Beethoven: Pathétique · Moonlight · Waldstein
Quality and Channels Help
Certainly there is no shortage of excellent recordings of Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas, and there are some fine ones available on Native DSD. You may remember that I have been especially positive about Peter Takac’s complete set of the sonatas in the past, and if you’re looking for a complete set, you’d be hard pressed to do better. The set was our solo instrumental Album of the Year for 2022. The 11 volumes are available individually as well.
But here we have Miriam Gomez-Moran with a remarkable and quite different performance of 3 of the most popular and well-known sonatas, Pathetique, Moonlight, and Waldstein. Miriam Gomez-Moran has a PHD in Piano, and is a professor at one of Spain’s leading music conservatories. The first thing you notice is that she shows a high contrast between tragic, lyrical, and fiery feelings. These come across with purity, but never with sentimentality. Her playing is bright and transparent, showing emotional range, with avoidance of cliches. You’ll hear intelligence and articulation, and you will hear a fresh take on these familiar sonatas. I think I enjoyed her Waldstein more than any I’ve heard before, but all three are delightful.
We are lucky beyond belief to live in a time when we can enjoy a variety of superb performances.
The IBS recording is excellent, with the piano at the perfect distance.
Highly recommended!
For a superb 11 volume set of the complete Piano Sonatas, you may be interested in Peter Takács The Complete Beethoven Sonatas – All 11 Volumes [DSD Bundle]
