I'll be brief (promise!) Many many

I'll be brief (promise!) Many many years ago my favorite Beethoven sonatas were op 109 and 110, and my favorite version was the LP by Dame Myra Hess on Angel. I couldn't find a better one, major inner-groove distortion notwithstanding (what's that? say the younger folk--ask your Dad).After some years, I heard RG's late sonatas about the time CDs were first coming out. Bye bye Myra and distortion too! It sounded to me, and still does, as if RG could simply hear the music on a longer time scale than the rest of us. This allowed him to develop strategies and tactics that made the music "work" better. Well, it's kind of hard to explain what I mean.Anyway, not having much money, I bought RG's late sonatas only. For the rest, it was Jeno Jando on Naxos, a steal at $5/disc in those days. Mr. Jando is a superb pianist but a bit dry for my day-to-day taste in Beethoven. So when the money got a bit better, I bought the whole RG box (but kept the Jando).Which is a roundabout way of saying that RG has been my go-to guy for Beethoven's sonatas for many years. I enjoy listening to alternatives but remain happy with RG overall. I ABSOLUTELY disagree with some critics here who find him getting weaker in the final sonatas. If anything, the opposite is true.The "best" version of these fantastic sonatas will always be a very personal choice, but I suspect few will go far astray with RG's most excellent set.