Hammerklavier

Beatrice Rana, characterised by Gramophone as a pianist of “fire and poetry, imagination and originality, temperament and charm, all on top of fearless technical address”, brings together two monumental sonatas: Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Piano Sonata (No. 29) and Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2 in B♭minor, Op. 35, famous for its third movement, the Funeral March.

Ludwig van Beethoven wrote his 32+4 Piano Sonatas - including 4 Sonatinas (doubtfull) - between 1782 and 1822. Although originally not intended to be a meaningful whole, as a set they comprise one of the most important collections of works in the history of music. Hans von Bulow called them "The New Testament" of the piano literature (Johann Sebastian Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier being "The Old Testament").

Historical recording from 1979 from the St. Luke's Church in Dresden.

Beethoven's "Hammerklavier" sonata is a formidable challenge for any pianist. Making his Deutsche Grammophon debut, "stunningly gifted" (Gramophone) Nobuyuki Tsujii - no stranger to challenges - has chosen this technically and intellectually demanding work, which brought him victory in the prestigious Van Cliburn Competition. Nobu, as he is lovingly known, feels a personal affinity for Beethoven and here also savors the composer's intimate, lyrical side in Liszt's affectionate transcription of the song cycle, An die ferne Geliebte.

Sviatoslav Richter is an all-around performer who has tackled musical repertoire from Bach to Webern, but has not been a performer identified with the Viennese classical composers. Yet Richter’s Beethoven repertoire is enormous, and he has performed nine concertos and nine sonatas by Mozart as well as various works of lesser proportions and many violin sonatas. At the present time it is easier to see the Beethoven-Richter relationship relatively clearly. We do not know if Richter took into account the fact that Beethoven had been an avid reader of Homer, but this performance of the Hammerklavier is, without any doubt, epic.