I've only listened to nine of the sonatas so far; yet what is already apparent is the keen musicianship, warmth and humour of Kempff's Beethoven... Read more
Published 9 months ago by PhilsterNo1

5.0 out of 5 stars Never bettered?
Many say that this set has never been equalled. I haven't heard enough to know if I agree. But one things is sure and that is that this is a wonderful set - simple, noble,... Read more
Published 11 months ago by enthusiast

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Beethoven
I bought this set by mistake! I thought I was buying the later stereo set and was disappointed to realize that this was a much earlier mono set. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Zauberer

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