Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer: Martin Roscoe
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Deux-Elles
Catalogue: DXL1168
Release: 2020
Size: 220 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 ‘Appassionata’
01. I. Allegro Assai
02. II. Andante con moto
03. III. Allegro ma non troppo
Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat major, Op. 81a ‘Les Adieux’
04. I. Das Lebewohl. Adagio – Allegro
05. II. Abwesenheit. Andante espressivo
06. III. Das Wiedersehen. Vivacissimamente
Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101
07. I. Etwas lebhaft und mit der innigsten Empfindung (Allegretto ma non troppo)
08. II. Lebhaft, Marschmäßig (Vivace alla marcia)
09. II. Langsam und sehnsuchtsvoll (Adagio, ma non troppo, con affetto)
10. IV. Geschwind, doch nicht zu sehr, und mit Entschlossenheit (Allegro)
Even by Beethoven’s own extraordinary standards, Op. 57 is one of his most striking and original works. Its intense emotion led to the unattributed nickname Appassionata around 1838, but the name really only tells part of the story. The visceral power, the tragic atmosphere and the many unique structural features all combine with that intensity to make the Appassionata arguably Beethoven’s greatest and most-admired piano sonata. It is followed here by Les Adieux, Beethoven’s personal and programmatic account of the departure, absence, and return of his friend and patron, Archduke Rudolph, who left Vienna with the rest of the Emperor’s entourage when Napoleon’s army invaded Austria in 1809. Finally, the Piano Sonata Op. 101 brings us into the world of Beethoven’s late works, with its special blend of grandeur and intimacy. The great fugal development in the final movement challenges the performer’s command of counterpoint to the extreme, while building towards the clamactic unveiling of the newly expanded piano’s low E.