Ronald Brautigam - Beethoven: The Complete Sonatas (9 CDs, 2014)

The 32 Piano Sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven are often referred to as the ‘New Testament’ of the keyboard literature, following on the ‘Old Testament’ of J.S. Bach's 48 preludes and fugues in the Well-Tempered Clavier. Composed over a period of almost three decades, from 1795 to 1822, the sonatas constitute a fascinating panorama of an artistic career which underwent numerous changes – not to say upheavals – but nevertheless remained remarkably consistent. Ever since the first recording of the entire cycle, by Artur Schnabel in the 1930s, a number of the world's leading pianists have given us their performances of this monumental collection on disc. One of the latest cycles is that of Ronald Brautigam, released on single discs between 2004 and 2010. Performed on the fortepiano, as part of a series of Beethoven's complete solo keyboard works, Brautigam's recordings have been described as ‘riveting’, ‘compelling’ and ‘revolutionary’. The eight discs with the 32 sonatas are now being released as a boxed set, along with a ninth disc containing the early, unnumbered sonatas. Contributing factors to the ‘refreshing directness’ that reviewers have experienced in these performances are the widely praised recorded sound and the carefully selected instruments, built by Paul McNulty after originals from 1788-1819 by the foremost Viennese makers of fortepianos. For this boxed set, the original SACD format has been retained – along with the possibility of listening to the performances in surround – thus offering the opportunity of sharing the experience of one reviewer: ‘One has almost the impression of being a contemporary of Beethoven’s: one of the first, infinitely startled – not to say shocked – witnesses to this music’

VOLUMES:
Complete works for solo piano (The Complete Sonatas), Vol.1 [81'04]
Complete works for solo piano (The Complete Sonatas), Vol.2 [81'35]
Complete works for solo piano (The Complete Sonatas), Vol.3 [69'52]
Complete works for solo piano (The Complete Sonatas), Vol.4 [73'38]
Complete works for solo piano (The Complete Sonatas), Vol.5 [67'49]
Complete works for solo piano (The Complete Sonatas), Vol.6 [71'21]
Complete works for solo piano (The Complete Sonatas), Vol.7 [71'21]
Complete works for solo piano (The Complete Sonatas), Vol.8 [77'09]
Complete works for solo piano (The Complete Sonatas), Vol.9 [60'55]

Tracklist:
Complete works for solo piano (The Complete Sonatas), Vol.1 [81'04]
Sonata No.1 in F minor, Op.2 No.1
1. I. Allegro 3'19
2. II. Adagio 5'01
3. III. Menuetto. Allegretto 3'27
4. IV. Prestissimo 4'11

Sonata No.2 in A major, Op.2 No.2
5. I. Allegro vivace 6'45
6. II. Largo appassionato 5'54
7. III. Scherzo. Allegretto 3'21
8. IV. Rondo. Grazioso 6'19

Sonata No.3 in C major, Op.2 No.3
9. I. Allegro con brio 10'24
10. II. Adagio 7'36
11. III. Scherzo. Allegro 3'00
12. IV. Allegro assai 5'26

Sonata No.19 in G minor, Op.49 No.1
13. I. Andante 3'53
14. II. Rondo. Allegro 2'58

Sonata No.20 in G major, Op.49 No.2
15. I. Allegro, ma non troppo 4'43
16. II. Tempo di Menuetto 3'00



Complete works for solo piano (The Complete Sonatas), Vol.2 [81'35]
Sonata No. 4 in E flat major, Op. 7
1. I. Allegro molto e con brio 8'26
2. II. Largo, con gran espressione 8'18
3. III. Allegro 5'12
4. IV. Rondo. Poco allegretto e grazioso 6'37

Sonata No.5 in C minor, Op.10 No.1
5. I. Allegro molto e con brio 5'19
6. II. Adagio molto 7'12
7. III. Finale. Prestissimo 4'28

Sonata No.6 in F major, Op.10 No.2
8. I. Allegro 5'54
9. II. Allegretto 3'21
10. III. Presto 2'14

Sonata No.7 in D major, Op.10 No.3
11. I. Presto 7'13
12. II. Largo e mesto 8'43
13. III. Menuetto. Allegro 2'40
14. IV. Rondo. Allegro 3'44



Complete works for solo piano (The Complete Sonatas), Vol.3 [69'52]
Sonata No.8 in C minor, Op.13, Pathetique
1. I. Grave - Allegro di molto e con brio 8'28
2. II. Adagio cantabile 4'48
3. III. Rondo. Allegro 4'39

Sonata No.9 in E major, Op.14, No.1
4. I. Allegro 5'43
5. II. Allegretto 3'07
6. III. Rondo. Allegro comodo 3'16

Sonata No.10 in G major, Op.14, No.2
7. I. Allegro 6'26
8. II. Andante 4'35
9. III. Scherzo. Allegro assai 3'30

Sonata No.11 in B flat major, Op.22
10. I. Allegro con brio 7'29
11. II. Adagio con molto espressione 6'53
12. III. Minuetto 3'13
13. IV. Rondo. Allegretto 6'48



Complete works for solo piano (The Complete Sonatas), Vol.4 [73'38]
Sonata No.12 in A flat major, Op.26
1. I. Andante con variazioni 7'18
2. II. Scherzo. Allegro molto 2'41
3. III. Marcia funebre sulla morte d’un Eroe 5'52
4. IV. Allegro 2'25

Sonata No.13 in E flat major, Op.27 No.1
5. I. Andante – Allegro (attacca) 5'00
6. II. Allegro molto e vivace (attacca) 1'53
7. III. Adagio con espressione (attacca) 2'46
8. IV. Allegro vivace – Presto 5'14

Sonata No.14 in C sharp minor, Op.27 No.2 ‘Mondschein’
9. I. Adagio sostenuto (attacca) 5'49
10. II. Allegretto 2'04
11. III. Presto agitato 6'38

Sonata No.15 in D major, Op.28 ‘Pastorale’
12. I. Allegro 10'22
13. II. Andante 7'12
14. III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace 2'24
15. IV. Rondo. Allegro ma non troppo 4'50



Complete works for solo piano (The Complete Sonatas), Vol.5 [67'49]
Sonata No.16 in G major, Op.31 No.1
1. I. Allegro vivace 6'38
2. II. Adagio grazioso 10'02
3. III. Rondo. Allegretto 6'28

Sonata No.17 in D minor, Op.31 No.2, ‘Der Sturm’
4. I. Largo – Allegro 8'29
5. II. Adagio 7'47
6. III. Allegretto 5'53

Sonata No.18 in E flat major, Op.31 No.3
7. I. Allegro 8'21
8. II. Scherzo. Allegretto vivace 4'50
9. III. Menuetto. Moderato e grazioso 3'37
10. IV. Presto con fuoco 4'16



Complete works for solo piano (The Complete Sonatas), Vol.6 [71'21]
Sonata No.21 in C major, ‘Waldstein’, Op.53
1. I. Allegro con brio 9'59
2. II. Introduzione. Adagio molto (attacca subito il Rondo) 3'29
3. III. Rondo. Allegretto moderato – Prestissimo 9'10

Sonata No.22 in F major, Op.54
4. I. In Tempo d’un Menuetto 4'52
5. II. Allegretto – Piu Allegro 4'44

Sonata No.23 in F minor, ‘Appassionata’, Op.57
6. I. Allegro assai 8'20
7. II. Andante con moto (attacca lAllegro) 5'13
8. III. Allegro ma non troppo – Presto 7'16

Sonata No.24 in F sharp major, Op.78
9. I. Adagio cantabile – Allegro ma non troppo 7'00
10. II. Allegro vivace 2'37

Sonata No.25 (Sonatine) in G major, Op.79
11. I. Presto alla tedesca 4'35
12. II. Andante 2'08
13. Vivace 1'58



Complete works for solo piano (The Complete Sonatas), Vol.7 [71'21]
Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat major, Op. 81a, "Les adieux"
1. I. Das Lebewohl: Adagio - Allegro 6'47
2. II. Abwesenheit: Andante espressivo 3'30
3. III. Das Wiedersehn: Vivacissimamente 5'13

Piano Sonata No. 27 in E minor, Op. 90
4. I. Mit lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit Empfindung und Ausdruck 4'56
5. II. Nicht zu geschwind und sehr singbar vorgetragen 7'19

Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major, Op. 106, "Hammerklavier"
6. I. Allegro 10'13
7. II. Scherzo: Assai vivace - Presto - Tempo I 2'24
8. III. Adagio sostenuto, appassionato e con molto sentimento 15'47
9. IV. Largo - V. Allegro risoluto 11'40



Complete works for solo piano (The Complete Sonatas), Vol.8 [77'09]
Piano Sonata No.28 in A-dur, Op.101
01 - I. Allegretto ma non troppo
02 - II. Vivace alla Marcia
03 - III. Adagio, ma non troppo, con affetto
04 - IV. Allegro

Piano Sonata No.30 in E-dur, Op.109
05 - I. Vivace, ma non troppo
06 - II. Prestissimo
07 - III. Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo

Piano Sonata No.31 in As-dur, Op.110
08 - I. Moderato cantabile molto espressivo
09 - II. Allegro molto
10 - III. Adagio ma non troppo - Fuga. Allegro ma non troppo

Piano Sonata No.32 in c-moll, Op.111
11 - I. Maestoso - Allegro con brio ed appassionato
12 - II. Arietta. Adagio molto semplice e cantabile



Complete works for solo piano (The Complete Sonatas), Vol.9 [60'55]
Kurfursten Sonata in Es-dur, WoO 47 No.1
01 - I. Allegro cantabile
02 - II. Andante
03 - III. Rondo vivace

Kurfursten Sonata in f-moll, WoO 47 No.2
04 - I. Larghetto maestoso
05 - II. Andante
06 - III. Presto

Kurfursten Sonata in D-dur, WoO 47 No.3
07 - I. Allegro
08 - II. Menuetto sostenuto
09 - III. Scherzando

Sonatina in F-dur, WoO 50
10 - I. []
11 - II. Allegretto

Sonatina in G-dur, Anh.5 No.1
12 - I. Moderato
13 - II. Romanze

Sonatina in F-dur, Anh.5 No.2
14 - I. Allegro assai
15 - II. Rondo. Allegro

Easy Sonata in C-dur, WoO 51
16 - I. Allegro
17 - II. Adagio