Ludwig van Beethoven: The Piano Sonatas

Andras Schiff: “The Beethoven sonatas can be logically divided into three distinct groups: early, middle and late. To me, playing them in chronological order is most convincing and deeply satisfying. Among the thirty-two there is not one weak link. And this way the listener is able to follow the process of evolution, step by step. It is a learning experience; we are fellow travellers on a fantastic voyage.”

This specially-priced 11 CD edition contains the complete piano sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven, recorded live in concert at the Tonhalle in Zürich. It also includes the encores from these concerts with works by Schubert, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and Bach, as well as an extensive booklet, which re-collects all original conversations around the sonatas, and adds an insightful new text by András Schiff reflecting upon the “Encores after Beethoven”.

Andras Schiff - Piano

Tracklist:

CD 1

Sonata No. 1 f minor op. 2/1

1. Allegro

2. Adagio

3. Menuetto. Allegretto

4. Prestissimo

Sonata No. 2 A major op. 2/2

5. Allegro vivace

6. Largo appassionato

7. Scherzo. Allegro

8. Rondo. Grazioso

Sonata No. 3 C major op. 2/3

9. Allegro con brio

10. Adagio

11. Scherzo. Allegro

12. Allegro assai

CD 2

Sonata No. 4 E-flat major op. 7

1. Allegro molto e con brio

2. Largo, con gran espressione

3. Allegro

4. Rondo. Poco allegretto e grazioso

CD 3

Sonata No. 5 c minor op 10/1

1. Allegro molto e con brio

2. Adagio molto

3. Finale. Prestissimo

Sonata No. 6 F major op. 10/2

4. Allegro

5. Allegretto

6. Presto

Sonata No. 7 D major op. 10/3

7. Presto

8. Largo e mesto

9. Menuetto. Allegretto

10. Rondo. Allegro

Sonata No. 8 c minor op. 13

11. Grave. Allegro molto e con brio

12. Adagio Cantabile

13. Rondo. Allegro

CD 4

Sonata No. 19 g minor op. 49/1

1. Andante

2. Rondo. Allegro

Sonata No. 20 G major op. 49/2

3. Allegro, ma non troppo

4. Tempo di Menuetto

Sonata No. 9 E major op. 14/1

5. Allegro

6. Allegretto

7. Rondo. Allegro comodo

Sonata No. 10 G major op. 14/2

8. Allegro

9. Andante

10. Scherzo. Allegro assai

Sonata No. 11 B flat major op. 22

11. Allegro con brio

12. Adagio con molta espressione

13. Minuetto

14. Ronde. Allegretto

CD 5

Sonata No. 12 A-flat major op. 26

1. Andante con Variazioni

2. Scherzo. Allegro molto

3. Marcia funebre sulla morte d'un Eroe

4. Allegro

Sonata No. 13 E-flat major op. 27/1

5. Andante - Allegro - Tempo I

6. Allegro molto e vivace

7. Adagio con espressione

8. Allegro vivace

Sonata No. 14 c-sharp minor op. 27/2

9. Adagio sostenuto

10. Allegretto

11. Presto agitato

Sonata No. 15 D major op. 28

12. Allegro

13. Andante

14. Scherzo. Allegro ma non troppo

15. Rondo. Allegro ma non troppo

CD 6

Sonata No. 16 G major op. 31/1

1. Allegro vivace

2. Adagio grazioso

3. Rondo. Allegretto

Sonata No. 17 d minor op. 31/2 "The Tempest"

4. Largo - Allegro

5. Adagio

6. Allegretto

Sonata No. 18 E-flat major op. 31/3 "The Hunt"

7. Allegro

8. Scherzo. Allegretto vivace

9. Menuetto. Moderato e grazioso

10. Presto con fuoco

CD 7

Sonata No. 21 C major op. 53 "Waldstein"

1. Allegro con brio

2. Introduzione. Adagio molto

3. Rondo. Allegretto moderato

4. Andante favori F major WoO 57 - Andante grazioso con moto

   (Ludwig van Beethoven)

CD 8

Sonata No. 22 F major op. 54

1. In Tempo d'un Menuetto

2. Allegretto

Sonata No. 23 f minor op. 57 “Appassionata”

3. Allegro assai

4. Andante con moto

5. Allegro ma non troppo

Sonata No. 24 F-sharp major op. 78 “à Thérèse”

6. Adagio cantabile - Allegro ma non troppo

7. Allegro vivace

Sonata No. 25 G major op. 79

8. Presto alla tedesca

9. Andante

10. Vivace

Sonata No. 26 E-flat major op. 81a “Les Adieux”

11. Das Lebewohl. Adagio - Allegro

12. Abwesenheit. Andante espressivo

13. Das Wiedersehen. Vivacissimamente

CD 9

Sonata No. 27 e minor op. 90

1. Mit Lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit Empfindung und Ausdruck

2. Nicht zu geschwind und sehr singbar vorgetragen

Sonata No. 28 A major op. 101

3. Etwas lebhaft und mit der innigsten Empfindung. Allegretto, ma non troppo

4. Lebhaft, Marschmäßig. Vivace alla Marcia

5. Langsam und sehnsuchtvoll. Adagio, ma non troppo, con affetto

6. Geschwinde, doch nicht zu sehr, und mit Entschlossenheit. Allegro

Sonata No. 29 B-flat major op. 106 "Hammerklavier"

7. Allegro

8. Scherzo. Assai vivace

9. Adagio sostenuto

10. Largo - Allegro risoluto

CD 10

Sonata No. 30 E major op. 109

1. Vivace, ma non troppo - Adagio esspressivo

2. Prestissimo

3. Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung. Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo

Sonata No. 31 A-flat major op. 110

4. Moderato cantabile molto espressivo

5. Allegro molto

6. Adagio ma non troppo - Fuga. Allegro ma non troppo

Sonata No. 32 c minor op. 111

7. Maestoso - Allegro con brio ed appassionato

8. Arietta. Adagio molto semplice e cantabile

CD 11

Three Piano Pieces D 946 (Franz Schubert)

1. No. 1 e-flat minor. Allegro assai

2. Allegretto c minor D 915

   (Franz Schubert)

3. Eine kleine Gigue in G Major KV 574

   (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)

Sonata g minor Hob XVI :44

(Joseph Haydn)

4. Moderato

5. Allegretto

6. Hungarian Melody in b minor D 817

   (Franz Schubert)

7. Andante favori F major WoO 57. Andante grazioso con moto

   (Ludwig van Beethoven)

Partita No. 1 B-flat Major BWV 825

(Johann Sebastian Bach)

8. Menuet I & II

9. Gigue

Prelude and Fugue b-flat minor BWV 867

(Johann Sebastian Bach)

10. Prelude

11. Fugue