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Review title: Great performances, problematic recording
Product review: While Kovacevich may not posses the technical perfection of, say, Pollini, he more than makes up for with the intensity of performances documented in this boxed set.What is a serious problem, unfortunately, is the miking techniques used by the EMI engineering crew. I know what a piano sounds like (I have a Steinway in my living room), and the harsh clickety sound of the instrument in these recordings is impossible to circumvent for more than brief periods of listening--I find a complete listening through the "Hammerklavier" unbearable for fear of the potential for long term damage to my ear drums.For those starting off with a cycle, I'd suggest the almost-complete Gilels set, filling in what gaps you can with Pollini and Richter (the latter even if it doesn't fill any gaps--his Appassionata is breathtaking). If you're a Kovacevich fan the late sonatas here are better performed, but at least his earlier Philips recording is in tolerable sound.
