Beethoven "moonlight" Sonata, Iii "presto Agitato"

Beethoven’s music for solo piano contains some of his most visionary, groundbreaking and memorable works. Drawn from the Complete Edition boxed set (Naxos 8.500250), the selected movements from Beethoven’s most well-known piano sonatas illustrate his dynamism as a composer and pianist, as well as his gift for flowing melodic beauty, with a wide range of variation and emotion. The smaller pieces highlight the composer’s command of variation form and, in the case of the Rondo a capriccio in G major (‘Rage over a Lost Penny'), his scintillating powers of bravura wit.

Daniel Barenboim's performances of these three sonatas are quite simply flawless. Each movement of each sonata is played exactly as it it should be, both technically and artistically. I cannot imagine more intellectually and emotionally satisfying performances of these works. If you have come to regard these sonatas as over-played "warhorses" listen to this CD and enjoy them as the masterpieces which they truly are.

Boris Giltburg has set out to study and film all of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas by the end of 2020. The project started as a personal exploration, driven by curiosity and his strong love of the Beethoven sonatas. These performances display Giltburg’s customary spirit and technical finesse, and also convey the electric atmosphere of the live recording.