Harmonia Mundi: HMC901903/05

Press comments:

"this second installment, three discs of sonatas ranging from early to late, is every bit as fascinating...There's a warmth to Lewis's playing which is irresistable...endlessly interesting, beautifully recorded set." Harriet Smith, International Record Review

"Here is one of those rare pianists who can charge even a single note or momentary pause with drama and significance...Faced with such excellence a mere critic can only abandon paper and pencil and listen to this heroic but deeply moving young artist with awe and amazement...Paul Lewis's superbly recorded and presented Beethoven may well turn out to be the most musicianly and ultimately satisfying of all recorded Beethoven piano sonata cycles." Editor's Choice, Bryce Morrison, Gramophone

"This outstanding young player continues his Beethoven cycle with this three-disc set offering some of the most beloved of the sonatas: the 'Waldstein,' 'Pathetique' and 'Hammerklavier' among them. Powerful, lucid and full of drama." Melinda Bargreen, Seattle Times

The rationale for the selection escapes me, but if it were merely meant to reveal Lewis's brilliance across the spectrum of Beethoven's piano writing, then it is a triumphant success...a delight and a wonder...Lewis is a masterful technician, and one with a certain visionary determination too. Bring on Volume 3." Pianist's Choice, Christopher Wood, Pianist