3 ms·
One of my favorite recordings, period, is the Charles Rosen treatments of Beethoven's late piano sonatas -- two of these pieces are mentioned in the article. I
by mturmon 7y ago
One of my favorite recordings, period, is the Charles Rosen treatments of Beethoven's late piano sonatas -- two of these pieces are mentioned in the article.
I'm not a musician, so I don't grasp it at the level of the author, but wow. They are dreamy, sublime, mesmerizing. I've been listening to them for 15 years and they are still a favorite. (Review: https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/beethoven-late-piano-sonatas https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/beethoven-late-piano-son...)
- yomly 7y agoDidn't know Rosen made recordings - only knew him for "The Classical Style". Thank you for this tip!!
- mturmon 7y agoHe also taught French at MIT, and wrote a series of essays for NYRoB (https://www.nybooks.com/contributors/charles-rosen/ https://www.nybooks.com/contributors/charles-rosen/). I met him through the essays.
- olau 7y agoThanks, sounds great. I like Alfred Brendel's rendering too.
- cannam 7y agoRosen's short book "Piano Notes", about the "job" of being a concert pianist, is a terrific read. If I remember aright, it's this book that describes the nerves of the performer preparing to hit the fortissimo opening interval of the Hammerklavier sonata, knowing that half the audience is secretly hoping they'll miss.