HRAudio.net - Beethoven: Piano Sonatas 1-32 (2024)

I had never owned the entire Kempff cycle from the mid 60s, just a few LPs, but I had forgotten how elegant and humane his playing was. I have listened only to the high-resolution Blu-ray Disc and found the sound as fresh and immediate as the day it was recorded. The sound is better than I ever remembered; DG's crisp sound was always perfectly suited to Kempff's pianistic style. The high-resolution remastering was done by MSM Studios, Munich and I could not recommend this beautiful package more enthusiastically. The CDs will remain in the bottom of the box.

Thanks Contrapunctus... that comparison should be very interesting. This duplication of effort is a pity, there are so many recordings crying out for release in HR. Is there any chance of getting Fischer-Dieskau Schubert lieder on DG?

Gordon, you're absolutely right with your comment about superfluous double remastering work of one an the same recording. - I don't know if we'll see some HR-remastered Schubert/Fischer-Dieskau Lieder in the near future, but sometimes a dream becomes true... (On top of my DG-remastering wish-list are Helmut Walcha's stereo recordings of J.S.Bach's organ works.)

BTW, DSD Mastering for the Vintage classic SACD collection series released by Japanese Tower Records is also made by Emil Berliner Studios ....

This Blu-ray remastering of Kempff's Beethoven cycle is an unexpected and gratifying gift, as I'm sure, even more so, will be the Universal Japan SACD sets. Kempff's Beethoven is unforced and natural, lyrical and poetic, if lacking the virtuosity and heaven-storming quality of Pollini or Gilels. DGG sound has always been less than audiophile. That said, my complaint about this Beethoven set is the omission of Kempff's recordings of the variations Op. 34, 35 & WoO 80, and the recordings Kempff made of Andante Favori, Rage Over a Lost Penny, etc. They appear in his big complete DGG recordings box, and would have made this Beethoven set more complete, as the Schubert sonatas collection was completed by the Impromptus, Three pieces, etc.

from looking on the universal Japan site it looks like there are 3 volumes coming in November, not 2. Am I mistaken?

Puzzlingly, the for the new Kleiber "Fledermaus", the booklet states that the Blu-ray and CD remastering was done by Emil Berliner Studios (EBS). The Pure Audio Authoring, MSM Studios, Munich. I find that a little confusing, can anyone explain? Contrapunctus?

Sorry, Gordon, but I can't give you a reliable and valid answer - only a guess:
I think, that the main remastering was done by MSM, only the "Dolby Atmos" part was created/generated by EBS (probably using the MSM-files as base?). Dolby Atmos was created by and is a trademark of EBS. So the presence of EBS on this Fledermaus could be because of licensing/copyright reason. But again: I don't know it for sure.

Sonatas are also available in European Qobuz as Hi-Res download in PCM 24/96, for 26.99 Euros

Can anyone confirm if the Universal Japan SACDs of the piano sonatas are new remasterings? The pages for the other Kempff releases on the Universal Japan site and on various retailer web sites include a statement that each release is a new DSD remaster by Emil Berliner Studies. But this statement is absent from the pages for the Beethoven piano sonata sets. This leads me to wonder if the SACDs are based on the same 24/96 PCM master used for the blu-ray set and the download.

Volume 1 of the new SACD set is on it's way to me. I'll have a close look to the booklet. I also want to do some comparative listening (SACD vs. BluRay/download) - if there IS a different remastering.

Thanks, I very much appreciate this report. In the only instance where I've had the chance to compare an MSM blu ray with an EBS SACD - the Amadeus Quartet's Beethoven op. 59/1 and 131 - I found the EBS just a little fuller, more fluid, less grainy. The difference is admittedly quite subtle. But the Kempff recordings are such personal favourites that I'm going to splash out for them. I've just listened again to his earlier mono DG recording of the op. 54 sonata, and yes - his playing is absolutely inimitable.

Well, Chew Chiat Naun, you're obviously in love with Kempff's Beethoven and so I can really recommend the SACD sets to you. About the tape hiss: because of the treble-pronounced sound on MSM-BluRay/download the tape hiss appears also a bit more emphasized in the upper frequencies, which is a bit annoying (to me). Band noise on the EBS-SACDs is more subtle. This and the overall sound impression makes the SACDs in my opinion to a better (albeit more expensive) choice.

Universal Japan continues with Beethoven - and DG recordings: in February 2020 the string quartets with Amadeus Quartet will be released on two 3-SACD volumes. New remastered by Emil Berliner Studios. So we'll have again two different new remasterings of one and the same recording, because the quartets are already available on BluRay/download - remastered by MSM Studios Munich.

This is awesome
https://www.google.com/