Brautigam: Beethoven – The Complete Piano Sonatas (24/44 FLAC)

Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer: Ronald Brautigam
Audio CD
Number of Discs: 9
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Bis
Size: 6.86 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

Disc 1
Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2 No. 1 (1793–95)
Dedicated to Joseph Haydn. First Edition: Artaria, Vienna 1796
01. I. Allegro
02. II. Adagio
03. III. Menuetto. Allegretto
04. IV. Prestissimo

Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 2 No. 2 (1793–95)
Dedicated to Joseph Haydn. First Edition: Artaria, Vienna 1796
05. I. Allegro vivace
06. II. Largo appassionato
07. III. Scherzo. Allegretto
08. IV. Rondo. Grazioso

Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2 No. 3 (1793–95) 26’44
Dedicated to Joseph Haydn. First Edition: Artaria, Vienna 1796
09. I. Allegro con brio
10. II. Adagio
11. III. Scherzo. Allegro
12. IV. Allegro assai

Sonata No. 19 in G minor, Op. 49 No. 1 (1797?)
First edition: Bureau des Arts et d’Industrie, Vienna 1805
13. I. Andante
14. II. Rondo. Allegro

Sonata No. 20 in G major, Op. 49 No. 2 (1795)
First edition: Bureau des Arts et d’Industrie, Vienna 1805
15. I. Allegro, ma non troppo
16. II. Tempo di Menuetto

Fortepiano by Paul McNulty 2001, after Walter & Sohn c. 1802

Disc 2
Sonata No. 4 in E flat major, Op. 7 (1796–97)
Dedicated to Countess Barbara Keglevics. First Edition: Artaria, Vienna 1797
01. I. Allegro molto e con brio
02. II. Largo, con gran espressione
03. III. Allegro
04. IV. Rondo. Poco allegretto e grazioso

Sonata No. 5 in C minor, Op. 10 No. 1 (1795–98)
Dedicated to Countess Anna Margarete von Browne. First Edition: Eder, Vienna 1798
05. I. Allegro molto e con brio
06. II. Adagio molto
07. III. Finale. Prestissimo

Sonata No. 6 in F major, Op. 10 No. 2 (1795–98)
Dedicated to Countess Anna Margarete von Browne. First Edition: Eder, Vienna 1798
08. I. Allegro
09. II. Allegretto
10. III. Presto

Sonata No. 7 in D major, Op. 10 No. 3 (1795–98) 22’35
Dedicated to Countess Anna Margarete von Browne. First Edition: Eder, Vienna 1798
11. I. Presto
12. II. Largo e mesto
13. III. Menuetto. Allegro
14. IV. Rondo. Allegro

Fortepiano by Paul McNulty 2001, after Walter & Sohn c. 1802

Disc 3
Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13, ‘Pathétique’ (1797–98)
Dedicated to Prince Carl von Lichnowsky. First edition: Hoffmeister, Vienna 1799
01. I. Grave – Allegro di molto e con brio
02. II. Adagio cantabile
03. III. Rondo. Allegro

Sonata No. 9 in E major, Op. 14 No. 1 (1797?)
Dedicated to Baroness Josefa von Braun. First edition: Mollo, Vienna 1799
04. I. Allegro
05. II. Allegretto
06. III. Rondo. Allegro commodo

Sonata No. 10 in G major, Op. 14 No. 2 (1797?)
Dedicated to Baroness Josefa von Braun. First edition: Mollo, Vienna 1799
07. I. Allegro
08. II. Andante
09. III. Scherzo. Allegro assai

Sonata No. 11 in B flat major, Op. 22 (1800)
Dedicated to Count von Browne. First edition: Hoffmeister, Leipzig 1802
10. I. Allegro con brio
11. II. Adagio con molto espressione
12. III. Minuetto
13. IV. Rondo. Allegretto

Fortepiano by Paul McNulty 2001, after Walter & Sohn c. 1802

Disc 4
Sonata No. 12 in A flat major, Op. 26 (1800–01)
Dedicated to Prince Carl von Lichnowsky. First Edition: Cappi, Vienna 1802
01. I. Andante con variazioni
02. II. Scherzo.Allegro molto
03. III. Marcia funebre sulla morte d’un Eroe
04. IV. Allegro

Sonata No. 13 in E flat major, Op. 27 No. 1 (1800–01)
Sonata quasi una fantasia
Dedicated to Princess Josephine von Liechtenstein. First Edition: Cappi, Vienna 1802
05. I. Andante – Allegro (attacca)
06. II. Allegro molto e vivace (attacca)
07. III. Adagio con espressione (attacca)
08. IV. Allegro vivace – Presto

Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 (1801)
Sonata quasi una fantasia, ‘Mondschein’
Dedicated to Countess Giulietta Guicciardi. First Edition: Cappi, Vienna 1802
09. I. Adagio sostenuto (attacca)
10. II. Allegretto
11. III. Presto agitato

Sonata No. 15 in D major, Op. 28, ‘Pastorale’ (1801)
Dedicated to Joseph Edlem von Sonnenfels. First Edition: Bureau des Arts et d’Industrie, Vienna 1802
12. I. Allegro
13. II. Andante
14. III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace
15. IV. Rondo. Allegro ma non troppo

Fortepiano by Paul McNulty 2001, after Walter & Sohn c. 1802

Disc 5
Sonata No. 16 in G major, Op. 31 No. 1 (1802)
First Edition: Nägeli, Zurich 1803
01. I. Allegro vivace
02. II. Adagio grazioso
03. III. Rondo. Allegretto

Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31 No. 2, ‘Der Sturm’ (1802)
First Edition: Nägeli, Zurich 1803
04. I. Largo – Allegro
05. II. Adagio
06. III. Allegretto

Sonata No. 18 in E flat major, Op. 31 No. 3 (1802)
First Edition: Nägeli, Zurich 1804
07. I. Allegro
08. II. Scherzo. Allegretto vivace
09. III. Menuetto. Moderato e grazioso
10. IV. Presto con fuoco

Fortepiano by Paul McNulty 2001, after Walter & Sohn c. 1802

Disc 6
Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53, ‘Waldstein’ (1803–04)
Dedicated to Count Ferdinand von Waldstein. First Edition: Bureau des Arts et d’Industrie, Vienna 1805
01. I. Allegro con brio
02. II. Introduzione.Adagio molto (attacca subito il Rondo)
03. III. Rondo. Allegretto moderato – Prestissimo

Sonata No. 22 in F major, Op. 54 (1804)
First Edition: Bureau des Arts et d’Industrie, Vienna 1806
04. I. In Tempo d’un Menuetto
05. II. Allegretto – Più Allegro

Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57, ‘Appassionata’ (1804–05)
Dedicated to Count Franz von Brunsvik. First Edition: Bureau des Arts et d’Industrie, Vienna 1807
06. I. Allegro assai
07. II. Andante con moto (attacca l’Allegro)
08. III. Allegro ma non troppo – Presto

Sonata No. 24 in F sharp major, Op. 78 (1809)
Dedicated to Countess Therese von Brunsvik. First Edition: Clementi, London 1810
09. I. Adagio cantabile – Allegro ma non troppo
10. II. Allegro vivace

Sonata No. 25 (Sonatine) in G major, Op. 79 (1809)
First Edition: Clementi, London 1810
11. I. Presto alla tedesca
12. II. Andante
13. III. Vivace

Fortepiano by Paul McNulty 2007, after Conrad Graf c. 1819

Disc 7
Sonata No. 26 in E flat major, Op. 81a (1809–10)
‘Das Lebewohl’
Dedicated to Archduke Rudolph von Habsburg. First Edition: Breitkopf & Härtel, Leipzig 1811
01. I. Das Lebewohl (Les Adieux)
Adagio – Allegro
02. II. Abwesenheit (L’Absence)
Andante espressivo (In gehender Bewegung, doch mit viel Ausdruck)
03. III. Das Wiedersehen (Le Retour)
Vivacissimamente (Im lebhaftesten Zeitmaße)

Sonata No. 27 in E minor, Op. 90 (1814)
Dedicated to Count Moritz von Lichnowsky. First Edition: Steiner, Vienna 1815
04. I. Mit Lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit Empfindung und Ausdruck
05. II. Nicht zu geschwind und sehr singbahr vorgetragen

Sonata No. 29 in B flat major, Op. 106 (1817–18)
‘Große Sonate für das Hammerklavier’
Dedicated to Archduke Rudolph von Habsburg. First Edition: Artaria, Vienna 1819
06. I. Allegro
07. II. Scherzo. Assai vivace
08. III. Adagio sostenuto (Appassionato e con molto sentimento)
09. IV. Largo – Allegro risoluto – Fuga a tre voci, con alcune licenze

Fortepiano by Paul McNulty 2007, after Conrad Graf c. 1819

Disc 8
Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101 (1816)
Dedicated to Baroness Dorothea Ertmann. First Edition: Steiner, Vienna 1817
01. I. Etwas lebhaft und mit der innigsten Empfindung
(Allegretto, ma non troppo)
02. II. Lebhaft. Marschmäßig (Vivace alla Marcia)
03. III. Langsam und sehnsuchtsvoll
(Adagio, ma non troppo, con affetto)
04. IV. Geschwinde, doch nicht zu sehr, und mit Entschlossenheit (Allegro)

Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109 (1820)
Dedicated to Maximiliane von Brentano. First Edition: Schlesinger, Berlin 1821
05. I. Vivace, ma non troppo
06. II. Prestissimo
07. III. Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung
(Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo)

Sonata No. 31 in A flat major, Op. 110 (1821–22)
First Edition: Schlesinger, Berlin 1822
08. I. Moderato cantabile molto espressivo
09. II. Allegro molto
10. III. Adagio ma non troppo – Fuga: Allegro ma non troppo

Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111 (1821–22)
Dedicated to Archduke Rudolph von Habsburg. First Edition: Schlesinger, Berlin 1823
11. I. Maestoso – Allegro con brio ed appassionato
12. II. Arietta (Adagio molto semplice e cantabile)

Fortepiano by Paul McNulty 2007, after Conrad Graf c. 1819

Disc 9
3 Sonatas, WoO 47 (‘Kurfürsten’ Sonatas) (1783)
Dedicated to Archduke Maximilian Friedrich. First Edition: Bossler, Speyer, Bonn 1783

No. 1 in E flat major
01. I. Allegro cantabile
02. II. Andante
03. III. Rondo vivace

No. 2 in F minor
04. I. Larghetto maestoso – Allegro assai
05. II. Andante
06. III. Presto

No. 3 in D major
07. I. Allegro
08. II. Menuetto sostenuto – [6 variations]
09. III. Scherzando. Allegro, ma non troppo

Zwei Sätze einer Sonatine, WoO 50 (c. 1789–91?)
Dedicated to Franz Wegeler. Published posthumously
10. I.
11. II. Allegretto

2 Leichte Sonatinen, Kinsky-Halm Anh. 5 (c. 1790–92?)
Attributed. Published posthumously

No. 1 in G major
12. I. Moderato
13. II. Romanze

No. 2 in F major
14. I. Allegro assai
15. II. Rondo.Allegro

Zwei Stücke für Klavier (Orphika) (c. 1794–96?)
‘Leichte Sonate’, WoO 51
Dedicated to Eleonore von Breuning. Published posthumously
16. I. Allegro
17. II. Adagio

Fortepiano by Paul McNulty 2007, after a Stein fortepiano from 1788

“There’s no point making a list of highlights as there are no weak performances here; just choose a favourite Beethoven Sonata and hear it refreshed, revitalised and illuminated. …the recordings are impeccable.” BBC Music Magazine; “The playing is sensational. …Brautigam’s late sonatas are never less than masterful…” Gramophone

The 32 Piano Sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven are often referred to as the ‘New Testament’ of the keyboard literature, following on the ‘Old Testament’ of J.S. Bach’s 48 preludes and fugues in the Well-Tempered Clavier. Composed over a period of almost three decades, from 1795 to 1822, the sonatas constitute a fascinating panorama of an artistic career which underwent numerous changes – not to say upheavals – but nevertheless remained remarkably consistent.

Ever since the first recording of the entire cycle, by Artur Schnabel in the 1930s, a number of the world’s leading pianists have given us their performances of this monumental collection on disc. One of the latest cycles is that of Ronald Brautigam, released on single discs between 2004 and 2010. Performed on the fortepiano, as part of a series of Beethoven’s complete solo keyboard works, Brautigam’s recordings have been described as ‘riveting’, ‘compelling’ and ‘revolutionary’. The eight discs with the 32 sonatas are now being released as a boxed set, along with a ninth disc containing the early, unnumbered sonatas.

Contributing factors to the ‘refreshing directness’ that reviewers have experienced in these performances are the widely praised recorded sound and the carefully selected instruments, built by Paul McNulty after originals from 1788-1819 by the foremost Viennese makers of fortepianos. For this boxed set, the original SACD format has been retained – along with the possibility of listening to the performances in surround – thus offering the opportunity of sharing the experience of one reviewer: ‘One has almost the impression of being a contemporary of Beethoven’s: one of the first, infinitely startled – not to say shocked – witnesses to this music’ (Süddeutsche Zeitung).