Track Listing

1. Symphony No.1 In C Major, Op.21
2. Symphony No.2 In D Major, Op.36
3. Symphony No.3 In E Flat Major, Op.55, "Eroica"
4. Symphony No.4 In B Flat Major, Op.60
5. Symphony No.5 In C Minor, Op.67
6. Symphony No.6 In F Major, Op.68, "Pastoral"
7. Symphony No.7 In A Major, Op.92
8. Symphony No.8 In F Major, Op.93
9. Symphony No.9 In D Minor, Op.125
10. Die GeschÖPfe Des Prometheus, Op.43
11. Egmont Overture, Op.84
12. Coriolan Overture, Op.62
13. Leonore Overture No.1 In C Major, Op.138
14. Die Ruinen Von Athen, Op.113
15. Leonore Overture No.2 In C Major, Op.72
16. Zur Namensfeier, Op.115
17. Leonore Overture No.3 In C Major, Op.72a
18. Fidelio, Op.72
19. KÖNig Stephan, Op.117
20. Die Weihe Des Hauses Overture, Op.124
21. Die GeschÖPfe Des Prometheus, Ballet, Op.43
22. FÜR Elise, Wo0.59
23. Adagio FÜR Eine Spieluhr, Woo 33/1
24. Twelve Contradanses For Orchestra, Woo 14
25. Sonatina In C Minor, Woo 43a
26. Sonatina In C Major, Woo 44a
27. Minuet In G Major
28. Violin Concerto In C Major, Woo 5, (Fragment)
29. Wellington's Victory, Op.91
30. Piano Concerto No.1 In C Major, Op.15
31. Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major, Op.19
32. Piano Concerto No.3 In C Minor, Op.37
33. Piano Concerto No.4 In G Major, Op.58
34. Piano Concerto No.5 In E Flat Major, Op.73
35. Fantasia For Piano, Chorus And Orchestra In C Minor, Op.80 "Choralphantasie"
36. Meeresstille Und GlÜCkliche Fahrt, Op.112
37. Violin Concerto In D Major, Op.61
38. Romance For Violin And Orchestra In G Major, Op.40
39. Romance For Violin And Orchestra In F Major, Op.50
40. Triple Concerto For Piano, Violin, Violoncello And Orchestra In C Major, Op.56
41. Septet In E Flat Major, Op.20
42. Violin Sonata No.1, Op.12, No.1 In D Major
43. Violin Sonata No.2, Op.12, No.2 In A Major
44. Violin Sonata No.3, Op.12, No.3 In E Flat Major
45. Violin Sonata No.4, Op.23 In A Minor
46. Violin Sonata No.5, Op.24 In F Major "Spring"
47. Violin Sonata No.6, Op.30, No.1 In A Major
48. Violin Sonata No.7, Op.30, No.2 In C Minor
49. Violin Sonata No.8, Op.30, No.3 In G Major
50. Violin Sonata No.9, Op.47 In A Major "Kreutzer"
51. Violin Sonata No.10, Op.96 In G Major
52. Sonata For Pianoforte & Violoncello In A Major, Op.69
53. Sonata For Pianoforte & Violoncello In F Major, Op.5 No.1
54. Sonata For Pianoforte & Violoncello In G Minor, Op.5 No.2
55. Sonata For Pianoforte & Violoncello In C Major, Op.102 No.1
56. Sonata For Pianoforte & Violoncello In D Major, Op.102 No.2
57. 12 Variations On "Ein MÄDchen Oder Weibchen" From Mozart's Die ZauberflÖTe
58. Piano Trio In D Major, Op.70/1, "Ghost"
59. Piano Trio In E Flat Major, Op.70/2
60. Trio For Clarinet, Cello & Piano In B Flat Major, Op.11, "Gassenhauer"
61. Piano Trio In G Major, Op.1/2
62. Piano Trio In B Flat Major, Op.97, "Archduke"
63. Piano Trio In B Flat Major, Woo 39 (Allegretto)
64. Piano Trio In E Flat Major, Op.1/1
65. Piano Trio In C Minor, Op.1/3
66. Piano Trio In E Flat Major, Op.44, "14 Variations On An Original Theme"
67. Piano Trio In G Major, Op.121a, "Kakadu Variations"
68. Trio For Piano, Clarinet & Cello In E Flat Major, Op.38
69. Piano Trio In E Flat Major, Woo 38
70. Trio For Violin, Viola And Violoncello In E-Flat Major, Op.3
71. Serenade (Trio) For Violin, Viola And Violoncello In D Major, Op.8
72. Trio In G Major, Op.9/1
73. Trio In D Major, Op.9/2
74. Trio In C Minor, Op.9/3
75. Piano Concerto In E Flat Major Woo 4
76. Quintet For Piano, Clarinet, Oboe, Horn And Bassoon In E-Flat Major, Op.16
77. Sextet For String Quartet & 2 Horns Op.81b
78. String Duo Woo 32 "Mit Zwey Obligaten Augenglasern"
79. String Quintet Op.47 "Kreutzer"
80. Octet For 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets, 2 Bassoons And 2 Horns In E-Flat Major, Op.103
81. Rondino In E-Flat Major For 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets, 2 Bassoons And 2 Horns, Woo 25
82. March For 2 Clarinets, 2 Bassoons And 2 Horns In B-Flat Major, Woo 29
83. Duo For Clarinet And Bassoon In C Major, Woo 27 No.1
84. March For 2 Clarinets, 2 Bassoons And 2 Horns In B-Flat Major, Woo 29 (Repetitio
85. Sextet For 2 Clarinets, 2 Bassoons And 2 Horns In E-Major, Op.71
86. String Quartet No.1 In F Major, Op.18/1
87. String Quartet No.5 In A Major, Op.18/5
88. String Quartet No.2 In G Major, Op.18/2
89. String Quartet No.6 In B Flat Major, Op.18/6
90. String Quartet No.3 In D Major, Op.18/3
91. String Quartet No.4 In C Minor, Op.18/4
92. String Quartet No.7 In F Major, Op.59/1, "Rasumovsky 1"
93. String Quartet No.10 In E Flat Major, Op.74, "Harp"
94. String Quartet No.8 In E Minor, Op.59/2, "Rasumovsky 2"
95. String Quartet No.9 In C Major, Op.59/3 "Rasumovsky 3"
96. String Quartet No.12 In E Flat Major, Op.127
97. String Quartet No.11 In F Minor, Op.95, "Serioso"
98. Fugue For String Quartet In B Flat Major, Op.133, "Grosse Fuge"
99. String Quartet No.13 In B Flat Major, Op.130
100. String Quartet No.14 In C Sharp Minor, Op.131
101. String Quartet No.16 In F Major, Op.135
102. String Quartet No.15 In A Minor, Op.132
103. Piano Sonata No.1 In F Minor, Op.2-1
104. Piano Sonata No.2 In A Major, Op.2, No.2
105. Piano Sonata No.3 In C Major, Op.2-3
106. Piano Sonata No.4 In E Flat Major, Op.7
107. Piano Sonata No.5 In C Minor, Op.10-1
108. Piano Sonata No.6 In F Major, Op.10-2
109. Piano Sonata No.7 In D Major, Op.10-3
110. Piano Sonata No.8 In C Minor, Op.13, "PathÉTique"
111. Piano Sonata No.9 In E Major, Op.14-1
112. Piano Sonata No.10 In G Major, Op.14-2
113. Piano Sonata No.11 In B Flat Major Op.22
114. Piano Sonata No.12 In A Flat Major, Op.26
115. Piano Sonata No.13 In E Flat Major, Op.27-1 "Sonata, Quasi Una Fantasia"
116. Piano Sonata No.14 In C Sharp Minor, Op.27/2, "Moonlight"
117. Piano Sonata No.15 In D Major, Op.28, "Pastoral"
118. Piano Sonata No.16 In G Major, Op.31-1
119. Piano Sonata No.17 In D Minor, Op.31/2, "Tempest"
120. Piano Sonata No.18 In E Flat Major, Op.31-3
121. Piano Sonata No.19 In G Minor, Op.49-1
122. Piano Sonata No.20 In G Major, Op.49-2
123. Piano Sonata No.21 In C Major, Op. 53 "Waldstein"
124. Piano Sonata No.22 In F Major, Op.54
125. Piano Sonata No.23 In F Minor, Op.57, "Appassionata"
126. Piano Sonata No.24 In F Sharp Major, Op.78
127. Piano Sonata No.25 In G Major, Op.79 "Kuckou Sonate"
128. Piano Sonata No.26 In E Flat Major, Op.81a, "Les Adieux"
129. Piano Sonata No.27 In E Minor, Op.90
130. Piano Sonata No.28 In A Major, Op.101
131. Piano Sonata No.29 In B-Flat Major, Op.106 "Hammerklavier"
132. Piano Sonata No.30 In E Major, Op.109
133. Piano Sonata No.31 In A Flat Major, Op.110
134. Piano Sonata No.32 In C Minor, Op.111
135. 7 Bagatelles, Op.33
136. 11 Bagatelles, Op.119
137. 6 Bagatelles, Op.126
138. Fantasie FÜR G-Moll-H-Dur, Op.77
139. Polonaise FÜR Klavier C-Dur, Op.89
140. 6 Variations For Piano In F Major, Op.34
141. 15 Variations In E Flat Major, Op.35 "Eroica Variationen"
142. 6 Variations For Piano In D Major, Op.76
143. Rondo For Piano In C Major, Op.51-1
144. Rondo For Piano In G Major, Op.51-2
145. Rondo A Capriccio For Piano In G Major, Op.129
146. Variations For Piano In C Major On A Waltz By Diabelli, Op.120,
147. String Quintet In C Major (Fragment) - Hess 41
148. Allegretto In C Minor - Woo 53
149. Bagatelle In C Minor - Woo 52
150. Allegretto In C Minor - Hess 69
151. KlavierstÜCk "Lustig Und Traurig" Woo 54
152. Music, Love And Wine, Op.108 No.1
153. Bonny Laddie, Highland Laddie, Op.108 No.7
154. I'll Praise The Saints With Early Song, Woo 153 No.12
155. Sally In Our Alley, Op.108 No.25
156. Sunset, Op.108 No.2
157. Faithfu' Johnie, Op.108 No.20
158. Behold, My Love, Op.108 No.9
159. His Boat Comes On The Sunny Tide, Woo 152 No.7
160. Enchantress, Farewell, Op.108 No.18
161. The Pulse Of An Irishman, Woo 154 No.4
162. To The Aeolian Harp, Woo 155 No.9
163. O Charlie Is My Darling, Woo 157 No.3
164. Duncan Gray, Woo 156 No.2
165. To The Blackbird, Woo 155 No.20
166. 'tis Sunshine At Last, Woo 153 No.13
167. Cease Your Funning, Woo 156 No.5
168. Oh Sweet Were The Hours, Op.108 No.3
169. Save Me From The Grave And Wise, Woo 154 No.8
170. Farewell Bliss And Farewell Nancy, Woo 152 No.20
171. Love Without Hope, Woo 155 No.4
172. Farewell Thou Noisy Town, Woo 155 No.8
173. He Promis'd Me At Parting, Woo 154 No.12
174. The Monks Of Bangor's March, Woo 155 No.2
175. Robin Adair, Woo 157 No.7
176. O Swiftly Glides The Bonny Boat, Op.108 No.19
177. Sad And Luckless Was The Season, Woo 153 No.6
178. Come Draw We Round A Cheerful Ring, Woo 152 No.8
179. The Sweetest Lad Was Jamie, Op.108 No.5
180. Come, Fill, Fill, My Good Fellow, Op.108 No.13
181. Christus Am ÖLberge, Op. 85 (Christ On The Mount Of Olives)
182. Mass In C Major, Op. 86
183. Missa Solemnis In D Major, Op. 123
184. Ah Perfido!", Op. 65 (Scene And Aria For Soprano And Orchestral Accompaniment)
185. Cantata On The Death Of Emperor Joseph Ii, Wo O 87
186. Bundeslied, Op.122
187. Fidelio - Opera In Two Acts
188. Leonore Overture No.3 In C Major, Op.72a

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #117899 in Music
• Released on: 2007-06-01
• Number of discs: 60
• Formats: Box set, Import

Album Details
60 CD Box Set. Selection of Ludwig Van Beethoven Works Recorded by David Zinman and Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich (Symphonies), Yefim Bronfman, David Zinman and Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich (Piano Concertos), Pinchas Zuckerman and Marc Neikrug (Violin Sonatas), Anner Bylsma and Jon Van Immerseel (Cello Sonatas), Seraphin Trio (Piano Trios), Alexander String Quartet (String Quartets), Yukio Yokoyama, Robert Casadesus, Justus Frantz, Vladimir Horowitz, Gerhard Oppitz and Charles Rosen (Piano Sonatas), Eugene Ormandy and Philadelphia Orchestra (Christ on the Mount of Olives), Wolfdieter Maurer and Tokyo Oratorio Society (Mass in C Major), David Zinman and Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich (Missa Solemnis) and Many Other Great Artists.

Customer Reviews

A lot of music here for a low price
Your reaction to this set will depend alot on what you are looking for, and how much you're willing to spend, but at about 90 cents/disc, including shipping, this is a bargain! David Zinman's Zurich Tonhalle recordings of the Beethoven Symphonies will not be to all tastes: he's influenced by the 1990s period instrument movement in Beethoven: very fast tempos in Allegros, faster than normal Andante and Adagio movements, a lean string sound, no vibrato in violins, and some tempo shifts which will shock those used to the traditional approaches of Bruno Walter, Karl Bohm, Leonard Bernstein, Eugene Ormandy, or Riccardo Muti. I call Zinman's Beethoven a cross between Norrington and Hogwood for tempos and Toscanini for lean textures... I prefer Bohm and Walter in the symphonies.

Zinman's tempos in the Overtures (2 discs) are more conventional, leaning to the fast side, but somehow seem easier for me to listen to than many of the symphonies.

Karl Rickenbacher conducts the Lithuanian Chamber Philharmonia in Beethoven's only full length ballet, "The Creatures of Prometheus" and it is a very good performance. I have also David Zinman/Rochester Philharmonic (New York) (Vox) for comparison, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (DG), and Rickenbacher does not pale in comparison with either of them. I had never heard of the Lithuanian Chamber Philharmonia, but they are an excellent ensemble, brilliantly recorded by RCA and re-released here.

Christian Tetzlaff is excellent in the Violin Concerto, and Yukio Yokoyama's Piano Sonatas are very fine, recorded in excellent Digital sound. Ormandy's Columbia "Christ on the Mount of Olives" is also very fine: it has been years since it's commercial release, and this release may be the first time on CD. Lorin Maazel's Vienna Philharmonic "Wellington's Victory" from the early 1980s is here, and the very slow opening sections become wearisome (inferior to Karajan/DG, or Ormandy/RCA, for example) but the battle sections and closing "Victory Symphony" are very well done with sensible tempos and really exciting playing by the great VPO.

You get 60 discs for about $50.00 - under $.90 per disc, so the price is very low, even if you don't like some of the recordings offered. You can always supplement better recordings of the Symphonies, Overtures, Piano Concertos, etc. for instance. But the sonatas are consistently very fine.
And, you get Pinchas Zukerman/Mark Neikrug in the Violin/Piano Sonatas, among the best recordings of these works!

I'd get this, and add Karl Bohm's recordings of the symphonies (DG),
Rubinstein/Leinsdorf in the Piano Concertos (RCA), Karajan/Berlin Phil. in the Overtures (DG, Galliera) and perhaps Kempff and Pollini for a different view of some of the Piano Sonatas (DG).

This is a decent offering of Sony and BMG's recordings from the Columbia, RCA and Arte Nova catalogs. I hope SonyBMG will have similar products/ editions of a single composer, and offer more of the Columbia Ormandy/Philadelphia recordings which have been long out of print to the public. I'm pleased with this, and would recommend it if you like bulk items: alot of music!, and bargains.

Not for the completists, but awesome for everyone else
Ok, so I realize Sony never claimed this set to be the "complete" works of Beethoven. It's just the "Masterpieces." But given Brilliant Classics released the complete works of Bach on 155 CDs, Mozart on 170 CDs, and now Chopin on 17 CDs, would it have been so bad to finish a set that's already more than two-thirds done?

Kudos for putting on some un-masterpiece works like the Piano Concerto No. 0. But a major gaping hole is the lieder -- there's almost none of it here. I personally don't care much for lieder as a whole, and Beethoven's isn't very good to start with, but those who like German songs could be sorely disappointed. Most of the works published posthumously are also missing, with the exception of a few famous ones (Fur Elise, for example). But it would have been nice to include at least a little bit of the obscure stuff; Beethoven did have some duds that would have been interesting to hear.

The recordings are very good, even if they're not the best. Here's a general gloss on the major blocks of works: I personally like the symphonies on period instruments, but the tempos are definitely too fast. They're not ideal reads, but they're a fresh perspective; if you really need another set, spend the $12 or whatever it costs these days to get one of the hundreds of recordings of Beethoven symphonies out there. The piano sonatas are very good. The concertos are very run of the mill, but the Triple Concerto is superbly good. The chamber music as a whole is pretty ordinary, but there are some string quartets that stand out -- the earlier ones are better performed.

There are currently two complete sets of Beethoven's music out there, each with 87 CDs. If you have the money and patience to find all the pieces of DG's set, it's the gold standard. A bargain-priced one by Cascade Medien is horrendous -- avoid it because it isn't worth the $80 price tag. For the quality vs. price analysis, this Sony set really just can't be beat.

So, for those of you who are looking for a complete set, hold out until Brilliant Classics does something. But this almost-complete set should tide you over until that day finally comes.

Here's the list of works !!!
CD 1-5: Die 9 Sinfonien - Tonhalle Orchester Zürich/David Zinman
CD 6-7: Ouvertüren - Tonhalle Orchester Zürich/David Zinman
CD 8: Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus op.43 (Ballettmusik) - Litauische Kammerphilharmonie/Karl Anton Rickenbacher
CD 9: Orchester-,Klavier-, Flöten und Violinwerke
CD 10-12: 5 Klavierkonzerte - Yefim Bronfman/Tonhalle Orchester Zürich/David Zinman
CD 13: Violinkonzert op.61 + Die 2 Violinromanzen op.40+50 - Christian Tetzlaff/Tonhalleorchester Zürich/David Zinman
CD 14: Tripelkonzert op.56; Septett op.20 - Yefim Bronfman/Tonhalle Orchester Zürich/David Zinman
CD 15-18: Die 10 Violinsonaten - Pinchas Zukerman/George Neikrug
CD 19-20: Die 5 Cellosonaten + Variationen - Anner Bylsma/Jos van Immerseel
CD 21-25: Die 12 Klaviertrios - Seraphin Trio
CD 26: Die Streichtrios op.3 und op.8 - L'Archibudelli
CD 27: Die Streichtrios op.9,1-3 - Kandinsky String Trio
CD 28: Klavierquartett op.16 (Streicherfassung); Klavierquintett op.16 (Bläserfassung) - Emanuel Ax/Isaac Stern/ Jaime Lardo/YoYo Ma/Ensemble Wien-Berlin
CD 29: Kammermusik für Streicher und Holzbläser - L'Archibudelli
CD 30: Oktett op.103 / Klarinettensextett op.71 / Märsche für Bäser, u.a. - Mozzafiato
CD 31-39: Die 16 Streichquartette - Alexander String Quartet
CD 40-50: Die 32 Klaviersonaten - Yukio Yokoyama, Charles Rosen, Vladimir Horowitz, Justus Frantz, Gerhard Oppitz, Robert Casadesus
CD 51: Die Bagatellen für Klavier Solo - Yukio Yokoyama
CD 52: Die Variationen für Klavier Solo - Yukio Yokoyama
CD 53: Diabelli-Variationen + 4 Klavierstücke WoO - Olli Mustonen
CD 54: Lieder von den Britischen Inseln - Elaine Woods/Carolyn Watkinson/Richard Salter/Helmut Deutsch
CD 55: Christus am Ölberge op.85 - Philadelphia Orchestra/Eugene Ormandy
CD 56: Messe op.86 - Tokyo Oratorio Society/Ensemble of Tokyo/Wolfdieter Maurer
CD 57: Missa Solemnis op.123 - Tonhalle Orchester Zürich/David Zinman
CD 58: Chorwerke - Regine Crespin/New York Philharmonic Orchestra/Thomas Schippers,Ambrosian Opera Chorus/London Symphony Orchestra/Tilson Thomas Martina Arroyo/Justine Diaz/Camerata Singers
CD 59-60: Fidelio op.72 - Gewandhausorchester Leipzig/Kurt Masur