Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 27-29 (Rec 1932-1935)

"I must say the recordings sound remarkably well for what they are and at Naxos price the supreme performance of op. 90, together with the insightful slow movements elsewhere, makes purchase infinitely worthwhile."
- MusicWeb April 2005

Artur Schnabel was fifty years old when he finally agreed to make recordings. After more than thirty years as a recitalist, he had gained a reputation as a scholarpianist and the leading interpreter of Beethoven's piano music, but steadfastly refused to submit to the alleged tortures of the studio and its inadequate technology. It was the producer Fred Gaisberg who, in 1932, persuaded Schnabel to record, but only on the pianist's condition that he record all of Beethoven's piano sonatas (and other pieces as well). Many of the works were then little known, making it a risky venture financially. HMV realised the project through the creation of the Beethoven Sonata Society, which initially sold the discs by subscription. Pianists and Beethoven aficionados were drawn to the recordings the way they were to Schnabel's concert performances. Like the live performances, the discs had flaws. Schnabel was difficult and demanding in the studio. The perfect take was rare and there were no opportunities for splicing in correct notes. They were in a sense live performances, made without the presence of an audience, and one can understand how a musician like Schnabel would find such conditions disagreeable.