Johannes Brahms; Franz Schubert; Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Works (Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli)

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Composer: Johannes Brahms; Franz Schubert; Ludwig van Beethoven

1. Brahms - 4 Ballades, Op. 10: No. 1 in D minor
2. Brahms - 4 Ballades, Op. 10: No. 2 in D major
3. Brahms - 4 Ballades, Op. 10: No. 3 in B minor
4. Brahms - 4 Ballades, Op. 10: No. 4 in B major
5. Schubert - Piano Sonata No. 4 in A minor, D. 537: 1. Allegro ma non troppo
6. Schubert - Piano Sonata No. 4 in A minor, D. 537: 2. Allegretto quasi andantino
7. Schubert - Piano Sonata No. 4 in A minor, D. 537: 3. Allegro vivace
8. Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 4 in E flat major, Op. 7: 1. Allegro molto e con brio
9. Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 4 in E flat major, Op. 7: 2. Largo, con gran espressione
10. Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 4 in E flat major, Op. 7: 3. Allegro
11. Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 4 in E flat major, Op. 7: 4. Rondo (Poco allegretto e grazioso)

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, piano
Date: 1971 (8-11), 1981 (1-7)
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en/cat/4577622

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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 7 / SOUND QUALITY: 10

Deutsche Grammophon’s original-image-bit-processing renders this material in more impactive, detailed sound than previous CD issues. Granted, we glean more subtlties of color, touch, and pedaling from this pianist’s prodigious palette, but the sonic revelations do not alter my long-held notions about the performances: positive, negative, or mixed. As I pointed out in my review of the second Michelangeli compilation in Philips’ “Great Pianists” series, Michelangeli’s “mad scientist” approach to Beethoven’s E-flat Sonata Op. 7 probes each phrase with a microscope, dissects it, than pickles it in formaldehyde. By contrast, the pianist projects Brahms’ Op. 10 Ballades at his concentrated best, bringing out their stark, poetic qualities with a brand of pianistic refinement that in this case truly matches what the music is saying. Don’t look for surface charm in Michelangeli’s large-scaled, rather unsmiling Schubert A minor Sonata (D. 537, also known as Op. posth. 164); nevertheless, it’s an astonishing performance in terms of its even fingerwork and frighteningly calibrated voicing. If you’ve wanted these controversial recordings, this is the edition to have.

-- Jed Distler, ClassicsToday

More reviews:
http://www.flyinginkpot.com/2001/02/brahms-4-ballades-schubert-sonata-d537-beethoven-sonata-no-4-op-7-michelangeli-dg-inkpot/
https://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Schubert-Beethoven-Benedetti-Michelangeli/dp/B000031WYN

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Johannes Brahms (7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer and pianist. In his lifetime, Brahms's popularity and influence were considerable. Brahms composed for symphony orchestra, chamber ensembles, piano, organ, and voice and chorus. Many of his works have become staples of the modern concert repertoire. An uncompromising perfectionist, Brahms destroyed some of his works and left others unpublished. Brahms is often considered both a traditionalist and an innovator. His music is firmly rooted in the structures and compositional techniques of the Classical masters, with a highly romantic nature embedded within.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Brahms

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Franz Schubert (31 January 1797 – 19 November 1828) was an Austrian composer who was extremely prolific during his short lifetime. His output consists of over six hundred secular vocal works (mainly Lieder), seven complete symphonies, sacred music, operas, incidental music and a large body of chamber and piano music. Today, Schubert is ranked among the greatest composers of the late Classical era and early Romantic era and is one of the most frequently performed composers of the early nineteenth century. His music is characterized by pleasing tunes while still has "a great wealth of technical finesse".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Schubert

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Ludwig van Beethoven (baptized 17 December 1770 – 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential of all composers. Beethoven is acknowledged as a giant of classical music, and his influence on subsequent generations was profound. His best-known compositions include 9 symphonies, 5 piano concertos, 1 violin concerto, 32 piano sonatas and 16 string quartets. Many of his most admired works come from the last decade of his life, when he was almost completely deaf.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethoven

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Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (5 January 1920 – 12 June 1995) was an Italian classical pianist. He is considered one of the greatest pianists of the twentieth century. Michelangeli reputedly did not enjoy giving concerts. He was a connoisseur of the mechanics of the piano and insisted that his concert instruments be in perfect condition. Owing to his perfectionism, relatively few recordings were officially released during Michelangeli's lifetime, but these are augmented by numerous unauthorized recordings of live performances. As a teacher, his pupils included world-class artists as Maurizio Pollini, Martha Argerich and Ivan Moravec.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arturo_Benedetti_Michelangeli

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