Alfred Brendel: The Complete Vox, Turnabout and Vanguard Solo Recordings [35CDs], Part II (2008)

This gargantuan 35-disc set of Alfred Brendel's complete Vox, Turnabout, and Vanguard recordings released in late 2008, concurrent with his retirement from concert life, will be mandatory listening for anyone who reveres the Austrian virtuoso. When these recordings were made between 1955 and 1975, Brendel was at the start of his international career, and his performances here have a fire, energy, and a drama that his later recordings sometimes lack. Brendel devotees, however, may also find his performances lack the intellectual rigor of his middle period recordings and the poetic depths of his later recordings. Compare his demonic account of Mozart's Twentieth Concerto here, for instance, with his more elegant later account. The difference is clear.
Indeed, Brendel recorded the same repertoire over and over again during his career, and more often than not his later recordings have more to offer. The Beethoven piano sonatas issued here, for instance, are the first of three complete sets of those works that Brendel recorded. That doesn't mean this package does not contain excellent performances: Brendel's Liszt sonata is brilliant and his Diabelli Variations are full of character. But it does mean that few of these performances represent definitive Brendel except for the few works he only recorded once. Of those, his accounts of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, Balakirev's Islamey, and especially Stravinsky's Three Movements from Petroushka are absolutely worth hearing. The monaural and stereo sound, though clearly antique, is for the most part clean and acceptable.

–James Leonard

Performer:
Alfred Brendel, piano

Tracklist & Cast:
CD11:
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Piano Sonata No. 28 In A Major Op. 101
01. I. Allegretto Ma Non Troppo
02. II. Vivace Alla Marcia
03. III. Adagio Ma Non Troppo Con Affetto - Presto
Piano Sonata No. 30 In E Major Op. 109
04. I. Vivace Ma Non Troppo - Adagio Espressivo
05. II. Prestissimo
06. III. Tema Con Variazioni
Piano Sonata No. 31 In A Flat Major Op. 110
07. I. Moderato Cantabile, Molto Espressivo
08. II. Allegro Molto - III. Adagio Ma Non Troppo
09. Fuga. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Piano Sonata No. 27 In E Minor Op. 90
10. I. Mit Lebhaftigkeit Und Durchaus Mit Empfindung Und Ausdruck
11. II. Nicht Zu Geschwind Und Sehr Singbar Vorzutragen

CD12:
Piano Sonata No. 23 In F Minor Op. 57 'Appassionata'
01. I. Allegro Assai
02. II. Andante Con Moto
03. III. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Piano Sonata No. 22 In F Major Op. 54
04. I. In Tempo D'un Menuetto
05. II. Allegretto
Piano Sonata No. 26 In E Flat Major Op. 81a 'Les Adieux'
06. I. Les Adieux: Adagio - Allegro
07. II. L'absence: Andante Espressivo
08. III. Le Retour: Vivacissimamente
Piano Sonata No. 16 In G Major Op. 31 No. 1
09. I. Allegro Vivace
10. II. Adagio Grazioso
11. III. Rondo: Allegretto

CD13:
Piano Sonata No. 17 In D Minor Op. 31 No. 2 'Tempest'
01. I. Largo - Allegro - Adagio
02. II. Adagio
03. III. Allegretto
Piano Sonata No. 18 In E Flat Major Op. 31 No. 3
04. I. Allegro
05. II. Scherzo: Allegretto Vivace
06. III. Menuetto: Moderato E Grazioso
07. IV. Presto Con Fuoco
Piano Sonata No. 21 In C Major Op. 53 'Waldstein'
08. I. Allegro Con Brio
09. II. Introduzione: Adagio Molto
10. III. Rondo: Allegretto Moderato - Prestissimo
Piano Sonata No. 19 In G Minor Op. 49 No. 1
11. I. Andante
12. II. Rondo: Allegro

CD14:
Piano Sonata No. 1 In F Minor Op. 2 No. 1
01. I. Allegro
02. II. Adagio
03. III. Menuetto: Allegretto - Trio
04. IV. Prestissimo
Piano Sonata No. 25 In G Major Op. 79
05. I. Presto Alla Tedesca
06. II. Andante
07. III. Vivace
Piano Sonata No. 5 In C Minor Op. 10 No. 1
08. I. Allegro Molto E Con Brio
09. II. Adagio Molto 8:37
10. III. Finale: Prestissimo
Piano Sonata No. 6 In F Major Op. 10 No. 2
11. I. Allegro
12. II. Allegretto
13. III. Presto
Piano Sonata No. 9 In E Major Op. 14 No. 1
14. I. Allegro
15. II. Allegretto
16. III. Rondo: Allegro Comodo

CD15:
Piano Sonata No. 10 In G Major Op. 14 No. 2
01. I. Allegro
02. II. Andante
03. III. Scherzo: Allegro Assai
Piano Sonata No. 13 In E Flat Major Op. 27 No. 1
04. I. Andante - Allegro - Andante
05. II. Allegro Molto E Vivace
06. III. Adagio Con Espressione
07. IV. Finale: Allegro Vivace
Piano Sonata No. 14 In C Sharp Minor Op. 27 No. 2 'Moonlight'
08. I. Adagio Sostenuto
09. II. Allegretto
10. III. Presto Agitato
Piano Sonata No. 15 In D Major Op. 28 'Pastoral'
11. I. Allegro
12. II. Andante
13. III. Scherzo: Allegro Vivace - Trio IV. Rondo: Allegro Ma Non Troppo

CD16:
Piano Sonata No. 7 In D Major Op. 10 No. 3
01. I. Presto
02. II. Largo E Mesto
03. III. Menuetto: Allegro
04. IV. Rondo: Allegro
Piano Sonata No. 2 In A Major Op. 2 No. 2
05. I. Allegro Vivace
06. II. Largo Appassionato
07. III. Scherzo: Allegretto - Trio
08. IV. Rondo: Grazioso
Piano Sonata No. 3 In C Major Op. 2 No. 3
09. I. Allegro Con Brio
10. II. Adagio
11. III. Scherzo: Allegro - Trio
12. IV. Allegro Assai

CD17:
Piano Sonata No. 8 In C Minor Op. 13 'Pathétique'
01. I. Grave - Allegro Di Molto E Con Brio
02. II. Adagio Cantabile
03. III. Rondo: Allegro
Piano Sonata No. 11 In B Flat Major Op. 22
04. I. Allegro Con Brio
05. II. Adagio Con Molto Espressione
06. III. Menuetto
07. IV. Rondo: Allegretto
Piano Sonata No. 12 In A Flat Major Op. 26 'Funeral March'
08. I. Andante Con Variazioni
09. II. Scherzo: Allegro Molto - Trio
10. III. Maestoso Andante 'Marcia Funebre Sulla Morte D'uno Eroe'
11. IV. Allegro
Piano Sonata No. 24 In F Sharp Major Op. 78
12. I. Adagio Cantabile - Allegro Ma Non Troppo
13. II. Allegro Vivace

CD18:
Piano Sonata No. 4 In E Flat Major Op. 7
01. I. Allegro Molto E Con Brio
02. II. Largo Con Gran Espressione
03. III. Allegro
04. V. Rondo: Poco Allegretto E Grazioso
Piano Sonata No. 20 In G Major Op. 49 No. 2
05. I. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
06. II. Tempo Di Menuetto
Quintet For Piano And Winds In E Flat Major Op. 16
07. I. Grave - Allegro, Ma Non Troppo
08. II. Andante Cantabile
09. III. Rondo: Allegro Ma Non Troppo
10. Rondo In B Flat Major G151
Members of the Hungarian Quintet

CD19:
01. 'Eroica' Variations In E Flat Major Op. 35
Piano Sonata No. 20 In G Major Op. 49 No. 2
02. I. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
03. II. Tempo Di Menuetto
04. 5 Variations On 'Rule Britannia' In D Major WoO 79
05. 7 Variations On 'God Save The King' In C Major WoO 78
06. 12 Variations On A Russian Dance From Wranitsky's Ballet 'Das Waldmädchen' In A Major WoO 71
07. 6 Variations On An Original Theme In F Major Op. 34
08. 6 Variations On A Theme From 'The Ruins Of Athens' In D Major Op. 76

CD20:
01. 32 Variations On An Original Theme In C Minor WoO 80
02. 7 Variations From Winter's Opera 'Das Unterbrochene Opferfest' In F Major WoO 75
03. 24 Variations On Righini's Air 'Venni Amore' In D Major WoO 65
04. 6 Variations On The Duet From Paisello's 'La Molinara' In G Major WoO 70
05. 8 Variations On Süssmayr's Theme 'Tändeln Und Scherzen' In F Major WoO 76
06. 13 Variations On Dittersdorf's Air 'Es War Einmal Ein Alter Mann' In A Major WoO 66
07. 10 Variations On Salieri's Air 'La Stessa, La Stessissima' In B Flat Major WoO 73