Album

A student of the great Wilhelm Kempff, pianist Gerhard Oppitz shares many of his mentor's positive attributes in his performance of these three Beethoven sonatas. Like Kempff, Oppitz shows a great deal of restraint in choosing the tempo for any given movement. The opening of the "Waldstein" Sonata, for example, is wonderfully dignified and does not fall into the all-too-frequent trap of beginning quickly. The Adagio movement of Opus 22 is equally staid and noble without ever losing momentum. Oppitz also shares Kempff's proclivity for intense and exciting dynamic variation. What this recording does not share with the archetypal Kempff recording is sound quality. Oppitz himself has recorded on several other labels, including RCA and Deutsche Grammophon, which have yielded far superior sound quality. Hänssler Classic's recorded sound does Oppitz few favors. There is an overabundance of reverb, and with sonatas with very busy inner voices like "Waldstein" and "Appassionata," everything becomes quite blurry. Articulation is similarly lost even in the simplest of passages with individual notes lacking in crisp definition. Regrettably, these issues of sound quality are enough to make this particular recording a less-than-ideal choice.

© Mike D. Brownell, All Music Guide

CD 1
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.11 in Bb, Op.22 Work 26:03 Gerhard Oppitz Piano
1	1.Allegro con brio	7:24			$1.49
2	2.Adagio con molto espressione	8:32			$1.49
3	3.Menuetto: Minore	3:34			$0.99
4	4.Rondo: Allegretto	6:33			$0.99
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.21 in C, Op.53 ('Waldstein') Work 24:43 Gerhard Oppitz Piano
5	1.Allegro con brio	10:56			$1.99
6	2.Introduzione: Molto adagio	3:55			$0.99
7	3.Rondo: Allegro moderato	9:52			$1.49
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.23 in F-, Op.57 ('Appassionata') Work 24:57 Gerhard Oppitz Piano
8	1.Allegro assai	10:07			$1.99
9	2.Andante con moto (attaca)	6:46			$0.99
10	3a.Allegro ma non troppo	7:11			$1.49
11	3b.Presto	0:53			$0.99