Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 4 in E flat major, Op. 7

On the second volume in his complete cycle of all 32 sonatas, Jonathan Biss has chosen the early but large-scale ‘Grand Sonata’ op.7 from 1796, a work exceeded in length only by the ‘Hammerklavier’ sonata, and the most famous of all the sonatas – the ‘Moonlight’, along with the Fantasy and op.78.

Spanning the years 1795 to 1822, the piano sonatas contain some of Beethoven’s most profound musical utterances. Beethoven’s subtle transformation of the piano sonata form is extraordinary, from the classical style of the early sonatas to the freer multi-movement structures of the visionary late works. The rare Fantasy op.77 gives an insight to Beethoven’s improvisatory style, in which he was without equal. Moscheles and Czerny both said that this work reminded them of Beethoven’s famous improvisations. It dates from 1808, the same year as the delightful and compact op.78 sonata.

The brilliant 24-year-old Korean pianist HJ Lim, who signed an exclusive contract with EMI Classics in September 2011, has recorded her first project for the label, an ambitious traversal of the Complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas. Lim, a Yamaha exclusive artist, recorded the sonatas on a Yamaha CFX concert grand piano in July and August 2011, grouping them into eight themes. The recordings will be released as four 2-CD sets over the course of 2012 with a complete deluxe box set to be available at the conclusion of the project.

Pianists who record the Beethoven sonatas cycle usually do so at the peak of long and storied careers. With this bold and controversial recording project, HJ Lim aims to prove that at the age of 24 she is ready to record the Beethoven sonatas now. She has the intelligence and artistic vision and her powerful performances have been captivating both traditional and new audiences. She has already performed complete Beethoven sonatas cycles over eight days each in France, Germany and Japan.

Murray Perahia is a master interpreter of Beethoven. Here are his recordings of three Piano Sonatas that prompted the Penguin Guide to proclaim Perhaia “an authoritative and sensitive interpreter of Beethoven”.

The latest recording by the celebrated Ukrainian pianist Sergei Edelmann for Triton features three of Beethoven’s sonatas for solo piano: No. 4 in E flat major opus 7, and two of his best known works, Sonatas No.14 in C# minor opus 27 No.2 known as the ‘Moonlight’, and 23 in F minor opus 57 ‘Appassionata’.

Born in Lvov, Ukraine in 1960, Sergei Edelmann was taught to play by his father, Alexander Edelmann, a renowned pianist and teacher who had links with Vladimir Horowitz and Sviatoslav Richter. His BMG Classics/RCA Red Seal CDs feature recordings of both Mendelssohn Concertos and the Strauss Burlesque, and his series of solo recordings of Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, and Prokofiev, have gathered enthusiastic critical acclaim. In recent times he has made several recordings for Triton, including discs devoted to the music of Schumann (EXCL00025), and Chopin (OVCT00058).

Following closely after the opus 2 set of three sonatas which were written in 1796, the next in the series, Op. 7, stands alone, and bears the designation ‘Grande Sonate’. It was composed around the same time as the first two piano concertos. The two Sonatas which make up Beethoven’s Op. 27 were composed in 1801, between the First and Second Symphonies. Both have the same sub-title, ‘Sonata in the manner of a fantasia’, the fantasy element of No. 2 coming through having the slow movement at the start. It was this that prompted the work’s poetic nickname of ‘Moonlight’ Sonata. The opus 57 Sonata was written in around 1805 the same time as the 3rd and 4th Symphonies, the 4th Piano Concerto, the ‘Rasumovsky’ String Quartets, and the Violin Concerto. The title ‘Appassionata’ is thought to have been added to the work by the publisher.