Beethoven Piano Sonatas: ‘Appassionata’ & ‘Moonlight’ – 1952 Recording

Description

overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fBEETHOVEN Moonlight, Appassionata Sonatas

Recorded c.1952
Total Duration: 37:25

Hans Kann, piano578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples/PAKM033.mp3578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fProducer’s Note578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f

Two sublime performances well captured

Continuing our series of rare European early vinyl releases

Once again, we’re grateful to Brussels-based collector Jean-François Lambert for digging through his 30,000+ collection of classical LPs to find some of the finest and rarest European releases never since reissued.

These two recordings would have been amongst the first vinyl issues of these two well-known and much-loved sonatas – they would soon be joined by many more, but there is a magic to be found here which makes these long-lost recordings particularly worthwhile. At the time of recording, Kann was regarded as one of the finest of as new generation of post-war pianists, a reputation that can only have been enhanced by this disc.

From a technical perspective, Kann was particularly well-recorded for his era; the main shortcoming of the disc itself was a pressing which left a considerable degree of distortion to deal with during louder sections. This was more pronounced at the end of the first side – fortunately it has been possible to make considerable inroads in the reduction of this, and I’ve been able to achieve a sound which is both crisp and clean (far more so than I thought possible), and maintains a surprisingly wide dynamic range for any recording of this age. A highly recommended find!

Andrew Rose

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• BEETHOVEN Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57, “Appassionata”
• BEETHOVEN Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27, No.2, “Moonlight”

Recorded c.1952, issued as Musical Masterpiece Society 10″ LP MMS-44
Matrix nos. E3KL-6883-1C, E3KL-6884-1B

Disc from the collection of Jean-François Lambert, Brussels
Transfer and XR remastering by Andrew Rose at Pristine Audio, April 2009
Total Duration: 37:25

Hans Kann, piano

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