Beethoven: The Complete Piano Sonatas & Concertosby Anonymous

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March 08, 2004: Claudio Arrau was of the old school... his performances were never mannered or merely technically accomplished. They always have a spark of humanity that makes them worth hearing, and makes them stand honorably alongside any others. Schnabel's soncially defective recordings are legendary, but these recordings were made in the era when electronics could and usually did capture the sound of the piano accurately enough to be a genuine pleasure to hear, just as sound and tone. I don't believe in the concept of a "definitive" performance or recording, but Claudio Arrau was a consummate master, and Beethoven was always one of his specialities. You simply cannot go wrong with this set, which contains a trove of wondrous musicianship and, of course, the very best music.