11 January 2009

Grigori Sokolov - Beethoven piano sonatas nos. 11 & 32

Yesterday RAI3 broadcast part of a concert that Grigori Sokolov gave in Rome in March 2004. It is so exceptional that I thought I would post it here, even if it is a bit different from the usual fare. Sonata no. 11 is read as if it is a Tolstoy novel - uniquely observed epsiodes held together by an inexorable narrative thread. The reading of no. 32 is extraordinary; never have I heard the Maestoso played with more bite and venom, and never have I heard it contrasted in the later movements with more aching pathos.
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18 comments:

  1. Tantris11 January 2009 at 19:26:00 CET

    FLAC

    http://rapidshare.com/files/182158173/Sokolov_LvB_1.zip
    http://rapidshare.com/files/182164168/Sokolov_LvB_2.zip

    Enjoy!

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  2. Anonymous12 January 2009 at 04:12:00 CET

    you are a god - 32 is my favorite!

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  3. Anonymous12 January 2009 at 04:16:00 CET

    by the way, have you heard michelangeli's version of sonata 32 from london, 1990? it's extremely good - posted now at An Die Musik.

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  4. Tantris12 January 2009 at 14:47:00 CET

    I am interested in all things to do with Michelangeli - do you have a link to 'An Die Musik'?

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  5. Anonymous12 January 2009 at 18:01:00 CET

    I think you're really going to like this.

    http://erlenlieder.blogspot.com/2008/12/beethoven-piano-sonata-op-111-chopin.html

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  6. Tantris12 January 2009 at 20:22:00 CET

    Thanks - that is indeed a great reading, with that sense of languidness yet total control that Michelangeli had.

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  7. serviceton14 January 2009 at 03:43:00 CET

    Tantris this is astonishingly good. This would be the best version of No. 11 I've heard I think. Utterly compelling playing! The slow movement (of 11) was (for me) my only caveat - it didn't 'convince' in the way that the surrounding movements do: - blowing the dust off an old Kempff platter, and cuing up the Adagio, I was transported back to the quiet poetry of "how i think it goes" (!!) But even there, having heard how Sokolov opens the Arietta of 32, with a similar 'approach', I'm going back to re-listen to No 11 again.! Unlike Op111, No 11 is not really a poster-boy for the LVB piano sonatas - it's wonderful to hear a reading that just infuses it with such life, passion and meaning.
    You're totally right about the Maestoso of No 32 - quite extraordinary!! Whadda way to open! The whole reading (32) is a fantastic living, breathing thing.
    For me, one the most refreshing things about Sokolov's playing is his lack of that 'gestural self-awareness', that inhibits (or inhabits!) so may maestros of the 88. He's not hung up on the gestures of pianism, nor the hide-bound sanctity of these sacrosanct monoliths that he's called to approach (ie The Beethoven Sonatas - *especially* the last one..).

    The piano is kind of klanky isn't it? At first I thought he was on one of those old-fangled forte pianos, or a DX7 with the 'Grand Piano' patch, but I think it's just in the way it was recorded (I'm guessing your FLACs sound like what came out your radio).
    The audience are mostly pretty well behaved cough&grunt - wise. How they can resist applauding wildly between some of the movement breaks just escapes me..
    Jimmy Yancey fans will be disappointed to hear that Mr Sokolov doesn't really 'boogie it up' in the 2nd movement of No 32. But his trill-work is pretty good at the end there.....

    thanks Tantris - Appreciated!

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  8. Tantris16 January 2009 at 17:05:00 CET

    Hi serviceton - good to hear you enjoyed this!

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  9. Anonymous6 May 2009 at 09:29:00 CEST

    Thank you for posting this, unfortunately the links are dead. Could you please repost it? Many thanks in advance!!

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  10. Anonymous4 June 2009 at 03:20:00 CEST

    Pls Pls repost thanks

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  11. Mudsharkbytes11 June 2009 at 16:42:00 CEST

    Let me add my request to please repost this to the growing list!

    ReplyDelete
  12. serviceton12 June 2009 at 00:24:00 CEST

    As the individual who was not the poster, but did all the raving above in comments, I'll put these back up for you no problem. Give me a few hours to zip and upload.

    ReplyDelete
  13. serviceton12 June 2009 at 05:12:00 CEST

    Here you go then - Tantris' original "made on a Mac" zip packages.
    Perfectly playable on any PC I hasten to add.
    These are FLACs. I hope someone else enjoys these performances too.

    http://rapidshare.com/files/243549497/Sokolov_LvB_1.zip
    http://rapidshare.com/files/243580914/Sokolov_LvB_2.zip

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  14. Ernst Grgo Nebhuth19 February 2011 at 02:39:00 CET

    I'm a bit late, but thanks to Tantris and Serviceton.
    I've grown up with Beethoven and Bach - haven't heard any Beethoven for at least ten years...
    This is catapulting me into my teen age - being 'bout twelve years old and listening to Beethoven's music.

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  15. jamespantsbiggestfan24 May 2016 at 12:09:00 CEST

    This sounds intriguing - any chance of a reup?

    Many thanks

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  16. Tantris24 May 2016 at 21:24:00 CEST

    That's a good excuse to listen to this again :)

    Sokolov1
    Sokolov2
    Sokolov3

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  17. Farmer Allan11 August 2018 at 03:44:00 CEST

    my turn to ask for a re-up

    Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Farmer Allan11 August 2018 at 03:45:00 CEST

    Now I must ask for a re-up.

    Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete