两小段儿，大实话。
Dating from 1932-35, this was the first complete cycle of Beethoven's piano sonatas ever recorded. It has remained available almost continuously since it was first issued, a testimonial to the staying power of these legendary performances.
Other pianists may have approached Beethoven with more secure technique, and there are certainly other conceptions of this music that deserve our attention. But the intellectual comprehension and--especially!--the intense emotional projection of Artur Schnabel's performances will remain treasures as long as listeners love Beethoven's music. Competing editions of these recordings on other labels generally cost more and don't improve on EMI's transfers. Treat yourself to this set, ignore some technical struggles in the late sonatas, and you're in for a great voyage of Beethoven discovery. --Leslie Gerber
Claudio Arrau played with seriousness of purpose that could make other pianists seem like dilettantes(业余爱好者) and with respect for the composer's score that bordered on veneration. He had nothing but scorn for pianists who played the opening of Beethoven's Opus 111 with two hands instead of one because there were fewer risks. If something was technically difficult, Arrau assumed that the composer had written it that way because the difficulties had an expressive value that it was the interpreter's duty to find....... --Stephen Wigler
