Beethoven's Appassionata

Second movement is the best thing Beethoven ever did. It's his Your Silent Face.

def my favorite of his piano sonatas

not got anything interesting to add other than agreement.

I hope I'm alive for a future that still involves physical media and me not, embarrassingly, putting away a classical composer record sleeve due to embarrassment from having some other schmuck decide the best way to advertise his virutoso in recreation is to also show you his face.

The general consensus with any record sleeves for Wagner is that Deutschland ist depicted, which is fine with me and everyone else in the room.

is there a consensus on the best version of this?

Gilels and Arrau are pretty lauded. People argue about which Gilels but the late Deutsche Grammofon one is well-regarded.

The Waldstein and Appassionata make natural siblings, both big formally explosive mid period masterpieces, but for me the Apps is far more performer-dependent - I have a hard time engaging with it unless the performance is absolutely stunning. The Waldstein has a magic which almost never fails and is the greater and more unfathomable piece imo.

Appassionatas that nail it for me: Richter, Moravec, Arrau, Claude Frank, Ronald Brautigam.

the Apps is far more performer-dependent

otm

I'm especially fond of Stephen Kovacevich's take.

The EMI kovacevich? I like his Waldstein from that series but I can’t remember the appassionata

Yep. I think he only recorded the Appassionata for EMI.

I haven't heard it in a long time but I seem to recall him getting Beethoven's controlled impetuousness just right.