Beethoven: Piano Works, Vol. 1

Schanbel had a composer's mind - he wasn't only a performer, he wrote and arranged as well. He also seems to have entered into Beethoven's mindset and established an almost telepathic link with the genius. Contemporaries of Schnabel certainly felt that no one in their era came as close to expressing the 'real' Beethoven.

And there is a significant parallel in Schnabel's recording of the work and Beethoven's writing of them. The piano sonatas were first and foremost Beethoven. They were written by him at a piano, and were played by him at a piano - not by an orchestra or quartet or trio. This is a direct link to Beethoven's hand, ear, and mind. The sonatas are passionately individual and intimate.

And they were written at a time when the piano was evolving - Beethoven was pushing the instrument to its then technical limitations. Schnabel records the works in the face of rapid developments of the technology of his time. Though recording techniques and equipment look at least quaint and antiquated by today's standards, this was the cutting edge of technology in the 1930's. Yet Schnabel was reluctant to record the works initially - he couldn't quite accept that it was legitimate.

And he had good reason. The original recordings (made between 1932 and 1938) were on bulky, fragile, shellac discs: scratchy, cranky, to be played on wind up instruments and generate a barely acceptable noise, the music lost behind crackle and hiss, the life expectancy of the disc limited by its fragility and ease with which it could be abraded or scratched. This was hardly 'real' music or 'real' musicianship - not like playing before a live audience.

Yet Schnabel, once he overcame his objections to the technology, settled down in EMI's Abbey Road studios and recorded all thirty-two of the sonatas, giving each an immediacy and astonishing presence. Primitive they may be by contemporary standards, but no one has achieved such a sense of 'live' recording, no one makes the music sound so intimately present in your sitting room.

There are better technical recordings in terms of the skills of the pianist - Richard Goode and Alfredo Perle are two I could recommend. There are more modern recordings which produce a more perfect sound - there is a hiss on these discs, a hiss which some will accept as giving the recordings authenticity, provenance and atmosphere, a hiss which will drive others demented. But there is no one who approaches Beethoven with greater insight or emotional integrity.

These recordings of the sonatas are available individually - you do not have to buy them as a box set, you can pick and choose your favourites, you can dip your toe in the water and see how you cope with the sound and feel of just one. There is, as I say, a hiss. But these recordings have all been superbly remastered by Mark Obert-Thorn from the originals, and offer a greatly enhanced sound quality compared to the earlier EMI box-set by Schnabel - the sound is rich, enveloping, yet intimate and immediate.

Musicianship of outstanding quality and integrity, and no little courage.

The Naxos sound is crisp and clean, has depth and is well balanced. Schnabel's playing comes through with an immediacy and directness I had all but forgotten about through over-exposure to the dismal EMI edition.

This disc is a wonder and would be excellent value at 4 times the price.

Suffice to say I look forward to acquiring the other 8 discs on this sonata set!

In these new transfers, Mark Obert-Thorn has tried to strike a balance between the two extremes, and has by and large succeeded. There is still some hiss, but nothing compared to what one could hear on the Pearl issues, and one is quite aware of Schnabel's pianistic skills, as was not often the case on the EMI set. The interpretations are of course, transcendental as always, setting standards which are generally accepted to be the benchmark for Beethoven playing.

To sum up, if you have the Pearl issues you might find this new Naxos release a welcome one, as it removes a great deal of the hiss. If you have the EMI transfers, this new disc will prove indispensable especially at the bargain price.