Wilhelm Kempff Beethoven Sonatas: Mono Cycle vs Stereo Cycle

[sergei r]

Hi everyone,

I have heard a lot about Wilhelm Kempff and am considering purchasing his Beethoven Sonatas but I need some expert advice on which cycle is better. The DG mono cycle box set released to celebrate his 100th birthday looks like a very nice set including some bonus material on the great pianist. The stereo cycle though is of course in better sound but I'm not sure which one has the better playing and if the mono cycle's playing outweighs the sound of the stereo cycle or vice versa. Is the mono cycle's sound that bad or not because I have heard that it is better in terms of playing? I can't tell for myself the quality of this set's sound since there are no samples available on Amazon. Also, how good is Kempff's playing in the stereo cycle?

Your help is appreciated,

sergei r

[mikey6]

I have the mono cycle and the late sonatas stereo cycle.  The sound on the stereo is obviously better but the mono is acceptible - If I remember correctly, it's just a bit drier.  There are less repeats in the mono (had to make room to fit on the original LP's).  It also got classic recording status from gramophone.
Personally I think his rhythm is rather...not too strict in the mono, whereas I didn't have a problem with the stereo.  That's about all I can say.

[sergei r]

Thanks for the advice mikey. I'm kind of leaning towards the mono but am still not really sure...