Beethoven c minor Variations - tempos

[dinosaurtales]

It's possible I've asked this before, but now it's really bugging me.  I am using the Henle edition of the c minor variations, and there are no indications to change tempos from variation to variation.  There are also no ritards or anything.  It looks like it's a matter of picking a tempo and playing it straight through.  BUT, I have Emil Gilels' recording, which has no consistency whatsoever amongst the variations - I clocked them and the tempos are all over the map.  He also ritards at the ends of about half of them, and does a couple so rubato I couldn't get any kind of clock on it.  Is he using a different edition?  Does anyone here know of other recordings where I could get a good metronomic mark to aim for?  The way i am doing it, variations 10 and 11 will be impossible to play at a tempo where the others will sound good.  Gilels' version is wonderful to listen to.  What do you guys recommend?

[dinosaurtales]

 

Boy you guys are killing me!  I thought we had all these "experts" on this forum.  Did I not ask my question right?  is it confusing?  I really would like some advice on this one.

[arensky]

Variation pieces don't have to stay in the same tempo, they can be slower or faster at your discretion. I've never heard this piece played at the same tempo throughout, and it was a stylistic convention to ritard at the end of phrases/sections/movements/variations in 19th century performance practice. We know from reliable eyewitnesses that Beethoven was very free if not downright erratic in his rythmic aprroach to the pieces he played.

You should listen to at least two or three more recordings so you can create your own concept. For a real virtuoso treatment listen to Horowitz' 1930's recording...

[dinosaurtales]

Okey dokey.  I just ordered Alfred Brendel's version.  The little clip from the website has his starting tempo MUCH slower than Gilels', which would imply that doing them all the same tempo would be possible.  Gilels does v's 3-1 SO fast (really cool!) that it makes 10-11 virtually impossible at the same speed - and thus - he slows those two down. 

So I'll fill you in when I get the Brendel version!

More later,

Min

[dinosaurtales]

Perhaps no one is interested, BUT......

I got the Alfred Brendel version of these - lousy old remastered recording - but the playing is glorious!

He maintains a fairly consistent tempo at about 76.  Emil Gilels' version is clean and "hot".  Brendel's is simply glorious.

[cherub_rocker1979]

Perhaps no one is interested, BUT......

I got the Alfred Brendel version of these - lousy old remastered recording - but the playing is glorious!

He maintains a fairly consistent tempo at about 76.  Emil Gilels' version is clean and "hot".  Brendel's is simply glorious.

Did you get this CD?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000001K6C/qid=1136612505/sr=1-13/ref=sr_1_13/104-9647971-4883129?s=classical&v=glance&n=5174

I have this one and it is very good.

[dinosaurtales]

Yup.  That's the one.  Problem is, most of the recording was done over 40 years ago, and then remastered, so the recording quality really sucks.  But the playing is GLORIOUS!