Sonatas And Rondos

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Of the sons of J.S. Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel was by far the most interesting composer, as the Sonatas and Rondos played here by Mikhail Pletnev amply demonstrate. Consider Pletnev's exhilarating CD of Scarlatti sonatas: the fact that he played them anachronistically on the piano was in no way allowed to interfere with their intrinsic spirit. Here, he repeats the trick. Employing plenty of pedal and the full dynamic force of a modern concert grand, he somehow creates a quintessentially 18th-century atmosphere. And they're amazing pieces--it's a fair bet that this outstanding disc will help usher them into the mainstream repertoire, where they belong. Bach wrote them for an audience of "connoisseurs and amateurs," but that audience must have been a very superior one. To label this style "pre-classical" is to woefully shortchange it. Each work feels like a musical-intellectual exercise--an experiment, but riveting every step of the way. Here the spirits of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven are boldly prefigured but in a uniquely flamboyant way: dazzling fantasialike sections, delicately spring-heeled scherzi, massively grave adagios--a whole new musical landscape. --Michael Church

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful articulation is her hallmark.......2007-07-09

The collection is spectacular. Larrocha's nimble fingers and clear articulation make it a joy to listen to her interpretations of Mozart. The very familiar "A la turca" is given a lighthearted yet sensitive interpretation that makes it a great listening experience. This is definitely a set to own.

Amazing performances of amazing music!.......2006-09-27

I can't compare this to other Mozart Sonata cycles, but after looking hard at which set to purchase, I bought these and have been extremely pleased. I have not noticed any recording problems with the 2nd and 3rd disks, but I am no expert. I think the whole set sounds wonderful! And you cannot beat the price. I just wish she had a complete cycle of Mozart's Piano Concerti available!

Good Performance, bad recording.......2004-09-14

The performance of Laroccha is exceptional, the trills are fantastic and some of the sonatas are almost perfect. The whole compilation sounds very mozartian and may disturb some people that are used into more sweet and passion performances. However the recording of the 2nd and 3rd CD is terrible, it sounds like there is echo in the recording and it becomes very annoying and fuzzy. The key of a good mozart recording is brightness and music purity, which definately this compilation lacks.
Brendel's mozart sonatas sound better for me, however he has not recorded all of them in a single complilation such as this.

Devoted collection by a mature virtuoso........2004-02-07

Listen to Alicia de Larrocha performing the exposition of the first movement of Mozart's Piano Sonata in Bb major, K. 333--my favorite of the great composer's sonata; the absolute pinnacle of Classical beauty. You will hear a consummate artist devoted to the detail and refinement of this glorious music. Collected here in 5 CDs are the complete Mozart Sonatas and a few minor works to fill out the discs. I don't believe in the concept of a 'definitive' performance or recording-especially for a body of work as extensive and diverse as this, and so would never claim such a title for this or any performance-but de Larrocha's set is definitely worth having. She takes a refined, subtle approach, never exaggerating or turning Mozart into a Romantic, but always emphasizing the Classical sense of balance. Even in as "romantic" a work as the Presto of the Sonata in A minor K. 310, she plays expressively and emotionally, but within a Classical aesthetic, always exercising great control and touch. Dynamics and tempi are varied, certainly, but within a more discrete range than some of our more flamboyant pianists. This, for me, is the charm of de Larrocha's approach-perhaps, for some listeners, its downfall. Here's where the concept of definitive recordings fails completely. Do we try to listen to Mozart in an historical context, as he himself might have heard it, or do we take a Postmodern approach? Having lived after the Romantic period and even the Twentieth Century now, do we perform and prefer Mozart played on an instrument he never knew, allowing innovations of interpretation developed after his death to shape a new vision of his works? Both are possible, and in today's world, where Bond and Maksim pass unremarked as Classical musicians to my great disgust, mass audiences give no favor to historical context. De Larrocha clearly prefers the informed, appropriate approach, although she plays on a modern grand piano, and the music glows under her loving hands. Listen, for example, to the lovely Adagio from K. 280, one of Mozart's earlier sonatas.

Tracks:

Sonata In G Minor, Wq 65/17 (H 47): Allegro - Adagio - Allegro
Sonata In G Minor, Wq 65/17 (H 47): Adagio
Sonata In G Minor, Wq 65/17 (H 47): Allegro Assai
Rondo In A Major, Wq 58/1 (H 276): Rondo In A Major, Wq 58/1
Sonata In C Minor, Wq 65/31 (H 121): Allegro Assai Ma Pomposo
Sonata In C Minor, Wq 65/31 (H 121): [Andantino Patetico]
Sonata In C Minor, Wq 65/31 (H 121): Allegro Scherzando
Sonata In D Major, Wq 61/2 (H 286): Allegro Di Molto
Sonata In D Major, Wq 61/2 (H 286): Allegretto
Sonata In D Major, Wq 61/2 (H 286): Presto Di Molto
Sonata In F Sharp Minor, Wq 61/4 (H 37): Allegro - Adagio - Allegro
Sonata In F Sharp Minor, Wq 61/4 (H 37): Poco Andante
Sonata In F Sharp Minor, Wq 61/4 (H 37): Presto Di Molto
Rondo In D Minor, Wq 61/4 (H 290): Rondo In D Minor, Wq 61/4
Sonata In G Major, Wq 62/19 (H 119): Allegro Assai
Sonata In G Major, Wq 62/19 (H 119): Andante
Sonata In G Major, Wq 62/19 (H 119): Presto
Rondo In C Minor, Wq 59/4 (H 283): Rondo In C Minor, Wq 59/4
Sonata In E Minor, Wq 59/1 (H 281): Presto
Sonata In E Minor, Wq 59/1 (H 281): Adagio
Sonata In E Minor, Wq 59/1 (H 281): Andantino
Sonata In A Major, Wq 65/32 (H 135): Andante Con Tenerezza

Amazon.com

Of the sons of J.S. Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel was by far the most interesting composer, as the Sonatas and Rondos played here by Mikhail Pletnev amply demonstrate. Consider Pletnev's exhilarating CD of Scarlatti sonatas: the fact that he played them anachronistically on the piano was in no way allowed to interfere with their intrinsic spirit. Here, he repeats the trick. Employing plenty of pedal and the full dynamic force of a modern concert grand, he somehow creates a quintessentially 18th-century atmosphere. And they're amazing pieces--it's a fair bet that this outstanding disc will help usher them into the mainstream repertoire, where they belong. Bach wrote them for an audience of "connoisseurs and amateurs," but that audience must have been a very superior one. To label this style "pre-classical" is to woefully shortchange it. Each work feels like a musical-intellectual exercise--an experiment, but riveting every step of the way. Here the spirits of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven are boldly prefigured but in a uniquely flamboyant way: dazzling fantasialike sections, delicately spring-heeled scherzi, massively grave adagios--a whole new musical landscape. --Michael Church

Customer Reviews:

Breathtaking.......2006-04-27

And I don't mean "ugly baby" breathtaking (Seinfeld reference) - I mean literally breathtaking. When I first got this CD I listened to it with headphones, non-stop, start to finish. When the last note had faded I was shaking, there were tears in my eyes, I could not speak. The almost inhuman perfection of Mr. Pletnev's playing of this exceptional and unique music was a wonderful and terrible thing to experience - like looking into the sun. Too perfect, too beautiful. I have never listened to it again - I may never listen to it again. But I will never forget having done so.

Fanciful Music Right Down Pletnev's Alley.......2005-12-27

Mikhail Pletnev can be a maddening pianist in that he can be willful to a fault in some of his performances. For instance, I thought his Schumann disc was simply awful -- I will admit others disagree with that opinion -- although it was obvious he had thought about what he was doing; still it seemed self-indulgent and wayward.

In this collection of C.P.E Bach piano music, though, Pletnev's approach and the music at hand are a perfect match. The younger Bach's music is fanciful, if anything, and it caroms all over the place. That's one of the hallmarks of rococo music and C.P.E. is one of the torch-bearers for that style. The booklet writer talks about the music's 'bizarrerie' and that's a perfect word for it. I suspect this is so in Bach's music because he was trying to forge a new style at least partly in reaction to his father's mathematical precision. This is not 'pre-classical' music in the sense that it presages the style about to come to fruition with Haydn and Mozart. Rather, it is a side-street that probably had more influence on the Romantic period that came after those classical masters. Certainly Bach's tendency was to go where his emotions took him, rather than to force his music into forms that tradition dictated. However that may be, the music is delightful in its own idiosyncratic way and if one simply goes with it, wherever it leads, one is caught up in its emotionality.

Pletnev does this music proud. Indeed, I've not heard anyone approach him in piano music from this period. His virtuosity is breathtaking in the presto movements. There and elsewhere he seems to be innately in tune with the style (although, I imagine this is not so much innate as due to Pletnev's careful analysis of the music he's playing) and I quite enjoy the journey he takes us on.

This CD has brought me a great deal of pleasure over the months that I've owned it. I think it bids fair to do the same for just about anyone who hears it.

Scott Morrison

A curiously different Bach.......2005-12-02

Hearing these compositions by Russian piano-wizard Mikhail Pletnev for the first time might leave you with the thought, "Wow, that was pretty different." And indeed these somewhat unpredictable sonatas are curiously different - as is Mr. Pletnev's approach to them. Certainly CPE Bach was the most innovative and daring composer of the Bach dynasty, shunning the "old school" contrapuntal form perfected by his father and plunging into music more singularly melodic and less inhibited in expression and form. Such traits are most abundant in this keyboard music with its extemporaneous style and abundant elements of free-fantasy composition. This combined with Mikhail Pletnev's "plucky" and dynamic style produces music of the "late Baroque" that is most unusual, idiosyncratic and far reaching beyond the typical musical mannerisms of the times. Pianists and serious classical music listners should find this keyboard music most fascinating and deeply rewarding - both from the compositons and Pletnev's trademark quicksilver playing.

Perhaps, for the newer listener or those more acustom to the "more accessible" keyboard music of JS Bach, Handel, Haydn or Mozart - these more idiosyncratic keyboard works by CPE Bach may take more effort to appreciate. While they may not exude many memorable, lyrical melodies and exhibit typical sonata form, there is an abundance of brilliant, breathtaking virtuostic keyboard playing that tantilizes the musical senses. Much of it sounds like it was improvised on spot with what the commentary describes as "fragments of free fantasy in the manner of a collage ... in a harmonic design that is strikingly bold." One thing that stands out in many of the pieces is the frequent and relatively long stretches of silence and the drawing-out of tempos and progression - again the free-fantasy manner. While sometimes certain pieces can seem to plod along, Pletnev's marvelous syncronicity with this music keeps those with ears to hear it highly engaged. And the DG sound quality is superb - clear, bold and without criticism.

These Sonatas/Rondos by CPE Bach will most likely appeal to the true pianophile or "specialist" (as BBC Music concluded) who should find much to celebrate in Pletnev's sheer dynamism and Bach Jr.s far-reaching composing. Much of it is really extrodinary to behold knowing this was the 18th century.

This CD got very positive reviews in the music press, especially for Pletnev's pioneering efforts to bring this music into the modern repertoire. Rightfully so, Penguin Guide gave this CD both a "Rosette Award" and "Recommended Recording" citing. Music-critic David Hurwitz of ClassicsToday gave this release a perfect 10/10 (Artistry/Sound Quality) along with glowing comments for Pletnev's keen ability to bring out the improvisorial spirit with this style of music. Pletnev is brilliant in this music, displaying the same, caffeine-like alertness in his "pizzazy" Scarlatti Sonata recording (a Gramophone Award Winner). One this is for sure: these works reveal just how "far thinking" was the music and style of this particular and different Bach. And Pletnev brings the most out of this music with his uninhibited style and strong improv instincts. Compositions - 4 stars; Performance - 5 stars; Sound - 5 stars; (But that ghastly photo of this marvelous pianist - 0 stars).

Just what century did this composer live in??.......2002-01-20

A thrilling work. These pieces show off the compositional mastery of Emanuel. The Rondo in A major is a clear example that he could write beautiful melodies as well and deserves to be a standard. Pletnev conveys the feeling that Bach would use "old-fashioned" Baroque techniques as just another tool in his compositional toolbox.

For fun, play this album to a music lover and let him/her try to guess the composer. Some pieces sound like they could have been written in the 20th century.

I was surprised to find a passage in one of the later tracks that Emanuel later orchestrated for one of the Hamburg symphonies. (sorry - can't put my finger on it right now).

I agree with the previous review regarding the sound. I thought it was played on an antique piano at first, it sounds so strange.

Fanfare by a thinking man........2002-01-12

History has given various members of the Bach family a true reversal of fortunes.
Whereas the"provicial" Johann Sebastian, affectively known by his sons as the "Old Bach", is by many considered as the greatest of the composers, his "rock star status" sons CPE, JC, and WF currently mostly find ears in authentic circles. The latter deserve much better. It is doubtful whether Mozart would have developed to such artistry without the influence of Johann Christian, and CPE has played a critical role in the preparadigmatic stage between baroque and classical eras. Moreover, no lesser authority than Arnold Schoenberg, in his famous article on Bach, has remarked that the sons all shared the same level of compository gift as their father.

CPE Bach has been a staple of the repertoire of clavichord, harpsichord and fortepiano players. Among others the dutchies van Asperen, Leonhardt and Uittenbosch have recorded may of his works.
When it comes to CPE Bach played on piano, there is not too much around worth mentioning. One notable exception is Gould's rendition of CPE's Wuerttenberg Sonata nr. 1. In addition, I was once at a concert by Malcolm Frager during which he played Wuerttenberg Sonata nr.2, a performance that I enjoyed for many years after taping the radio broadcast of this gig.

It should come as little of a surprise that the interpreters mentioned above have offered a variety of approaches to the diverse works of CPE. Yet, all have them have shared a central characteristic: seeing CPE as the main representative of the early Sturm und Drang, people as diametrically opposed as Gould and Leonhardt have fleshed out the theatrical almost declamatory drama that many of these works exude. While studying the 6 Wuerttenberg Sonatas myself, I always had the feeling like having Olivier or Gielgud in the room with me giving recitations from Shakespeare.

How to play CPE?
Well as a matter of fact he left us with a standard work on keyboard practice: Versuch ueber die wahre Art das Klavier zu spielen (Essay on the correct way of playing the keyboard). While listening to this disc I pulled it off the shelf for some words of wisdom. Citing from chapter 20 titled von den Manieren (about approaches/manners/mannerisms) paragraph 2: however useful the Manieren can be, as great is the damage when either the wrong ones are chosen, or when the right ones are used at the wrong moments or in the wrong context. CPE comments that many German composers gave the players little indication on which Manieren needed to be applied and him self goes into minute detail on both dynamic and rhythmic accentuation. The problem with even this book for a current reader is to determine how much louder/softer faster/slower CPE was actually talking about. Clearly no definitive answers in his Essay either, which is not so bad altogether since I for one think that the terms right and wrong are pretty meaningless when it comes to interpretative art.

So here we have Pletnev presenting us with a very generous 78+ minutes of CPE. Since walking into a recording of JS Bach's 6th Partita in the early eighties I have followed this very talented and virtuoso pianist/conductor through a variety of repertoire. My favorites in his discography are his Scarlatti Sonatas as pianist and Tchaikowsky Symphonies as conductor. Even when I was not overwhelmed by the final result of his interpretations like in his Chopin and Liszt recordings, I did have to admit that he had put a good deal of thought to the respective composers in order to come up with his personal renditions.
Upon announcing this disc on their website, Deutsche Grammophon already stated that this recording would likely stir up a controversy and they may be right. This is CPE Bach that is strikingly different from all the interpretations that I mentioned before. Think getting a frozen Margerita while expecting spiced cider, when making the rounds at Halloween. Listening to it for the first time gave me the same feeling I had in August 1982 when listening to Gould's Haydn double lp. It is so shockingly deviant from the "norm" that you initially don't even know what to think of it. Yet, just like with Glenn's interpretation Pletnev's rendition is the result of a deep examination of the composer, that upon a second listening session changes from shocking to stunning.

For starters the playing is extremely analytical and seems to deliberately shun away from the dramatic to emphasize the virtues of its architecture. It is clear that Mikhail, after finishing CPE's Versuch must have thought: less is more. This analytical approach is very effective in drawing the listener into the works. It is really very interesting to follow Pletnev while examining CPE's process of composition and while exposing the similarities and differences between CPE and his contemporary Haydn. Whereas the latter composer early on already had the 'classical' tendency to move on to the next theme when the old one seemed to be getting a little stale, CPE in Pletnev's hand follows a pathway that is clearly rooted in the education that he received from his father. As a consequence of this very even interpretation that doesn't involve most of the valleys and mountains in tempo and dynamics, that for me have always characterized CPE, you almost feel like being present at the moment of creation of the roots of the classical style. It often feels like Pletnev asks the question- what do you think CPE will do next?- before providing each answer.These answers highlight CPE's great sense of harmonical progression and show that these works are far less improvisatory than other interpreters may have had you believe. This approach does, of course have his down side, from which the slow movements suffer at least a little. In his Versuch CPE points out very clearly that different approaches should be followed in slow versus fast movements. Pletnev approaches them very similarly. As such, the dramatic gestures that many of the slow movements exude gets lost and, while listening to this disc for the first time, most slow movements were not even half way before I already started wondering what would be next.

In all, Pletnev seems to have approached this project as a reexamination of the composer and the birth of the style that we now call classical. Apart from skill, the analyses and performances are all top notch, it takes quite a bit of courage and time to produce a disc like this one. Of course there will be the contingent of Basil Valentines who will state this is all wrong, but please be so wise as to ignore them before making up your own mind.

The recording is good, but again a little strange. The sound is clear, without being bright. There are excellent dynamics and the piano sounds good. The only thing that is oddly missing is a sense of placement of the piano in the soundstage. This gives you the feeling of listening to a performance that got beamed in extremely clearly from a distant galaxy.

Tracks:

Allegro Assai
Largo E Sostenuto
Presto
Allegro
Poco Andante
Allegro Assai
Allegro Assai
Poco Adagio
Allegro
Allegro Di Molto
Allegro
Adagio Assai
Allegro
Allegro Di Molto
Andante
Allegretto
Cantabile In B Minor, From Sonata, Wq.55/3

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant and Unfettered.......2007-01-08

As a Bach-sons devotee I am constantly searching for enlightening performances of their music. CPE, in particular, exhibits many idiosyncratic style features that remind me of JS's dramatic toccatas and JC's singing-allegro melodicism. In my view, Hinterhuber carefully balances the contrasts with moments of intense intimacy. Unlike with so many recordings of 18th-century keyboard music from JS Bach to Mozart, Hinterhuber avoids the uber-elegant gracefulness that often overlooks the early-classic style subtlties and ambiguity. His playing is fully aware of every phrase turn and style juxtaposition. If you have listened to the Bach Partitas or Mozart and Haydn Sonatas ad nauseam for lack of more repertoire, get this disc.

The Enlightenment Bach.......2006-01-28

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was a kind of musical rebel in that he rejected the tenets of his father, old Johann Sebastian, and struck out on his own musically rather wayward-seeming path. Of course, in truth, his way was the newest thing and extremely popular in its day. He even became, at an early age, the court harpsichordist-composer at the court of Frederick the Great, a hotbed of Enlightenment activity. And in his day his music was much more popular than that of his fusty old dad. He was part of that group of composers who broke away from contrapuntal baroque composition and began something called the 'empfindsamer Stil.' That's a term difficult to translate precisely but it means something like 'sensitive, or sentimental, style.' One of this music's characteristics is that it wore its feelings on its sleeve, and was almost manic-depressive in its rapid cycling of moods. What sounded to the ears of the older generation like formless rhapsodizing became the foundation for what later was tamed and formalized in the music of Haydn. But even more, it led the way to the further emotionality of the Romantics like Beethoven, Berlioz, Chopin and Schumann.

On this CD is a representative sampling of the keyboard music written by Carl Bach. One can hear the sudden starts and stops, the surprising harmonies, the awkward-sounding juxtapositions. It is characterized by marvelous melodies, almost no counterpoint, wild dynamic contrasts. We hear four sonatas (in D minor, F sharp minor, A major and C major), two rondos (in D minor and B flat major) and the particularly lovely Cantabile in B minor from the Sonata, Wq.55/3 (H. 245). The pianist is Christopher Hinterhuber, a young Austrian earlier heard to great advantage on excellent CDs of four-hand Schubert piano music (with Rico Gulda, Friedrich's son), and of piano concerti by Ferdinand Ries. His playing here is technically assured and he certainly seems to get into the wild spirit of this music. Unfortunately, to my perhaps tin ear the sound of the recorded piano is a bit thin and almost clangy at times; I had to check the booklet to make sure Hinterhuber wasn't playing on a fortepiano or Hammerflügel. Still, this is a wonderful introduction for anyone who has never been exposed to the quirky music of CPE Bach, and at this price Naxos makes it easy to hear some possibly heretofore unexplored repertoire.

Scott Morrison

Beethoven: The Piano Concertos; 3 Sonatas; 2 Rondos

Average customer rating:

Beethoven: The Piano Concertos; 3 Sonatas; 2 Rondos

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Rondos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Plays Schubert
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1; Piano Sonata No. 3; Rhapsodies, Op. 79; Piano Pieces, Opp. 117-119
Robert Schumann: Radu Lupu - Kinderszenen/Kreisleriana/Humoreske
Grieg, Schumann: Piano Concertos / Radu Lupu, André Previn
Schubert: Impromptus D 899 & D 935 / Radu Lupu

ASIN: B000BVEKJU
Release Date: 2006-01-10

Friedrich Kuhlau: Sonatas, Variations & Rondos, Vol. 1

Average customer rating:

Friedrich Kuhlau: Sonatas, Variations & Rondos, Vol. 1

Manufacturer: Nuova Era
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00025ET50
Release Date: 2004-06-08

Tracks:

Largo
Allegro
Tema E Variazioni
Adagio
Vivacissimo
Adagio
Allegro
Cantabile
Moderato
Tema
Variazione I
Variazione II
Variazione III
Variazione IV
Variazione V
Rondo In A Major Op.97
Rondo In A Major Op.113

Album Description

Despite the loss of one eye at the age of seven, Friedrich Kuhlau (1786-1832) went on to become one of the greatest musicians of his era behind the mighty triumvirate of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven (with whom he got drunk one night). Born in Germany, he became a Danish citizen where he made a living as pianist and eventually composer to the Danish royal court. His piano sonatas and sonatinas are known to every advanced piano student and often rival those of Beethoven.

Mozart: Piano Sonatas; Variations; Rondos

Average customer rating:

Mozart: Piano Sonatas; Variations; Rondos

Manufacturer: Novalis
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Rondos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000OV14LY
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Carl Philipp Emanuel (C.P.E.) Bach - Sonatas, Rondos, Marches, Fantasia

Average customer rating:

Carl Philipp Emanuel (C.P.E.) Bach - Sonatas, Rondos, Marches, Fantasia

Manufacturer: RCA Victor / BMG
ProductGroup: Classical
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000MBW78U

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor"; Rondos; Piano Sonatas Nos. 19 & 20 [Australia]

Average customer rating:

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor"; Rondos; Piano Sonatas Nos. 19 & 20 [Australia]
Mehta , Lupu , and Israel Philharmonic
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
ASIN: B000060MF6
Release Date: 2002-01-17

Tracks: