Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 'Appassionata'

YUNDI makes his return to Universal and DG conquering new grounds with his first ever Beethoven recording. The album focuses on the composer’s most beloved and romantic piano works, the three name sonatas Moonlight, Pathétique and Appassionata

After winning the 2000 Warsaw Chopin competition Yundi immediately established himself among the leading pianists of his generation.

Rising to outstanding stardom in his native China (where he has performed in TV shows watched by hundreds of millions of people, together with stars like Kylie Minogue) he has maintained his dedication to the classical world.

Richter’s genius was identifiable over a wide variety of styles and this Regis disc attempts to convey his artistic diversity. The programme features Haydn, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy and Prokofiev taken form a series of recitals in Carnegie Hall and Wembley Town Hall in the early 1960s. Super-budget price.

One of Eloquence’s chief credos is to bring back into circulation forgotten recordings or artists who’ve slipped from memory. ‘Hans Richter-Who?’ you might say. Born in 1912 in Dresden and taught there both by Hans Schneider and in the famous class of Robert Teichmüller, around the age of 30 Richter-Haaser moved to Detmold. At first Richter-Haaser took over the artistic direction of the city orchestra. But by 1947 he had already been entrusted with a piano masterclass. This must be seen as a substantial foundation for the rank and renown of the Detmold Music Academy, which in recent years has become a sort of forge for pianists. His recordings are, sadly, few and far between. He recorded Beethoven sonatas for both Philips and EMI. Issued several years ago on its ‘The Early Years’ imprint, these Beethoven recordings from the 1950s are long out of print and a much sought-after collector’s item. The sonatas are coupled here with Richter-Haaser as soloist in the Choral Fantasy, with Karl Böhm conducting.

Regis presents three of Beethoven’s most popular piano sonatas played by the incomparable Sviatoslav Richter, available at super-budget price.

Produced by EMI Classics in partnership with the prestigious National Gallery in London, The National Gallery Collection is a budget-price catalogue series bringing together the very best in fine art and classical music.

The collection features a selection of classical masterworks in celebrated recordings from the EMI Classics catalogue, brought together with great artworks from The National Gallery’s permanent collection.

“Sonata pour piano quasi una fantasia” was the title that Beethoven himself gave in 1801 to his celebrated Sonata Op.27 No.2, which the poet Ludwig Rellstab later christened the “Moonlight” sonata. The work consists of three movements: an Adagio sostenuto, whose melody unfurls over a dreamy nocturne-like texture, an Allegretto that combines elements of both scherzo and minuet, and a Presto agitato marked by a virtuosity that is almost violent and even desperate.

The C major Sonata Op.53 has acquired two subtitles: “Waldstein” and “Dawn”. Completed in 1804, it was dedicated to Count Waldstein, one of Beethoven’s patrons. It consists of two movements and begins with an Allegro con brio in which the dimensions of sonata form are vastly extended. A slow Introduzione leads into the Rondo finale, with its ever-changing colours and unbounded vitality.

Written between 1804 and 1806, the F minor Sonata Op.57 (the “Appassionata”) was one of Beethoven’s favourites; he considered it to be his greatest sonata. He used to advise performers of this work to read Shakespeare’s Tempest, which led Romain Rolland to compare the “Appassionata” to “a fiery torrent on a bed of granite”. It is in three movements: an Allegro assai that explores the menacing lower register of the piano, a slow movement in variation form, in which the tension is never allowed to slacken, and a tormented Allegro ma non troppo, whose headlong rush is combined with magnificent, almost orchestral sonorities.

Three of the most passionate and powerful of Beethoven’s sonatas with titles to match: Beethoven’s Appassionata, Pathétique and Tempest sonatas are three of his best-known and most dramatic piano works, here presented together on one recording by of the most exciting young female pianists.