Sonatas on disc
Five more cycles to explore
Artur Schnabel
Warner Classics 9029597505
Recorded between 1932 and ’38, this first ever recording of the complete sonatas has remained a classic account.
Wilhelm Kempff
DG 477 7958
The German pianist recorded the cycle several times; DG’S remastered stereo version was released in 2008 Friedrich Gulda
Orfeo C808109L
The Austrian pianist made three recordings of Beethoven’s sonatas. This is the first, recorded for Austrian Radio.
Ronald Brautigam
BIS BIS2000
Swedish keyboardist Ronald Brautigam’s fortepiano recordings of the Beethoven sonatas for BIS made between 2004 and ’10 are now gathered together in one box. Brautigam plays on Paul Mcnulty’s replicas of original instruments dating from 1788-1819.
Stephen Kovacevich Warner 9029586922 Kovacevich gets to the heart of the sonatas with playing that teeters on the edge of sanity, roars with ferocious power and frequently moves the listener to tears. Arguably the finest to date.