GG: Beethoven piano concertos and sonatas

["Baldwin, Daniel" <baldwin@baermarks.com>]

Does anyone have a strong opinion (positive or negative) about the complete
set of Beethoven piano concertos in the SONY GG edition? I remember reading
in American Record Guide that the 4th (with Bernstein) and 5th (with
Stokowski) ctos are"special," but that the sound quality on nos. 1-3 is
inferior. I'm thinking of buying the set, but it's a bit pricey (approx.
$45), so I  want to make an informed decision.

 I said in a posting a few days ago that GG's recordings of the Beethoven
Op. 31 sonatas were "unlistenable." However, I went back and listened to
them, and nos. 1 and 3 sounded much better than I remembered (somewhat
eccentric, but highly energetic, vigorous and witty; I heard the spirit of
Mozartian comic opera in no. 3). As usual, the playing reveals aspects of
the music that aren't apparent from the perfs of other pianists. No. 2
(Tempest) is weird -- the three movements were recorded over a span of 11
yrs (1st mvt '60, 2nd '67 and 3rd ''71). My opinion on Appassionata (sp?) is
unchanged -- GG hated this piece, and the performance is an all-out assault.

In general, I find GG's Beethoven sonata perfs fascinating -- overall, they
are more idiomatic and not as willfully contrarian as his Mozart perfs. What
do you  think?

Daniel Baldwin
BAER MARKS & UPHAM LLP
805 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Tel: (212) 702-5700
Fax: (212) 702-5941
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