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Beethoven: The Complete Wartime Piano Sonata Recordings

Wilhelm Kempff (piano)

Beethoven: The Complete Wartime Piano Sonata Recordings

Awards:

The original recordings are sonically well balanced and give a good measure of Kempff’s sonority. While the rare shellac pressings are admittedly of poor quality, any extreme noise reduction...

Gramophone Magazine, November 2017

More reviews

Beethoven: The Complete Wartime Piano Sonata Recordings

Wilhelm Kempff (piano)

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Awards:

The original recordings are sonically well balanced and give a good measure of Kempff’s sonority. While the rare shellac pressings are admittedly of poor quality, any extreme noise reduction...

Gramophone Magazine, November 2017

More reviews

About

This important set contains the sixteen Beethoven sonatas that Wilhelm Kempff recorded for Grammophon in Germany between 1940 and 1943. Several are reissued here for the first time since their original release on 78rpm discs and none are currently available elsewhere. The sound is excellent for the period and all reveal the young Kempff at his best, in performances that compliment his later thoughts. The release is the companion of two previous APR releases of early Kempff Beethoven recordings the late sonatas (APR6018) and piano concertos 1, 3, 4 & 5 (APR6019), both of which received excellent reviews and were amongst APRs best sellers.

  • Release date: 29th Sep 2017
  • Label: APR
  • Catalogue number: APR_7403
  • Length: 4 hours 58 minutes
  • Genre:

Contents and tracklist

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 2 No. 2
Work length20:59
Piano Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 2, No. 2: I. Allegro vivace
Track length5:18
Piano Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 2, No. 2: II. Largo appassionato
Track length7:04
Piano Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 2, No. 2: III. Scherzo: Allegretto
Track length2:38
Piano Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 2, No. 2: IV. Rondo: Grazioso
Track length5:59
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 9 in E major, Op. 14 No. 1
Work length12:25
Piano Sonata No. 9 in E Major, Op. 14, No. 1: I. Allegro
Track length4:41
Piano Sonata No. 9 in E Major, Op. 14, No. 1: II. Allegretto
Track length4:01
Piano Sonata No. 9 in E Major, Op. 14, No. 1: III. Rondo: Allegro comodo
Track length3:43
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 10 in G major, Op. 14 No. 2
Work length15:12
Piano Sonata No. 10 in G Major, Op. 14 No. 2: I. Allegro
Track length7:28
Piano Sonata No. 10 in G Major, Op. 14 No. 2: II. Andante
Track length4:16
Piano Sonata No. 10 in G Major, Op. 14 No. 2: III. Scherzo: Allegro assai
Track length3:28
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 11 in B flat major, Op. 22
Work length22:09
Piano Sonata No. 11 in B-Flat Major, Op. 22: I. Allegro con brio
Track length5:27
Piano Sonata No. 11 in B-Flat Major, Op. 22: II. Adagio con molto espressione
Track length7:50
Piano Sonata No. 11 in B-Flat Major, Op. 22: III. Minuetto
Track length2:26
Piano Sonata No. 11 in B-Flat Major, Op. 22: IV. Rondo: Allegretto
Track length6:26
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 4 in E flat major, Op. 7
Work length25:24
Piano Sonata No. 4 in E-Flat Major, Op. 7: I. Molto allegro
Track length6:13
Piano Sonata No. 4 in E-Flat Major, Op. 7: II. Largo con gran espressione
Track length8:23
Piano Sonata No. 4 in E-Flat Major, Op. 7: III. Allegro
Track length4:03
Piano Sonata No. 4 in E-Flat Major, Op. 7: IV. Rondo: Poco allegretto
Track length6:45
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 5 in C minor, Op. 10 No. 1
Work length16:50
Piano Sonata No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 10 No. 1: I. Molto allegro e con brio
Track length4:36
Piano Sonata No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 10 No. 1: II. Adagio molto
Track length8:03
Piano Sonata No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 10 No. 1: III. Finale: Prestissimo
Track length4:11
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 6 in F major, Op. 10 No. 2
Work length10:25
Piano Sonata No. 6 in F Major, Op. 10 No. 2: I. Allegro
Track length4:22
Piano Sonata No. 6 in F Major, Op. 10 No. 2: II. Allegretto
Track length3:45
Piano Sonata No. 6 in F Major, Op. 10 No. 2: III. Finale: Presto
Track length2:18
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 7 in D major, Op. 10 No. 3
Work length22:33
Piano Sonata No. 7 in D Major, Op. 10 No. 3: I. Presto
Track length6:43
Piano Sonata No. 7 in D Major, Op. 10 No. 3: II. Largo e mesto
Track length8:56
Piano Sonata No. 7 in D Major, Op. 10 No. 3: III. Menuetto: Allegro
Track length2:49
Piano Sonata No. 7 in D Major, Op. 10 No. 3: IV. Rondo: Allegro
Track length4:05
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 'Pathetique'
Work length16:55
Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 "Pathétique": I. Grave - Allegro di molto e con brio
Track length7:53
Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 "Pathétique": II. Adagio cantabile
Track length4:30
Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 "Pathétique": III. Rondo: Allegro
Track length4:32
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 12 in A flat major, Op. 26 'March Funebre'
Work length20:50
Piano Sonata No. 12 in A-Flat Major, Op. 26 "Funeral March": I. Andante con variazioni
Track length8:29
Piano Sonata No. 12 in A-Flat Major, Op. 26 "Funeral March": II. Scherzo: Molto allegro
Track length2:55
Piano Sonata No. 12 in A-Flat Major, Op. 26 "Funeral March": III. Marcia funebre sulla morte d'un eroe
Track length6:13
Piano Sonata No. 12 in A-Flat Major, Op. 26 "Funeral March": IV. Allegro
Track length3:13
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 ‘Moonlight'
Work length14:15
Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 "Moonlight": I. Adagio sostenuto
Track length6:10
Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 "Moonlight": II. Allegretto
Track length2:31
Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 "Moonlight": III. Presto agitato
Track length5:34
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 'Waldstein'
Work length22:26
Piano Sonata No. 21 in C Major, Op. 53 "Waldstein": I. Allegro con brio
Track length8:33
Piano Sonata No. 21 in C Major, Op. 53 "Waldstein": II. Introduzione: Adagio molto
Track length3:55
Piano Sonata No. 21 in C Major, Op. 53 "Waldstein": III. Rondo: Allegretto moderato
Track length9:58
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 13 in E flat major, Op. 27 No. 1 'Quasi una fantasia'
Work length15:43
Piano Sonata No. 13 in E-Flat Major, Op. 27 No. 1 "Quasi una fantasia": I. Andante
Track length4:32
Piano Sonata No. 13 in E-Flat Major, Op. 27 No. 1 "Quasi una fantasia": II. Allegro molto e vivace
Track length2:01
Piano Sonata No. 13 in E-Flat Major, Op. 27 No. 1 "Quasi una fantasia": III. Adagio con espressione
Track length3:18
Piano Sonata No. 13 in E-Flat Major, Op. 27 No. 1 "Quasi una fantasia": IV. Allegro vivace
Track length5:52
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major, Op. 28 'Pastorale'
Work length21:46
Piano Sonata No. 15 in D Major, Op. 28 "Pastoral": I. Allegro
Track length7:29
Piano Sonata No. 15 in D Major, Op. 28 "Pastoral": II. Andante
Track length6:53
Piano Sonata No. 15 in D Major, Op. 28 "Pastoral": III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace
Track length2:23
Piano Sonata No. 15 in D Major, Op. 28 "Pastoral": IV. Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo
Track length5:01
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 18 in E flat major, Op. 31 No. 3 'The Hunt'
Work length18:30
Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-Flat Major, Op. 31 No. 3 "La chasse": I. Allegro
Track length6:05
Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-Flat Major, Op. 31 No. 3 "La chasse": II. Scherzo: Allegretto vivace
Track length3:37
Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-Flat Major, Op. 31 No. 3 "La chasse": III. Menuetto: Moderato e grazioso
Track length4:15
Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-Flat Major, Op. 31 No. 3 "La chasse": IV. Presto con fuoco
Track length4:33
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 'Appassionata'
Work length22:16
Piano Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57 "Appassionata": I. Allegro assai
Track length10:07
Piano Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57 "Appassionata": II. Andante con moto
Track length6:28
Piano Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57 "Appassionata": III. Allegro ma non troppo
Track length5:41

Awards and reviews

  • Gramophone Magazine
    November 2017
    Editor's Choice
  • Diapason d’Or
    July/August 2018
    Collectionneur

November 2017

The original recordings are sonically well balanced and give a good measure of Kempff’s sonority. While the rare shellac pressings are admittedly of poor quality, any extreme noise reduction on transfer agent Mark Obert-Thorn’s part would have compromised their frequency range and timbral virtues.

January 2018

This is wonderful Beethoven, lovingly presented, and a salutary reminder of why the interpretations of yesteryear matter so much today. Contrasting Kempff with the more pronounced longer-range vision of Schnabel is a fascinating exercise, and reminds us that multiple viewpoints on this great music can yield equally fascinating results. A mandatory purchase for all piano lovers and students.
4 out of 5 stars
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