Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 31 in A flat major, Op. 110

The 3rd volume of Beethoven Piano Sonatas, of which Gieseking was in the middle of recording with EMI when he died.

Since his first release for Virgin Classics, Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations in 2000, Polish pianist Piotr Anderszewski’s has produced a catalogue which ranges from Bach and Mozart, through more Beethoven to Chopin, Szymanowski and Webern, and which includes several prizewinning recordings.

Both intellectual and inspirational, Anderszewski has said of musical interpretation: “One can speculate endlessly about the right ingredients, the perfect combination but the essential question remains unanswerable, lying far beyond the limits of the cleverest and most refined argument. And yet one goes on searching and, while realising that the search is about everything, the essence may yet reveal itself in the most unexpected way.”

This new release captures live performances by Anderszewski at a very recent recital – December 2008 – in New York’s legendary Carnegie Hall. The critic of the New York Times made clear that this was an exceptional musical experience.

After a performance so intense and draining, the notion of encores almost seemed superfluous. But Bartók’s Three Hungarian Folksongs from the Csik District had a welcome earthiness”

Anderszewski repeated the programme in Chicago shortly afterwards, and the response of the Chicago Sun Times was at a similar level of enthusiasm:

“There is something deeply comforting about the kind of perfection that Polish-Hungarian pianist Piotr Anderszewski brought to his program of Bach, Janácek and Beethoven … Perfection is a relative term when it comes to art, of course. There are myriad but equally valid ways to play a Bach partita or Beethoven sonata … Different artists plumb different facets in a piece of music, and listeners can only benefit from hearing what each one has managed to unearth.

But during the two hours or so that they are onstage, artists like Anderszewski manage to create a universe that seems utterly complete unto itself. There is a sense of inevitability in their performance, a feeling that the true essence of a composer's intentions has been discovered. Especially when our daily lives are battered by forces beyond our control, it is reassuring to spend an afternoon in a world of such richly calibrated balance.“

“It can be hard not to wax hyperbolic when confronted with the pianist Piotr Anderszewski’s sensitive touch and potent imagination.” New York Times

The release of the last two volumes of Schiff’s complete Beethoven Sonatas this autumn finally offers the opportunity to view, and hear, the pianist’s approach to this unique repertoire segment in total. Volume VIII, recorded at the Reitstadl in Neumarkt, Germany rather than the Tonhalle Zurich used for all the previous instalments, includes the Sonatas Nos. 30, 31 and 32. “This was a Beethoven which transfixed the audience with its Apollonian balance, its subtly hued sonic and dynamic differentiation, depth of thought and technical command…The three sonatas sounded like a quintessence of pure late style, otherworldly as if made from precious marble”, wrote the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reviewing Schiff in concert. The booklet for this final volume includes not only an extensive interview with the pianist on the recorded sonatas but also a performer’s note about his personal approach to and experiences with Beethoven.