Andras Schiff’s landmark Beethoven cycle, recorded live in Zürich’s Tonhalle, now reaches its sixth volume with music written between 1804 and 1810, including the celebrated “Appassionata” op. 57 is preceded by the F-major Sonata Op. 54 whose mood is, as Schifff notes, partly song-like, party heavily accented. The Op 78 Sonata takes us into a very lyrical as well as a capriciously playful world. The sonata Op.79 is incisive and extrovert and the “Les Adieux” Sonata “presents us with a wonderful portrayal of a spiritual state between farewell, absence and joyful reunion.”
Ludwig van Beethoven: The Piano Sonatas, Volume VI
András Schiff
- Sonata No. 22 F major op. 54
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- 2Allegretto07:07
- Sonata No. 23 f minor op. 57 “Appassionata”
- 3Allegro assai10:28
- 4Andante con moto06:38
- 5Allegro ma non troppo08:51
- Sonata No. 24 F-sharp major op. 78 “à Thérèse”
- 6Adagio cantabile - Allegro ma non troppo07:35
- 7Allegro vivace03:08
- Sonata No. 25 G major op. 79
- 8Presto alla tedesca04:57
- 9Andante02:49
- 10Vivace02:03
- Sonata No. 26 E-flat major op. 81a “Les Adieux”
- 11Das Lebewohl. Adagio - Allegro07:19
- 12Abwesenheit. Andante espressivo03:24
- 13Das Wiedersehen. Vivacissimamente06:08
Egon Bezold in Klassik.com pointed at the “extraordinary representation of the overall architecture and expressive variety”, and Gramophone’s Jed Distler highlighted the “remarkable timbral distinctions, fastidious execution of turns and other ornaments, plus painstakingly differentiated accents, articulation marks and dynamics.” Michael Stenger commented in FonoForum: “Schiff achieves clarity and yet a magic of atmospheres which is far away from the tedious pseudo-objectivity many performers offer here. There is great explosiveness but still warm contemplation in the slow movements…Exemplary!” A much more general point was made by Carl Rosman in the International Record Revue: “There is in any case no other pianist on the major recording scene currently bringing such a new and refreshing perspective to these pillars of the repertoire.”
Volume VI, including sonatas from the period between 1804 and 1810, offers some of the most famous and widely-known works together with an astonishing variety of forms and concepts, a constellation which, once again, highlights the attractiveness of Schiff’s chronological approach: “It provides evidence of a progressive journey which comes to a temporary halt with the completion of the ‘Appassionata’ in 1805, before continuing again some four years later with the F-sharp major Sonata Op. 78. But Beethoven varies the design of these five sonatas in a wholly adventurous way. The ‘Appassionata’ is preceded by the two-movement F-major Sonata Op. 54, whose mood is partly song-like, and partly heavily accented. The Op. 78 Sonata takes us into a very lyrical as well as capriciously playful world. On the other hand, the next sonata, Op. 79, whose first movement is headed ‘alla tedesca’, is generally incisive and extrovert; and finally the ‘Les Adieux’-Sonata presents us with a wonderful portrayal of a spiritual state between farewell, absence and joyful reunion.”
Increased media attention is to be expected when Schiff’s Beethoven cycle on ECM New Series reaches the composer’s venerable late works this autumn. It will be completed with two separate volumes on single-CDs containing the sonatas opp. 90, 101 and 106 and opp. 109 to 111 respectively. Future Schiff-releases on ECM will include a new live recording of Bach’s complete Partitas. In 2008, Schiff will perform selected Beethoven-programmes in the US (in April and October), in England, Switzerland and Germany.
YEAR | DATE | VENUE | LOCATION | |
2025 | June 04 | Tivoli Concert Hall | Copenhagen, Denmark | |
2025 | June 07 | Wigmore Hall | London, United Kingdom | |
2025 | June 09 | Wigmore Hall | London, United Kingdom | |
2025 | June 15 | Filharmonia | Warsaw, Poland | |
2025 | June 17 | Konzerthaus | Vienna, Austria | |
2025 | June 19 | Konzerthaus | Blaibach, Germany | |
2025 | June 21 | Gewandhaus | Leipzig, Germany | |
2025 | June 23 | Klavierfestival Ruhr | Mühlheim, Germany | |
2025 | June 28 | Casals Forum | Kronberg, Germany | |
2025 | June 29 | Casals Forum | Kronberg, Germany | |
2025 | July 03 | Schloß Elmau | Krün, Germany | |
2025 | July 05 | Schloß Elmau | Krün, Germany | |
2025 | October 07 | Wigmore Hall | London, United Kingdom | |
2025 | October 09 | Wigmore Hall | London, United Kingdom | |
2025 | December 18 | Pierre Boulez Saal | Berlin, Germany | |
2025 | December 21 | Pierre Boulez Saal | Berlin, Germany | |
2025 | December 26 | Pierre Boulez Saal | Berlin, Germany | |
2025 | December 29 | Pierre Boulez Saal | Berlin, Germany | |
2026 | January 01 | Pierre Boulez Saal | Berlin, Germany | |
2026 | January 04 | Pierre Boulez Saal | Berlin, Germany |
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