Very close to the top
01/20/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The sonata #32 is the one to look for in this recording. Decent sound and one of the best interpretations. I have many versions of this sonata, and for me it deserves to be among the top ones, being IMHO Michelangeli the best one, with a really amazing real-jazz adagio, and with Richter following him pretty close. Pollini (too cold for my taste), Arrau (too slow, unfortunately losing the whole picture), Gould (too inmature, he stays on the surface), Schnabel (too delicate, this is not Schubert!), Rosen (too standard, almost impersonal), among others, are good, don't get me wrong, but they can't compete with the other three. If you had to chose one version, go for Michelangeli. For those trying to get deeper into this sonata, Solomon should be part of your CD collection. A powerful, clear and mature interpretation that will bring you new insights to this truly amazing work."