Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Andrea Lucchesini :: Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas [Box Set]

An enchanting Beethoven cycle!

Richard Steiger | Murray, KY USA | 04/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As it happens, I was listening to the complete Beethoven piano sonata cycles by Frank (Music & Arts) and Gulda (Brilliant) just before buying this set. You might describe Lucchesini as the "anti-Gulda." Whereas Gulda chooses fast tempi (sometimes, as in the slow movement of the Hammerklaver, ludicrously fast) and plays with extraodinary rigor, which works wonders in the early sonatas (the Pathetique, for example) but seems irritatingly inflexible as the cycle proceeds (as if he is deconstructing the music), Lucchesini is all warmth and romantic ardor. Frank's set is wonderful throughout (like Schnabel without the wrong notes, rushed passage work and ancient sound), but he is decidedly a "black-and white" player, while Lucchesini's performanes are in glorious technicolor. Comparisons aside, the thing I love most about Lucchesini's performances is that he sounds as if he's never heard of "Beethoven." He is simply playing magnifent music, relishing every moment of it. This is hardly "traditional" Beethoven playing. Lucchesini plays with more rubato than we're used to and even uses the middle pedal at times (as in the slow movement of op 10/3). But what warmth, sweep, and humor he finds in the music! His left hand is particularly compelling throught, revealing lines I'd never heard before. (I have a sneaking suspicion he's left-handed. Anyone out there know?). The sound varies somewhat throught the set, which was recorded in live recitals over two years, and some will find it rather reverberant. But the ear adjusts very quickly and one can appreciate the wide range of colors Lucchesini employs. Simply as piano playing, these performances are on the highest level. You can hear a little audience noise at times (a small amount of applause is included at the end of each sonata), but the audience is very distant from the microphones (the piano quite close). Every now and then there's a little bumping from the pedal. But overall the sound is extremely beautiful. I could go on and on about individual excellent performances (and about the very few duds), but I would just say this is the most purely ENJOYABLE set of the sonatas I've ever heard. I'd heard of Lucchesini before, but this is the first time I've heard his playing. He is obviously one of the greatest pianists in the world. I urge all Beethoven lovers to buy this marvellous set. Now if only we could get a Brahms set from Lucchesini."

Beethoven Played Beautifully

Barry Fulton | Austin, TX | 05/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have owned this set for two years, and rare is the day that I don't have one of its discs in my cd player. I have thought of writing a review for sometime now, but the truth is, there is nothing I would add to Mr. Steiger's. I can't imagine there is a better set of the sonatas available at such a reasonable price. For Mr. Lucchesini, every note becomes a gem, but his playing is never "notey." The arc of his phrases, the colors in his tonal palette, the contrast in dynamics, and the communication of the character of each movement make listening to his interpretations a transcendental experience.



Lucchesini is much better known in Europe than in the United States, but he has played here a number of times receiving glowing reviews from the New York Times and other publications. I first heard him play to a packed house in Munich in the mid-eighties when he was only twenty. The profound effect of that performance has stayed with me since. He played the Chopin Preludes which he recorded around the same time--a remarkable recording that, unfortunately, is no longer available.



I would encourage anyone interested in the sonatas to add this set to your collection. It would also make a wonderful gift for a young pianist who is just beginning to explore the richness of these compositions. My fear is that this set may not be available much longer, so I would not wait to pick it up.



Richard--Lucchesini writes with his right hand, but when he plays he seems to be truly ambidextrous, one of the reasons he plays with such beauty and clarity. I've had the opportunity to observe him teach young artists--one of whom was working on Op. 109--and he teaches as beautifully as he plays."