Beethoven's Hammerklavier op. 106

Andy Evans

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Nov 7, 2020, 6:04:38 AM11/7/20

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This came up on BBC Building a Library where the finalists were Uchida, Gulda, Lewis and Schnabel. Not satisfied with any of these, I started looking for other good versions and liked Solomon and Lisitsa from what I heard so far.

So, usual question - which are your favourite versions of this?

Hank Drake

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Nov 7, 2020, 6:49:59 AM11/7/20

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On Saturday, November 7, 2020 at 6:04:38 AM UTC-5, Andy Evans wrote:
> This came up on BBC Building a Library where the finalists were Uchida, Gulda, Lewis and Schnabel. Not satisfied with any of these, I started looking for other good versions and liked Solomon and Lisitsa from what I heard so far.
>
> So, usual question - which are your favourite versions of this?

Of Lisitsa, I only saw her youtube video and was not impressed. But it may have been a practice runthrough.

My favorite Hammerklavier is Rudolf Serkin's version on Sony. He's rough at times, but so was Beethoven. Pollini is another good version, as is the smaller scaled but effective Wilhelm Kempff.

Hank

JohnGavin

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Nov 7, 2020, 9:33:36 AM11/7/20

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Pollini is still my favorite. I’m referring to the DG recording. Much praise was heaped upon a live pirate recording which I’ve never heard, but will seek it out. Pollini’ s forward impetus, fine technique and lack of fussiness are the right combination for me in this work.

MELMOTH

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Nov 7, 2020, 9:49:14 AM11/7/20

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Andy Evans a exposé le 07/11/2020 :

> So, usual question - which are your favourite versions of this?

I will answer only in the presence of my lawyer... I don't want dk to
hurt me...

Henk vT

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Nov 7, 2020, 9:54:17 AM11/7/20

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On Saturday, November 7, 2020 at 12:04:38 PM UTC+1, Andy Evans wrote:
> This came up on BBC Building a Library where the finalists were Uchida, Gulda, Lewis and Schnabel. Not satisfied with any of these, I started looking for other good versions and liked Solomon and Lisitsa from what I heard so far.
>
> So, usual question - which are your favourite versions of this?

Bavouzet is very easy to listen to. When I want to hear an austere German version I turn to Richter-Haaser.

Henk

George

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Nov 7, 2020, 10:16:47 AM11/7/20

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Pollini is still my favorite too. Gulda on Amadeo/Brilliant Classics is excellent as well.

George

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MELMOTH

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Nov 7, 2020, 6:09:28 PM11/7/20

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dk a couché sur son écran :
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3xTaoAyf_A
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8usO-0vwhwk
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pwwslFLkK0
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLUGF9215aY

"Videos not available"...

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raymond....@gmail.com

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Nov 7, 2020, 6:32:50 PM11/7/20

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I have only Uchida. Sounds excellent to these ears.

Ray Hall, Taree

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MELMOTH

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Nov 7, 2020, 7:14:31 PM11/7/20

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MELMOTH avait énoncé :

> will answer only in the presence of my lawyer... I don't want dk to hurt
> me...

Go on, MELMOTH...Don't be such a coward...

*Emil Gilels*...
*Solomon Cutner*...
*Maria Grinberg*...
*Eduardo Del Puyo*...
*Dino Ciani*...
*Walter Gieseking*...

And so many others !...

Ricardo Jimenez

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Nov 7, 2020, 7:54:01 PM11/7/20

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I just noticed there is a live performance of the Hammerlkavier by
Lazar Berman on Spotify; haven't listened yet. I have always liked
Ursula Oppens performance which is also on Spotify.

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Mandryka

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Nov 8, 2020, 4:52:27 AM11/8/20

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On Sunday, November 8, 2020 at 2:55:25 AM UTC, dk wrote:

> Berman's HK is actually very good.
> Better in fact than all those listed
> above.
>
> dk

This is an absolutely terrible piece of music and anyone who likes it clearly has very bad judgement. However I did come across one recently which I can just tolerate - but I’ve forgotten who was playing. I think it was Peter Rösel

Henk vT

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Nov 8, 2020, 8:39:54 AM11/8/20

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> This is an absolutely terrible piece of music and anyone who likes it clearly has very bad judgement. However I did come across one recently which I can just tolerate - but I’ve forgotten who was playing. I think it was Peter Rösel

The adagio is great - although I only started to like it after seeing Van Manen's ballet (to my great surprise, I even liked the ballet).

Henk

Alan Cooper

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Nov 8, 2020, 9:25:17 AM11/8/20

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Guilty of bad judgement, I enjoy a lot of different recordings, choice depending on my mood of the moment: Beveridge Webster, Peter Serkin (Steinway/Pro Arte) for fleet first movement; the first Del Pueyo (previously mentioned), Mindru Katz, Claude Frank, and Giovanni Bellucci for more moderate tempo and greater weight; Demidenko live or studio. We heard Pollini live twice and enjoyed both performances more than his DG recording.

AC

MELMOTH

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Nov 8, 2020, 12:31:29 PM11/8/20

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dk a émis l'idée suivante :

> Berman's HK is actually very good.

Do you mean his 16-02-1962 live ?...

Tatonik

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Nov 8, 2020, 12:38:12 PM11/8/20

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You don't know how lucky you are.

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Mandryka

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Nov 8, 2020, 3:11:39 PM11/8/20

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The most remarkable thing about the Lim for me is the coherence of it. Somehow taking the third movement as she does makes it all seem to come together. The fugue is astonishing. One of the really interesting op 106s.

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Ricardo Jimenez

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Nov 8, 2020, 5:07:05 PM11/8/20

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The one of Spotify, Lazar Berman Rarities, Vol. 3 (Live), is from
1975.

MELMOTH

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Nov 8, 2020, 5:24:24 PM11/8/20

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Ricardo Jimenez avait écrit le 08/11/2020 :
> The one of Spotify, Lazar Berman Rarities, Vol. 3 (Live), is from
> 1975.

1962 in that set :

https://www.amazon.fr/Historic-Russsian-Archives-Lazar-Berman/dp/B000FFJQZU/ref=sr_1_4?__mk_fr_FR=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&crid=39RQ2XTXL0XC&dchild=1&keywords=lazar+berman&qid=1604874207&s=music&sprefix=lazar+berman%2Cclassical%2C170&sr=1-4

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Neil

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Nov 9, 2020, 7:42:20 AM11/9/20

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On Saturday, 7 November 2020 at 11:04:38 UTC, Andy Evans wrote:
> This came up on BBC Building a Library where the finalists were Uchida, Gulda, Lewis and Schnabel. Not satisfied with any of these, I started looking for other good versions and liked Solomon and Lisitsa from what I heard so far.
>

> So, usual question - which are your favourite versions of this?

Ogdon very good in this too. It was one of his specialities.

Message has been deleted

JohnGavin

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Nov 9, 2020, 1:31:15 PM11/9/20

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On Sunday, November 8, 2020 at 4:52:27 AM UTC-5, Mandryka wrote:
> On Sunday, November 8, 2020 at 2:55:25 AM UTC, dk wrote:
> > On Sunday, November 8, 2020 at 8:54:01 AM UTC+8, Ricardo Jimenez wrote:
> > > On Sun, 08 Nov 2020 01:14:27 +0100, MELMOTH <theo...@free.fr> wrote:
> > >
> > > >MELMOTH avait énoncé :
> > > >> will answer only in the presence of my lawyer... I don't want dk to hurt
> > > >> me...
> > > >
> > > >Go on, MELMOTH...Don't be such a coward...
> > > >
> > > >*Emil Gilels*...
> > > >*Solomon Cutner*...
> > > >*Maria Grinberg*...
> > > >*Eduardo Del Puyo*...
> > > >*Dino Ciani*...
> > > >*Walter Gieseking*...
> > > >
> > > >And so many others !...
> > >
> > > I just noticed there is a live performance of the Hammerlkavier by
> > > Lazar Berman on Spotify; haven't listened yet. I have always liked
> > > Ursula Oppens performance which is also on Spotify.
> > Berman's HK is actually very good.
> > Better in fact than all those listed
> > above.
> >
> > dk
> This is an absolutely terrible piece of music and anyone who likes it clearly has very bad judgement.

I’m in real trouble here - op. 106 has long been my favorite of the 32, and still is. Its a mega genius as mad scientist going nuts like Dr. Frankenstein. Especially in the fugue.

However I did come across one recently which I can just tolerate - but I’ve forgotten who was playing. I think it was Peter Rösel

Peter Rosel is a straight shooter - very direct interpreter. I will look for this recording.

Henk vT

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Nov 9, 2020, 1:34:21 PM11/9/20

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> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8_2RyAYjRc

Thanks. It's a great adagio.

Henk

Tony

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Nov 9, 2020, 4:15:01 PM11/9/20

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15 year old Dmitri Shostakovich played this work on 27 June 1922 while a student of Leonid Nikolayev. I have a copy of the concert program – DSCH played last of nine students. This was five years before he went on to compete in the first Chopin Comp with Ginzburg & Oborin.

Granted you won't be hearing this recording any time soon, but for some of us it's exciting just to imagine it. Shostakovich himself admitted to going through a phase of copying everything Yudina was doing with her bizarre inverted dynamics and sudden accelerations.

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JohnGavin

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Nov 9, 2020, 6:00:15 PM11/9/20

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On Monday, November 9, 2020 at 5:32:51 PM UTC-5, dk wrote:

> On Tuesday, November 10, 2020 at 2:31:15 AM UTC+8, JohnGavin wrote:
> > On Sunday, November 8, 2020 at 4:52:27 AM UTC-5, Mandryka wrote:
> > >
> > > This is an absolutely terrible piece of music and
> > > anyone who likes it clearly has very bad judgement.
> >
> > I’m in real trouble here - op. 106 has long been my
> > favorite of the 32, and still is. Its a mega genius
> > as mad scientist going nuts like Dr. Frankenstein.
> > Especially in the fugue.

> MAGA genius ?!? Oy vey.... The fugue is obscene.
>
> A glass of good scotch can fix all your troubles.
>
> dk

Are you saying that even Ms. HJ Lim doesn’t redeem it for you??

Graham

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Nov 9, 2020, 7:15:54 PM11/9/20

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She plays it too fast, perhaps to get it over and done with:-)

Message has been deleted

MELMOTH

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Nov 10, 2020, 6:10:39 PM11/10/20

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dk avait énoncé :
> She plays it EXACTLY in the marked tempo,
> which the vast majority of pianists are
> unable to do.

Nothing more RELATIVE than the tempo...

Message has been deleted

MELMOTH

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Nov 11, 2020, 3:35:48 AM11/11/20

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dk vient de nous annoncer :
> ... for the French!

No...For *MUSICIANS*...

Message has been deleted

Tassilo

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Nov 12, 2020, 2:17:23 AM11/12/20

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On Saturday, November 7, 2020 at 6:04:38 AM UTC-5, Andy Evans wrote:
> This came up on BBC Building a Library where the finalists were Uchida, Gulda, Lewis and Schnabel. Not satisfied with any of these, I started looking for other good versions and liked Solomon and Lisitsa from what I heard so far.
>
> So, usual question - which are your favourite versions of this?

The first of three recordings with Charles Rosen, the one on Epic.
The first of two recordings with Andrea Lucchesini, the one on EMI.
I'm not sure which of two CBS recordings with Rudolf Serkin. Would have to go back and compare them again.

-Tassilo

gggg gggg

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Jul 5, 2022, 3:17:58 AM7/5/22

to

On Saturday, November 7, 2020 at 3:04:38 AM UTC-8, Andy Evans wrote:
> This came up on BBC Building a Library where the finalists were Uchida, Gulda, Lewis and Schnabel. Not satisfied with any of these, I started looking for other good versions and liked Solomon and Lisitsa from what I heard so far.
>
> So, usual question - which are your favourite versions of this?

(Recent Y. upload):

Dave's Faves No. 106 (Beethoven)

Dan Koren

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Jul 5, 2022, 3:24:06 AM7/5/22

to

On Saturday, November 7, 2020 at 3:04:38 AM UTC-8, Andy Evans wrote:
>
> So, usual question - which are
> your favourite versions of this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3xTaoAyf_A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8usO-0vwhwk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pwwslFLkK0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLUGF9215aY

dk

gggg gggg

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Jul 5, 2022, 3:39:57 AM7/5/22

to

On Saturday, November 7, 2020 at 3:04:38 AM UTC-8, Andy Evans wrote:

> This came up on BBC Building a Library where the finalists were Uchida, Gulda, Lewis and Schnabel. Not satisfied with any of these, I started looking for other good versions and liked Solomon and Lisitsa from what I heard so far.
>

> So, usual question - which are your favourite versions of this?

https://www.classical-music.com/features/recordings/best-recordings-beethovens-hammerklavier-sonata/

Dan Koren

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Jul 5, 2022, 3:51:37 AM7/5/22

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On Tuesday, July 5, 2022 at 12:39:57 AM UTC-7, gggg gggg wrote:
>
> https://www.classical-music.com/features/recordings/best-recordings-beethovens-hammerklavier-sonata/

Do you ever have opinions of your own ?!?

dk

Lawrence Kart

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Jul 5, 2022, 11:29:48 AM7/5/22

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Del Pueyo

Dan Koren

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Jul 6, 2022, 5:43:36 AM7/6/22

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> Del Pueyo

Ridiculous!

dk