It's been said that J.S. Bach wrote the "Old Testament" with the Well-Tempered Clavier, and Beethoven wrote the "New Testament" with his 32 Piano Sonatas. If you listen to Beethoven's first sonata, Op. 2.1 (1795) and then to his last sonata, Op. 111 (1822), it's pretty clear that music has travelled from an era of aristocratic delicacy and wit to a modern age of comedy, tragedy, triumph and tranquillity. This volcanic evolution of musical conception (not to mention evolution of the piano itself) is one of the reasons why it is difficult to chose a “greatest” interpretation. However I’ll list a few that have stood the test of time on my iPod…
Friedrich Gulda has recorded the 32 sonatas three times, the last of which (1967) on the Amadeo label is my favorite. Gulda plays with incredible fleetness, so much so that his scalar runs sound almost unearthly. His tempos are easily among (if not) the fastest of all interpreters, yet I never get the feeling that he is rushing or skimming over the music. For sheer wind-in-your-face brio this is my favorite set. He went on to have a (temporary) jazz career, so maybe that can give you an idea of his intentions....
Gulda/Beethoven on Youtube
Eric Heidsieck is not nearly as well known as he should be. I have no idea why he never got a disc in the Philips “Great Pianists of the 20th Century” set. Nonetheless, his Beethoven is fresh and inventive. I suppose some would say
too inventive, since he tends to use quite a lot of rubato (in the true sense of the word: stealing time, not slowing it) and his fermatas seem to have an extra glow around them. Nonetheless every note sounds well thought out and played with conviction. Exciting and unpredictable without being show-offy.
Heidsieck / Beethoven on Youtube
Annie Fischer’s Beethoven cycle was not released in her lifetime. She was never satisfied with her studio recordings, and spent years doing retakes, sometimes section by section. Yet the posthumous release of her studio Beethoven cycle is the most organic of all, in my opinion. Her dynamics are just right, sforzandi are never taken for granted, yet they never sound bangy. Her tempos are not the fastest, but the notes still sparkle. It’s been said that in live performance she might have missed a note here or there, but the soulfulness of her playing completely sweeps away any technical smudges. My over-all favorite set.
Fischer/Beethoven on Youtube
Sviatoslav Richter is my favorite pianist (this month!) but unfortunately he did not perform or record all 32 of Beethoven’s sonatas. However of the ones he did perform (about 22) each one is highly personalized and some seem almost too intense for even a modern piano to bear. Additionally his interpretations evolved over his 60 year playing career. His adagios make time stand still. My only issue with his Beethoven is that sometimes I think I hear too much “Slava”, and not enough “Louis”, but if you like Richter then it’s quite a win-win.
Richter/Beethoven on Youtube
Bruno-Leonardo Gelber is another pianist who is strangely missing from the Philips set. His Beethoven set is somewhere between Gulda and Richter - very dynamic, highly skilled interpretations. His accelerandos are galvanizing.
Gelber/Beethoven on Youtube
Finally I have to mention Paul Badura-Skoda’s set (Astrée) on 7 different fortepianos, each one contemporary to the sonata being performed. These are pianos which Beethoven himself might have performed and written these pieces with. His performances are lively and yet respectful. I think the early sonatas are more lively and the later sonatas more respectful (which I think works very well). A must-have if you can find it. There are other more current period cycles out there, but Mr. Badura-Skoda’s set sounds the most like I have travelled back in time to Beethoven's flat.
Badura-Skoda/Beethoven on Youtube
There are many more great cycles I haven't mentioned, including the great historical recordings of Artur Schnabel, the first person to record all 32 sonatas, but...here's plenty more opinions below...
Beethoven Piano Sonatas:
An Overview of Selected Recordings (Ron Drummond, 1996)
A Collection of review threads written by "Todd A" on the Naim Audio Forum:
Anderszewski, Angelich, Ashkenazy, Backhaus, Badura-Skoda, Barenboim (EMI), DVD, Biss, Brautigam, Brendel, Ciani, Freire, Gulda, vol 2, Joyce Hatto (or rather John O'Conor, whose recordings they stole and altered), Heidsieck, Hewitt, vol 2, Kodama, Kovacevich, Kuerti, vol 2, Paul Lewis, Vol. 2, Lipkin, Lucchesini, Nakamichi, vol 2, Nat, O'Conor, Øland, Kun-Woo Paik, vol 2, Perl, Pludermacher, Riefling, Schiff, vol 2, vol 3, Sheppard, Sherman, Silverman, Uchida and Yokoyama).
