Has anyone heard Robert Silverman's recordings of the complete Beethoven piano sonatas? If so, could you comment on the artistry and overall sound quality? At $65 for a set of 10 CDs, these may not be exactly cheap, but that's also a good price for all the Beethoven sonatas. I do have a slight nagging suspicion about these recordings: they were made in a highly unusual way, during the course of one weekend on a Busendorfer Reproducing Piano from "takes" of the pianist's prior recordings. The artist himself (Silverman, alas, not Beethoven) reportedly was happy with the results of this unorthodox recording methodology, but I'd like to hear some independent critical acclaim before plinking down my own $65 for this set. I think Silverman's own comment, cribbed from his website, is revealing of his feeling about the Beethoven sonatas: "Richard Goode told me my life would never be the same afterward, and he was right." Here's a link to the recordings (look for the second one listed): https://secure.stereophile.com/stereophile/recordings.shtml Canadian Robert Silverman, by the way, is a pianist who I find curiously ignored, at least in these 48 states (or however many there are these days). Just for example, I don't recall his ever being mentioned on this list. He does most of his concertizing in Canada, although I gather he has been well received south of the border. I understand there are many fine pianists out there, but I think some of his recordings are masterful. In my admittedly agricultural opinion, his performance of the Brahms Sonata in F Minor edges out that of Murray Perhia, although there may be some imprinting involved there, as Silverman's was the first recording of that piece that I heard. Silverman just this past weekend performed in Washington D.C., and to my distress and shame I was too grumpy to attend, for reasons that will probably be apparent to all Americans on this list. http://www.robert-silverman.com/ "Laurence Sherwood" <[log in to unmask]>