Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer: Andreas Haefliger
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: BIS
Catalogue: BIS2607
Release: 2022
Size: 1.07 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Piano Sonata No. 16 in G major, Op. 31 No. 1
01. I. Allegro vivace
02. II. Adagio grazioso
03. III. Rondo. Allegretto
Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31 No. 2 ‘Tempest’
04. I. Largo – Allegro
05. II. Adagio
06. III. Allegretto
Piano Sonata No. 18 in E flat major, Op. 31 No. 3 ‘The Hunt’
07. I. Allegro
08. II. Scherzo. Allegretto vivace
09. III. Menuetto. Moderato e grazioso
10. IV. Presto con fuoco
Since 2004, Andreas Haefliger has been presenting “Perspectives”, a series of recital programmes, in concert and on recordings. Each programme focusses on one or two Beethoven Sonatas, juxtaposed with works by other composers which in some way interact with Beethoven’s music and with each other. Now, for this release on BIS, Haefliger has instead opted for an all-Beethoven recital, choosing to present the composer’s three sonatas Op. 31 as a group.
In his introduction, Haefliger describes the set as occupying “a very special place in the Beethoven sonata cycle: It preserves a link to the past but gives us also a vision of the works to come, exploring humour and tenderness, nature and the psychology of the human mind”. The recording took place in the Salle de Musique in La Chaux-de-Fonds, celebrated for its superb acoustics, on a Bechstein concert grand which Haefliger describes as “a piano which, while a modern instrument, retains a nostalgic quality in its sound world and was a constant source of inspiration during the sessions”.