The 2nd Movement of Beethoven's Piano Sonata #23, the "Appassionata"

Like a whole life lived every time I hear it.

No quibbles from this quarter

sometimes I think I prefer the Walstein, most of the time actually, to the Appassionata, but that middle movement, holy God, it's like B.'s saying "there is so much feeling in formality, so much hidden in structure, but at limits there is something more which we couldn't even see at all without the defining limits, and the thing that's there at the limits is so huge and great that it's worth pursuing formal perfection just to get to that outer edge"

that is how it reads to me anyway

Waldstein

Any particular interpretation stand out? This one is a "Pick" on eMusic, but there are dozens upon dozens (upon dozens) of interpretations available.

Have recently fucked the stylus in my record player so am unable to play this:

http://www.popsike.com/pix/20080410/230241339469.jpg

I don't know Paul Lewis but every time I've gotten something on Harmonia Mundi I've been at the very least deeply engaged, and usually totally thrilled - it's a good label. A quick look around says Lewis is well-regarded. I'm listening to Ashkenazy today, who brings the firepower that the Times says Lewis sometimes shies away from.

The Rubinstein performance on this CD is great:

http://www.amazon.com/Arthur-Rubinstein-Ludwig-Beethoven-Sonatas/dp/B000031WBZ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1218046126&sr=1-1

I've spent a lot of time with the Anton Kuerti set, it's all candy

http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Complete-Sonatas-Diabelli-Variations/dp/B000009CY6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1218052114&sr=1-1

Glenn Gould's version is like a doctor doing cruel, slow experiments on you. but so slowly, and with good anesthetic, that you eventually kind of succumb

ha ha, brilliant

Compare Kempff's 1964 reading:

Allegro assai [09:55]
Andante con moto [06:02]
Allegro ma non troppo--Presto [08:48],

with Gould's 1967 reading:

Allegro assai [15:01]
Andante con moto [11:06]
Allegro ma non troppo--Presto [05:26].

http://www.amazon.com/Glenn-Gould-plays-Beethoven-Sonatas/dp/B00006G9UL

slow sllllllloooooowwwer FUCK YOU

Just listened to that super slow Gould version refered to above. It is ridiculously, histrionically slow. And it also has his stupid bloody humming all over it. I used to love Gould, but I have to say his messing around with speeds seems a bit gratuitous to me these days.

You can listen to about 50 different Appassionatas on Spotify, including Gould and all the big names. The Brendel one is my favourite so far.

Yeah, I generally think Gould butchers Beethoven (my favourite sonata is op. 111 and his version of that is unlistenable) but the ultra-slow tempo here kind of works:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOYKkmxnD0s