Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer: Maurizio Pollini
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Catalogue: E4776594
Release: 2007
Size: 190 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
Piano Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 2 No. 1
01. I. Allegro
02. II. Adagio
03. III. Menuetto. Allegretto
04. IV. Prestissimo
Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 2 No. 2
05. I. Allegro vivace
06. II. Largo appassionato
07. III. Scherzo. Allegretto
08. IV. Rondo. Grazioso
Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2 No. 3
09. I. Allegro con brio
10. II. Adagio
11. III. Scherzo. Allegro
12. IV. Allegro assai
Composed in 1793-95, just after he went to Vienna and while he was still chiefly making his name as a pianist, Beethoven’s op.2 needs no apology for coming first in the series of 32: in scope, variety and dramatic power, these sonatas are already authentically Beethovenian – bold, brilliantly virtuosic and, in the slow movements, often profoundly expressive works which, deservedly, have always been popular among pianists and music lovers
As would be expected from the technically polished, formally balanced, and articulate Italian pianist Maurizio Pollini, these are magisterial recordings of Beethoven’s three Op. 2 Piano Sonatas. They are lucid, musical, and entirely free of affectation, and they articulate every marking in the score, from the smallest dynamic marking to the biggest exposition. Some listeners may find Pollini’s performances too brisk in the fast movements and too crisp in the slow movements, and others might even protest that Pollini’s interpretations are too objective — missing some of the deeper emotional content of the A major Sonata’s Largo appassionato, for example. But these complaints are more a matter of subjective taste than of objective criticism, and anyone who has enjoyed Pollini’s recordings in the past will surely enjoy this 2007 recording. Deutsche Grammophon’s digital sound is virtually translucent: one can hear even the pedals being depressed.