Beethoven
Beethoven: Cello Sonatas 2 & 3 (Forgotten Records)
(Déjà Review) Fresh and full of life, and will leave you wishing there was more [GA]
Imogen Cooper (piano) Schubert & Beethoven (Nimbus Records)
Satisfying performances from a great pianist at the start of her career [WH]
Beethoven: Complete Symphonies (Arts)
Warm, lyrical, natural playing, slightly soft-edged in manner and acoustic but so very musical [RMo]
Karol Szreter (piano): Parlophon and Odeon Recordings 1923-1931 (APR)
Valuable recordings of a pianist who died too young [RCh]
Arnold Rosé (violin): Concerto and Solo Recordings (Biddulph)
The brio and panache, and occasional limitations, of a great violinist (and Mahler’s brother-in-law) [JW]
Victor de Sabata: New York Broadcasts 1951 (Pristine Audio)
A rare souvenir of a hugely under-recorded conductor in the company of two legendary artists, rendered into acceptable sound [RMo]
Beethoven Extended: Symphonies 5 & 7 (Harmonia Mundi)
An experiment in performing these great works which doesn’t produce obvious benefits [DJB]
Shura Cherkassky (piano) Rediscovered Recordings Vol. 3 (Nimbus)
Cherkassky in fine form in rediscovered recordings, including valuable additions to his discography [RCh]
Beethoven: Symphonies 5, 6 & 7 (Harmonia Mundi)
Some good things here but a Pastoral I wish I’d not heard [DJB]
Victor Schiøler (piano) The Great Danish Pianist Vol 8
An apt final volume saluting the admirable pianist Victor Schiøler [JW]
Beethoven: Symphony 5 & Strauss: Ein Heldenleben (BR Klassik)
First releases of the second of only two appearances by Ozawa with the BRSO in satisfying, if unremarkable, performances [RMo]
Malin Byström (soprano): German Opera Scenes and Arias (BIS)
Byström is an estimable artist but voices are a very personal thing – hers is not for me [ST]
Beethoven: Fidelio (Profil)
Defying its sixty-six years the sound quality of Keilberth’s Fidelio is certainly remarkable for its age [MC]
Beethoven: Diabelli Variations (Harmonia Mundi)
(Déjà Review) Further enhances Paul Lewis’s reputation as a leading Beethoven interpreter [JQ]
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas 3 and 9 (Signum Classics)
(Déjà Review) This stunning Onyx release can compete with the very best [MC]
Beethoven: Fidelio (Decca)
(Déjà Review) This Fidelio will surely be one of the most important releases of 2011 [JQ]
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas No 8, 17 & 23 (Warner Classics)
(Déjà Review) Outstanding performances of three favourite minor-key Beethoven sonatas [WH]
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas 30, 31 and 32 (Decca)
Mitsuko Uchida revisits late Beethoven to wonderful effect. [DHa]
Stokowski: Transcriptions (Warner Classics)
Wonderfully rich, inventive and atmospheric transcriptions by the greatest showman in classical music [RMo]
Willem van Otterloo (conductor): The Original Recordings 1951-1966 (Challenge Classics)
(Déjà Review) Extraordinarily fine performances of a range of music [CH]
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas 21, 17 & 31 (Delphian)
(Déjà Review) A huge surprise — superb Beethoven in the romantic mode, with great color and poetry [BR]
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1-9 (Warner Classics)
Marvellous transfers of these vintage recordings [DF]
Beethoven: Variations for piano (Harmonia Mundi)
The thoughtful completion of Cédric Tiberghien’s Beethoven Variations project [DHa]
Beethoven: Late Piano Sonatas (BIS)
Enthralling late Beethoven from Paul Wee [DHa]
