Sokolov brought the adagio to the deepest abysses you will find. Speechless.

Good god. Just finished listening to this. I'm speechless. This is music from far out somewhere in the universe. The long, long, long slow movement alone seems to end five times, until you think Beethoven has said all he can say, and Sokolov has found new pianissimos to say it with, and then it ends a sixth time. How Sokolov negotiates that odd, hesitating, unearthly transition to the last movement, I do not know. I want to say "magician" or "wizard." It seems to me that Beethoven, as he got older, wrote less and less in essays or paragraphs but passage by passage, by thoughts, and by half-thoughts. It seems to me terribly difficult to get it to all hang together unless you are moving hand in hand with Beethoven, as Sokolov seems to be doing. But my gosh, the forest of sorrows and tenderness in the long movement just seems to want to go on until all the rough edges of the world are smoothed over, and all the wasted pain redeemed.

I heard many Hammerklavier performances. This one is one of the best, original, meticulous and deeply musical. Thank you for presenting this unique performance!

What a masterpiece of interpretation and playing, and maybe the best Hammerklavier.

Quell' adagio e' una delle cose più belle che si possano mai sentire da un piano, interprete supremo, Sokolov

The words "epic", "monumental" and "majestic" just keep coming to mind as this rendition of the Hammerklavier flows out from Sokolov's musical spirit and his masterful technique.

Sublime Beethoven, sublime Sokolov...

The picture in the video is simply perfect... The Hammerklavier isn't a simple sonata like anyone else: It's a mountain which is only waiting to someone brave enough to climb it. Thank you Sokolov, you did it with that mountain! Now just enjoy the new world you can see from its top...

Quoi de plus beau au monde que cette intériorité? Elle va son chemin et ne demande rien à personne. Le Maître est avec ses Esprits. Et nous n´osons plus le regarder.

His performance of that work yesterday in Hamburg made 1200 visitors breathless an later cheering.

Aún para los legos en música, como yo, que nos guiamos solo por la estética, por el sentimiento de belleza que una obra nos suscita y por la emotividad con que, en su caso, nos toca, para ellos, digo, esta de Sokolov es una de las mejores Hammerclavier grabadas. Mi compatriota, el pianista alemán nacido en Chile, Claudio Arrau nos dejó grabada una versión también grande. El Adagio Sostenuto es una de las páginas cumbres de la literatura pianística, y esta de Sokolov es magistral.

Incredible, really. After hearing this exceptional performance for the first time a few days ago, I (finally!!) quickly realized Sokolov is simply up on par with 'legends' like Horowitz and Rubinstein. :)

I wanted to go but every non vip place was already taken. I hope i could listen this miracle somewhere else

5:45 the best interpretation here. I never thought of voicing the last two notes of the subject this way

Indeed. After the fine school of trills in the first five encores Brahms was a gentle final. I attend Sokolov's concerts since 2000 when only about 200 people came to the Hamburg Musikhalle.

I heard him play this sonata 3 days ago in Tuebingen, Germany. He was on his top condition! I didn't know at all that he was ill or so.

THANK YOU!!...

LP? It sounds so great!!! Love this!

the adagio is sublime....

11:28 14:35 38:11

11:28 14:35 24:40 38:11

... I think that the Schubert (especially D.899/1+4, D.946/2) was even more breathtaking! Not to forget the absolutely sublime Brahms 117/2. On this Melodija-LP, we hear a 25 year-old genius. One can only suspect some sort of conspiracy in the 1970ies which prevented Sokolov's breakthrough at that time. His actual concert series must be called historic!

Sony actually released a CD of this performance a few years ago for anybody who likes to have a copy of his own. It certainly i my desert island choice.

14:34 min adagio e sostenuto =92 beats (apassionato e con molto sentimento) sonata para piano n.º 29 en Si bemol mayor Op. 106, Nos hallamos ante el que, en opinión de muchos, es el movimiento de sonata más hermoso jamás escrito.

Lo he dicho a propósito de otras obras, hay tres puntos en que todas las líneas del universo se cruzan solo una vez de cierta manera y nunca más. Esos puntos son el compositor, el interprete y el auditor, el receptor y se aproximan en el tiempo, aunque el compositor haya muerto hace 194 años, aunque haya muerto también el pianista y solo viva el auditor. La música produce ese milagro de intemporalidad. Lo digo de nuevo, no es una idea original. Es una adaptación de la abstracta definición del hombre que Hesse nos da en su Demian.

There's a Richter Hammerklavier from Amsterdam? Can you point me to it? Thanks in advance! The three I know are all from June 1975, i.e. Prague, Blythburg Church (Aldeburgh Festival), and Royal Festival Hall (London).

Yes indeed. It is a pity that this recording is not commercial available any longer. There can´t be (m)any interpretations of this format around.

nice

fyi : sokolov concert in geneva 1st november is actually cancelled.... :-((

23:34 from

this is quite funny...me too :O!

1819 !

Come cazzo si fa a suonare così

Lidt drømmende og lidt utydeligt i disen, ellers smukt......

Also the young Sokolow played the first fugue of Beethoven's "Hammerklaviersonate" with sleepy boring 6'08 minutes, today even with only 6'16 minutes. 144 Mälzel per crotchet are 4' 52,5 minutes. Please listen to real Beethoven by listening HJ Lim (4' 46 minutes), Laetitia Hahn (4' 34 minutes) and Stephan Beus (4' 33 minutes) and will convince yourself of Beethoven's revolutionary true temperament.