Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Claudio Arrau :: Mozart: Piano Sonatas Nos. 5 & 18; Beethoven: Six Variations Op. 34; Eroica Variations

Dynamic

David Saemann | 07/15/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the Naxos Historical Series CDs that was withdrawn from U.S. stores under threat of copyright litigation. It features 78rpm recordings made in the U.S. by Arrau. The sound is clear enough, better in the Mozart than in the Beethoven. I don't think that much noise reduction was used on these recordings, they still make a certain amount of noise. As for the performances, they are classics. I have never heard anyone play Mozart sonatas better than Arrau. The tempos are always just, and all the textures are clear, even with the old sound engineering. As for the Beethoven, I must confess that my mind wandered during the last time I listened to the Eroica Variations, although I think this was a problem with me rather than with the recording. Arrau is brilliant at elucidating variation form. Nothing is stressed too much, but the thread of the variations is always clear from beginning to end. I am not aware if Arrau rerecorded these works later in his career. Nevertheless, he was in very winning form at the time of these recordings, which are in the top echelon of all time great piano records."