Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 29 "Hammerklavier" & 30-32; Bagatelles, Op. 126

Christoph Eschenbach

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Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 29 "Hammerklavier" & 30-32; Bagatelles, Op. 126 Review

by Patsy Morita

This set is a remastered issue of Eschenbach's recordings from the mid-'70s. His reading of these great, late Beethoven sonatas is fascinating. The slower movements, such as the Adagio of the Hammerklavier, and even places within the second movement of the Sonata No. 32 and the Bagatelles, become almost stream of consciousness music, but these are not random thoughts jumbled together. The counterpoint in the first movement of the Sonata No. 32 is coherent and reasoned with dedicated feeling. Eschenbach has a clear sense of the music. The only detraction from his performances is the sound, which is somewhat thin, making the passages in the upper registers sound almost dainty and delicate and the maestoso passages lose some of their prodfundity.

Track Listing - Disc 1

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major ("Hammerklavier"), Op. 106
1	I. Allegro Ludwig van Beethoven	Christoph Eschenbach	11:29	Spotify Amazon
2	II. Scherzo: Assai vivace - Presto Ludwig van Beethoven	Christoph Eschenbach	02:33	Spotify Amazon
3	III. Adagio sostenuto Ludwig van Beethoven	Christoph Eschenbach	25:17	Spotify Amazon
4	IV. Largo - Allegro - Allegro risoluto Ludwig van Beethoven	Christoph Eschenbach	11:47	Spotify Amazon
Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109
5	I. Vivace, ma non troppo - Adagio espressivo Ludwig van Beethoven	Christoph Eschenbach	03:38	Spotify Amazon
6	II. Prestissimo Ludwig van Beethoven	Christoph Eschenbach	02:10	Spotify Amazon
7	III. Tema: Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo - Variazioni I-VI Ludwig van Beethoven	Christoph Eschenbach	13:53	Spotify Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 2

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Piano Sonata No. 31 in A flat major, Op. 110
1	I. Moderato cantabile molto espressivo Ludwig van Beethoven	Christoph Eschenbach	07:32	Spotify Amazon
2	II. Allegro molto Ludwig van Beethoven	Christoph Eschenbach	02:08	Spotify Amazon
3	III. Adagio ma non troppo - Fuga: Allegro ma non troppo Ludwig van Beethoven	Christoph Eschenbach	11:26	Spotify Amazon
Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111
4	I. Maestoso - Allegro con brio ed appassionato Ludwig van Beethoven	Christoph Eschenbach	09:00	Spotify Amazon
5	II. Arietta: Adagio molto semplice e cantabile - Variazioni I-IV - Coda Ludwig van Beethoven	Christoph Eschenbach	22:25	Spotify Amazon
Bagatelles (6) for piano, Op. 126
6	I. Andante con moto Ludwig van Beethoven	Christoph Eschenbach	02:49	Spotify Amazon
7	II. Allegro Ludwig van Beethoven	Christoph Eschenbach	02:31	Spotify Amazon
8	III. Andante cantabile e grazioso Ludwig van Beethoven	Christoph Eschenbach	02:34	Spotify Amazon
9	IV. Presto Ludwig van Beethoven	Christoph Eschenbach	03:27	Spotify Amazon
10	V. Quasi allegretto Ludwig van Beethoven	Christoph Eschenbach	02:23	Spotify Amazon
11	VI. Presto - Andante amabile e con moto - Tempo I Ludwig van Beethoven	Christoph Eschenbach	04:44	Spotify Amazon

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