In a world like ours, shaped by centrifugal forces, even a monumental corpus like Beethoven's thirty-two piano sonatas can appear in a new light. Chronological examination of it's genesis reveals fascinating parallels. - The Sonatas op.2 were published in the last year of the French Revolution. - The ensuing wave of political migration reached Vienna and also affected Elector Maximilian Franz, who was not only the brother of Marie Antoinette and Emperor Joseph II but had also been Beethoven's employer in Bonn. - Beethoven gave compositional form to the triumph and downfall of a tyrant who brought war to Europe and occupied Vienna. - After the international peace conference of 1815, he vigorously embarked on writing modernistic late works in opposition to the emerging police state and it's postmodern entertainment culture. Konstantin Lifschitz applies strict criteria in order to realize the groundbreaking compositional dynamics of these works. He shows his musical independence by supplementing the cycle of sonatas with the Allegretto WoO 53, and still has much to tell us about it, defying past and present fashions. The fact that he recorded the massive cycle live on eight consecutive days also makes this set a monument in it's own right.
6 Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13, "Pathétique"
7 5. I. Grave - Allegro Di Molto E Con Brio
8 6. II. Adagio Cantabile
9 7. III. Rondo: Allegro
10 Piano Sonata No. 9 in E Major, Op. 14, No. 1
11 8. I. Allegro
12 9. II. Allegretto
13 10. III. Rondo: Allegro Comodo
14 Piano Sonata No. 10 in G Major, Op. 14, No. 2
15 11. I. Allegro
16 12. II. Andante
17 13. III. Scherzo: Allegro Assai
- Disc 4 -
1 Piano Sonata No. 11 in B-Flat Major, Op. 22
2 1. I. Allegro Con Brio
3 2. II. Adagio Con Molta Espressione
4 3. III. Minuetto
5 4. IV. Rondo: Allegretto
6 Piano Sonata No. 12 in A-Flat Major, Op. 26, "Sonate Mit Dem Trauermarsch"
7 5. I. Andante Con Variazioni
8 6. II. Scherzo: Allegro Molto
9 7. III. Marcia Funebre Sulla Morte D'un Eroe
10 8. IV. Allegro
11 Piano Sonata No. 15 in D Major, Op. 28, "Pastoral"
12 9. I. Allegro
13 10. II. Andante
14 11. III. Scherzo: Allegro Vivace
15 12. IV. Rondo: Allegro Ma Non Troppo
- Disc 5 -
1 Piano Sonata No. 16 in G Major, Op. 31, No. 1
2 1. I. Allegro Vivace
3 2. II. Adagio Grazioso
4 3. III. Rondo: Allegretto
5 Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31, No. 2, "Tempest"
6 4. I. Largo - Allegro
7 5. II. Adagio
8 6. III. Allegretto
9 Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-Flat Major, Op. 31, No. 3, "La Chasse"
10 7. I. Allegro
11 8. II. Scherzo: Allegretto Vivace
12 9. III. Menuetto: Moderato E Grazioso - Trio
13 10. IV. Presto Con Fuoco
- Disc 6 -
1 Piano Sonata No. 13 in E-Flat Major, Op. 27, No. 1
2 1. I. Andante
3 2. II. Allegro Molto E Vivace
4 3. III. Adagio Con Espressione
5 4. IV. Allegro Vivace
6 Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2, "Moonlight"
7 5. I. Adagio Sostenuto
8 6. II. Allegretto
9 7. III. Presto Agitato
10 Piano Sonata No. 19 in G minor, Op. 49, No. 1
11 8. I. Andante
12 9. II. Rondo: Allegro
13 Piano Sonata No. 20 in G Major, Op. 49, No. 2
14 10. I. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
15 11. II. Tempo Di Menuetto
- Disc 7 -
1 Piano Sonata No. 21 in C Major, Op. 53, "Waldstein"
2 1. I. Allegro Con Brio
3 2. II. Introduzione: Adagio Molto
4 3. III. Rondo: Allegretto Moderato - Prestissimo
5 Piano Sonata No. 22 in F Major, Op. 54
6 4. I. in Tempo D'un Minuetto
7 5. II. Allegretto - Più Allegro
8 Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57, "Appassionata"
9 6. I. Allegro Assai
10 7. II. Andante Con Moto
11 8. III. Allegro Ma Non Troppo - Presto
- Disc 8 -
1 Piano Sonata No. 24 in F-Sharp Major, Op. 78
2 1. I. Adagio Cantabile - Allegro Ma Non Troppo
3 2. II. Allegro Vivace
4 Piano Sonata No. 25 in G Major, Op. 79
5 3. I. Presto Alla Tedesca
6 4. II. Andante
7 5. III. Vivace
8 Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-Flat Major, Op. 81A, "Les Adieux"
9 6. I. Das Lebewohl: Adagio - Allegro
10 7. II. Abwesenheit: Andante Espressivo
11 8. III. Das Wiedersehn: Vivacissimamente
12 Piano Sonata No. 27 in E minor, Op. 90
13 9. I. Mit Lebhaftigkeit Und Durchaus Mit Empfindung Und Ausdruck
14 10. II. Nicht Zu Geschwind Und Sehr Singbar Vorgetragen
15 Piano Sonata No. 28 in a Major, Op. 101
16 11. I. Etwas Lebhaft Und Mit Der Innigsten Empfindung
17 12. II. Lebhaft. Marschmässig
18 13. III. Langsam Und Sehnsuchtsvoll
19 14. IV. Geschwind, Doch Nicht Zu Sehr, Und Mit Entschlossenheit
- Disc 9 -
1 Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-Flat Major, Op. 106, "Hammerklavier"
2 1. I. Allegro
3 2. II. Scherzo: Assai Vivace - Presto - Tempo I
4 3. III. Adagio Sostenuto, Appassionato E Con Molto Sentimento
5 4. IV. Largo - Allegro Risoluto
- Disc 10 -
1 Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109
2 1. I. Vivace Ma Non Troppo
3 2. II. Prestissimo
4 3. III. Gesangvoll, Mit Innigster Empfindung: Andante Molto Cantabile Ed Espressivo
5 Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-Flat Major, Op. 110
6 4. I. Moderato Cantabile Molto Espressivo
7 5. II. Allegro Molto
8 6. III. Adagio Ma Non Troppo - Fuga: Allegro Ma Non Troppo
9 Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111
10 7. I. Maestoso - Allegro Con Brio Ed Appassionato
11 8. II. Arietta: Adagio Molto Semplice E Cantabile
In a world like ours, shaped by centrifugal forces, even a monumental corpus like Beethoven's thirty-two piano sonatas can appear in a new light. Chronological examination of it's genesis reveals fascinating parallels. - The Sonatas op.2 were published in the last year of the French Revolution. - The ensuing wave of political migration reached Vienna and also affected Elector Maximilian Franz, who was not only the brother of Marie Antoinette and Emperor Joseph II but had also been Beethoven's employer in Bonn. - Beethoven gave compositional form to the triumph and downfall of a tyrant who brought war to Europe and occupied Vienna. - After the international peace conference of 1815, he vigorously embarked on writing modernistic late works in opposition to the emerging police state and it's postmodern entertainment culture. Konstantin Lifschitz applies strict criteria in order to realize the groundbreaking compositional dynamics of these works. He shows his musical independence by supplementing the cycle of sonatas with the Allegretto WoO 53, and still has much to tell us about it, defying past and present fashions. The fact that he recorded the massive cycle live on eight consecutive days also makes this set a monument in it's own right.
