Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Bernard Roberts :: Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas [Box Set]

Superior buy at any price. Roberts is magnificent!

songbear | Ashburn, VA United States | 10/01/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I majored in music in college, and have been a classical music fan since I was in junior high school. These performances by Bernard Roberts are delightful. I think Mr. Roberts takes more af a technically pure (and less sacharin) approach than some folks are used to - no frills, but still manages to catch the intricacies of the music. The sound isn't the big concert hall sound - it is a much more intimate chamber music acoustic than I've heard on any other recordings. The dynamic range is well captured and the recordings are top notch. I paid much more for a few of these recordings when they originally came out and thought they were worth the full price. Mr. Robert's interpretations stand up to anything else out there and don't have to take a back seat to anyone. This will be the only complete set of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas I will need - or want. I plan on adding all of these Nimbus sets to my collection - and I CAN afford the more expensive ones. These Nimbus sets are a superior buy at any price."

Wonderful playing will not disappoint

Mike C | Richardson, TX USA | 09/10/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This set of Beethoven sonatas has its highs and lows (like every other set of sonatas available). The high points for this include fidelity to Beethoven's markings and, in general, a lack of eccentricities. This leads to superior performances in such sonatas as the three in opus 2, the three in opus 10, and opus 53. In addition, the late sonatas are played beautifully - this is as good of an opus 109 as I've heard, and opus 110 is also extremely moving. And the Hammerklavier is really well done.The lows include the fact that this set has a few smudged notes here and there. From what I understand (from reading other listeners' feedback on the internet), this set was recorded in the early 1980s over the period of serveral months or even a couple of years, and each piece was recorded complete without editing - I don't know if that means each movement or each sonata complete. In addition, the sound is not very pleasant in some of the sonatas (not all of them). Others have taken issue with the order that the sonatas are presented, and the lack of program liner notes, neither of which is an issue for me. I think there are individual movements (op. 22, second movement; op. 2 #2, second movement, the Tempest, last movement) that sound a little superficial, where somebody like, say, Arrau pulls out more produndity. But one man's profundity is another man's ponderousness, and Roberts has more of a sense of humor that Arrau in the opus 31 sonatas. In general, his pacing is somewhere between that of Richard Goode (whose playing is extremely energetic, but can be heard as somewhat glib and superficial) and Arrau (who, mentioned above, doesn't put much energy into op. 53 and op. 57).In a way, it's a shame that this set is so inexpensive, because it can overshadow comparisons to other sets. I own sets by other pianists (Goode, Arrau, most of Brendel's) and individual sonatas by a lot of others, and right now this is my favorite. This is a great set for people looking for a solid, complete set, faithful to Beethoven's wishes, and consistent throughout. It's a good choice for a library as well."

Lowest-cost complete set

Alan Lekan | Boulder, CO | 02/10/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you are looking for your first COMPLETE set of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas, you've just found the LOWEST COST set available. But is it "the best" or a good one?? Depends on a lot of course. Beethoven's Piano Sonatas are one category in classical music brimming with an abundance of quality choices - both historic and modern - and begs the obvious question, "Which set to chose?" With Kempff we have a "gentleman's Beethoven" ... with Pollini a surgical precision ... Alfred Brendel gives wonderfully conceived masterpieces ... with Goode comes some very poised playing in the classical tradition ... and with Richter, Nikolavia or Kovacavich some fire. (Kovacavich's cycle is my personal favorite). One can spend hours and hours comparing performers and recordings work-by-work and still not really have a solid feel for which one is "the best" - at least for you. And in doing so, the focus can become overly weighted on the finding the elusive "ideal" recording that one can miss the importance of just sitting down with one of the many great recordings available and revelling in the depths of Beethoven's piano music.



All things considered, Bernard Robert's complete cycle here is a solid choice - not overly "poetic" ... nor overly "Romantic" or brash. In addition to Bernard Roberts set here, a similar "super budget" set from Claude Frank was re-released on the Music & Arts label (about $59). Other sets will cost $100 and up typically. Both Frank and Roberts give simimlarly compelling, musically rich and interpretatively balanced readings. Frank's style is more lucid and refined where Roberts brings more intensity. Such complete sets as these form a solid reference point to understand and appreciate the other historic performer's interpretive artistry (as most connoisseurs have several sets eventually). At some point of one's musical journey, it becomes enlightening to listen to historic greats as Schnabel, Kempff, Arrau, Serkin, Goode, Gilels, Kovacavich ... but early on it is probably more important just to hear Beethoven-for-Beethoven and focus less on the performer. And these inexpensive sets allow that for the budget buyer.



But don't let the price or lack of popularity make you think either of these budget sets are sub-standard performances either. Bernard Roberts is well known and much admired in his native England while German-born Claude Frank's Beethoven's recordings were, according to music writer and pianist David Dubal, "highly prized." Both get good reviews (both on Amazon and music press) and both represent Beethoven faithfully and with much artistry. Where Frank's cycle is a more closely-miked sound environemnt, Robert's recordings have a more resonant ambiance. If price is the main consideration, Roberts set is unbeatable and the best way to begin the journey to explore the 32 sonatas."