Album

This is Wilhelm Kempff's mid-'60s recording of Beethoven's complete piano sonatas and not his early '50s recording. One might argue that Kempff's first set was fresher and more virtuosic, that his '50s recordings of the supremely difficult "Appassionata" and "Hammerklavier" were more successful and that the '50s recordings of the early E flat and D major sonatas were more brilliant and exciting. But one could also argue that Kempff's second set was deeper and more profound and that his '60s recordings of the "Waldstein, the "Les Adieux," and the Sonata in E minor were more sublime and more consoling. But whichever set one ultimately prefers, no one would argue that Kempff's Beethoven is not the greatest—the most intellectual, the most emotional, the most spiritual—after Schnabel. Kempff's Beethoven has a nobility, a strength, a soulfulness that most later interpreters miss not matter how astounding their technique. In the slighter works like the two-movement F major and F sharp major sonatas, Kempff strikes the ideal balance between agility and depth. In the lighter sonatas like the last of the Op. 31 set or the two Op. 49 sonatas, Kempff finds depths that others miss, but never overloads the sonatas with too much interpretation. In the popular sonatas like the "Pathétique" and the "Moonlight," Kempff never condescends to the works, but treats them with respect and plays them with dignity. Only in the late sonatas does Kempff falter: as insightful as his performances are, Kempff's performances do not quite touch the infinite. On balance, this is arguably the greatest set of the Beethoven sonatas since Schnabel's.

© James Leonard, Rovi

CD 1 of 8
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.1 in F-, Op.2, No.1 Work Recorded 1964 19:18 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
1	1.Allegro	6:36			$0.99
2	2.Adagio	4:42			$0.99
3	3.Menuetto: Allegro	3:01			$0.99
4	4.Prestissimo	4:59			$0.99
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.2 in A, Op.2, No.2 Work Recorded 1964 23:43 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
5	1.Allegro vivace	7:12			$1.49
6	2.Largo appassionato	6:40			$0.99
7	3.Scherzo: Allegretto	3:24			$0.99
8	4.Rondo: Grazioso	6:27			$0.99
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.4 in Eb ('Grand Sonata'), Op.7 Work Recorded 1964 29:44 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
9	1.Allegro molto e con brio	9:04			$1.49
10	2.Largo con gran espressione	8:10			$1.49
11	3.Allegro	5:18			$0.99
12	4.Rondo: Poco allegretto e grazioso	7:12			$1.49
CD 2 of 8
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.3 in C, Op.2, No.3 Work Recorded 1964 25:34 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
1	1.Allegro con brio	9:53			$1.49
2	2.Adagio	7:03			$1.49
3	3.Scherzo: Allegro	3:20			$0.99
4	4.Finale: Allegro assai	5:18			$0.99
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.5 in C-, Op.10, No.1 Work Recorded 1964 17:52 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
5	1.Allegro molto e con brio	6:17			$0.99
6	2.Adagio molto	7:27			$1.49
7	3.Finale: Prestissimo	4:08			$0.99
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.6 in F, Op.10, No.2 Work Recorded 1964 12:01 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
8	1.Allegro	4:28			$0.99
9	2.Allegretto	3:32			$0.99
10	3.Presto	4:01			$0.99
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.7 in D, Op.10, No.3 Work Recorded 1964 22:34 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
11	1.Presto	7:06			$1.49
12	2.Largo e mesto	8:47			$1.49
13	3.Menuetto: Allegro	2:46			$0.99
14	4.Rondo: Allegro	3:55			$0.99
CD 3 of 8
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.8 in C-, Op.13 ('Pathétique') Work Recorded 1965 16:46 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
1	1.Grave. Allegro di molto e con brio	7:20			$1.49
2	2.Adagio cantabile	4:55			$0.99
3	3.Rondo: Allegro	4:31			$0.99
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.9 in E, Op.14, No.1 Work Recorded 1964 12:33 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
4	1.Allegro	5:12			$0.99
5	2.Allegretto	3:33			$0.99
6	3.Rondo: Allegro comodo	3:48			$0.99
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.10 in G, Op.14, No.2 Work Recorded 1964 14:42 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
7	1.Allegro	5:54			$0.99
8	2.Andante	5:19			$0.99
9	3.Scherzo: Allegro assai	3:29			$0.99
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.11 in Bb, Op.22 Work Recorded 1965 23:57 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
10	1.Allegro con brio	7:27			$1.49
11	2.Adagio con molto espressione	7:07			$1.49
12	3.Menuetto: Minore	3:02			$0.99
13	4.Rondo: Allegretto	6:21			$0.99
CD 4 of 8
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.12 in Ab, Op.26 ('Funeral March') Work Recorded 1964 19:10 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
1	1.Andante con variazioni	7:19			$1.49
2	2.Scherzo and Trio: Allegro molto	3:02			$0.99
3	3.Marcia funebre sulla morte d'un eroe	5:35			$0.99
4	4.Rondo: Allegro	3:14			$0.99
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.13 in Eb, Op.27, No.1 ('Quasi una fantasia') Work Recorded 1965 14:29 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
5	1.Andante. Allegro	4:14			$0.99
6	2.Allegro molto e vivace	2:12			$0.99
7	3.Adagio con espressione	2:33			$0.99
8	4.Allegro vivace	5:30			$0.99
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.14 in C#-, Op.27, No.2 ('Moonlight') Work Recorded 1965 13:48 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
9	1.Adagio sostenuto	6:00			$0.99
10	2.Allegretto	2:19			$0.99
11	3.Presto agitato	5:29			$0.99
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.15 in D, Op.28 ('Pastoral') Work Recorded 1965 20:52 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
12	1.Allegro	7:12			$1.49
13	2.Andante	6:20			$0.99
14	3.Scherzo: Allegro vivace	2:17			$0.99
15	4.Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo	5:03			$0.99
CD 5 of 8
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.16 in G, Op.31, No.1 Work Recorded 1964 22:57 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
1	1.Allegro vivace	6:27			$0.99
2	2.Adagio grazioso	9:57			$1.49
3	3.Rondo: Allegretto	6:33			$0.99
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.17 in D-, Op.31, No.2 ('Tempest') Work Recorded 1964 22:31 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
4	1.Largo. Allegro	8:22			$1.49
5	2.Adagio	7:07			$1.49
6	3.Allegretto	7:02			$1.49
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.18 in Eb, Op.31, No.3 ('The Hunt') Work Recorded 1964 22:59 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
7	1.Allegro	8:30			$1.49
8	2.Scherzo: Allegro vivace	5:22			$0.99
9	3.Menuetto: Moderato e grazioso	4:16			$0.99
10	4.Presto con fuoco	4:51			$0.99
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.19 in G-, Op.49, No.1 Work Recorded 1965 7:55 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
11	1.Andante	4:05			$0.99
12	2.Rondo: Allegro	3:50			$0.99
CD 6 of 8
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.20 in G, Op.49, No.2 Work Recorded 1964 8:18 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
1	1.Allegro ma non troppo	4:32			$0.99
2	2.Tempo di menuetto	3:46			$0.99
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.21 in C, Op.53 ('Waldstein') Work Recorded 1964 23:47 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
3	1.Allegro con brio	10:55			$1.99
4	2.Introduzione: Molto adagio	3:05			$0.99
5	3.Rondo: Allegro moderato	9:47			$1.49
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.22 in F, Op.54 Work Recorded 1964 11:59 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
6	1.In tempo d'un menuetto	5:44			$0.99
7	2.Allegretto	6:15			$0.99
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.23 in F-, Op.57 ('Appassionata') Work Recorded 1964 24:41 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
8	1.Allegro assai	9:53			$1.49
9	2.Andante con moto (attaca)	6:01			$0.99
10	3.Allegro ma non troppo	8:47			$1.49
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.24 in F#, Op.78 ('For Therese') Work Recorded 1965 8:05 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
11	1.Adagio cantabile. Allegro ma non troppo	5:05			$0.99
12	2.Allegro vivace	3:00			$0.99
CD 7 of 8
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.25 in G, Op.79 ('Cuckoo') Work Recorded 1964 7:54 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
1	1.Presto alla tedesca	3:12			$0.99
2	2.Andante	2:41			$0.99
3	3.Vivace	2:01			$0.99
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.26 in Eb, Op.81a ('Les Adieux') Work Recorded 1964 14:19 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
4	1.Adagio. Allegro ('Les Adieux')	7:06			$1.49
5	2.Andante espressivo ('L'Absence')	2:57			$0.99
6	3.Vivacissimamente ('Le Retour')	4:16			$0.99
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.27 in E-, Op.90 Work Recorded 1965 14:07 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
7	1.Mit Lebhaftigkeit und durchhaus mit Empfindung und Ausdruck	5:17			$0.99
8	2.Nicht zu geschwind und sehr singbar vorzutragen	8:50			$1.49
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.29 in Bb, Op.106 ('Hammerklavier') Work Recorded 1964 40:11 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
9	1.Allegro	8:51			$1.49
10	2.Scherzo: Assai vivace	2:44			$0.99
11	3.Adagio sostenuto	16:31			$2.99
12	4.Largo. Allegro risoluto	12:05			$1.99
CD 8 of 8
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.28 in A, Op.101 Work Recorded 1964 17:43 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
1	1.Etwas lebhaft und mit der innigsten Empfindung (Allegretto ma non troppo)	3:33			$0.99
2	2.Lebhaft, marschmäßig (Vivace alla marcia)	5:51			$0.99
3	3.Langsam und sehnsuchtsvoll (Adagio ma non troppo, con affetto)	2:32			$0.99
4	4.Geschwind, doch nicht zu sehr, und mit Entschlossenheit (Allegro)	5:47			$0.99
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.30 in E, Op.109 Work Recorded 1964 16:54 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
5	1.Vivace, ma non troppo	3:19			$0.99
6	2.Prestissimo	2:27			$0.99
7	3.Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo (Variations 1-6)	11:08			$1.99
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.31 in Ab, Op.110 Work Recorded 1964 18:20 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
8	1.Moderato cantabile, molto espressivo	6:17			$0.99
9	2.Allegro molto	2:17			$0.99
10	3.Adagio ma non troppo: Arioso dolente	9:46			$1.49
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.32 in C-, Op.111 Work Recorded 1964 24:23 Wilhelm Kempff Piano
11	1.Maestoso: Allegro con brio ed appassionato	8:58			$1.49
12	2.Arietta: Adagio molto semplice e cantabile (Theme and Variations)	15:25			$2.49