Daniel Barenboim Ludwig van Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas No.1-32 & Diabelli Variations Box Set (13 UHQCD)

On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven's birth, Daniel Barenboim recorded his 32 piano sonatas and the Diabelli Variations. The recording was made in 2020 at the Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin for Deutsche Grammophon.
"The opportunity to record Beethoven's sonatas for Deutsche Grammophon seemed like the ideal response to the pandemic. In the last 50 years, it has not even happened that I have been able to devote myself exclusively to playing the piano for three whole months." Daniel Barenboim 2020
»No matter how often you play them, there are always new personal perspectives to discover.« (Daniel Barenboim)
Few musicians in the world are as familiar with Beethoven's piano sonatas as Daniel Barenboim, who has been studying these works since the earliest days of his career – a musical novel in 32 chapters and an artistic cosmos in itself. Barenboim has recorded the entire cycle of Beethoven's sonatas in 2020 at the Pierre Boulz Saal and presents the works in chronological order of their creation – an exciting insight into the composer's artistic development. With this sonata cycle, Daniel Barenboim has set himself a legacy!
The box contains 234-minute bonus material: an interview (42 minutes) with Daniel Barenboim about Beethoven as well as three master classes with Daniel Barenboim with students of the Barenboim-Said Academy: Alexandre Kantorov (winner of the 1st prize and the gold medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition, work on Sonata No. 2), Nathalia Milstein on Sonata No. 15 "Pastorale" and Fabian Müller on Sonata No. 23 "Appassionata").
Daniel Barenboim has devoted himself to Beethoven's music for more than seven decades. A few months ago, on the occasion of the composer's 250th birthday, he recorded the 32 piano sonatas and the Diabelli Variations for Deutsche Grammophon at the Pierre Boulez Hall in Berlin. Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas & Diabelli Variations contains his mature conception of these works, for which he has dealt intensively and undisturbed with the sheet music, as all public concerts have been cancelled due to the Corona pandemic.
"The opportunity to record Beethoven's sonatas for Deutsche Grammophon seemed like the ideal response to the pandemic. In the last 50 years, it has not even happened that I have been able to devote myself exclusively to playing the piano for three whole months." (Daniel Barenboim, 2020)
As a bonus, this edition includes 2 CDs with recordings for the Westminster label, which Daniel Barenboim, then at the age of 15, had recorded. Among the recorded works are the famous sonatas »Moonlight«, »Pathétique«, »Waldstein« and »Appassionata«, which already showed a great interpreter at that time.
In her introduction to this new recording, Anne-Sophie Mutter says: "Daniel Barenboim lives Beethoven's humanistic philosophy like no other contemporary musician, he paves the way for it and shows us what humanity means."
"Artistically, this anniversary cassette offers such a touching, heroic omitting, but lyrically intense five-star performance ...« (Fono Forum, January 2021)

Selections:

Disc 1
Piano Sonata No.1 in F minor, op.2 No.1
1. Allegro
2. Adagio
3. Menuetto. Allegretto
4. Prestissimo
Piano Sonata No.2 in A major, op.2 No.2
5. Allegro vivace
6. Largo appassionato
7. Scherzo Allegretto
8. Rondo Grazioso
Piano Sonata No.3 in C major, op.2 No.3
9. Allegro con brio
10. Adagio
11. Scherzo Allegro
12. Allegro assai
Disc 2
Piano Sonata No.4 in E flat major, op.7
1. Allegro molto e con brio
2. Largo, con gran espressione
3. Allegro - Trio
4. Rondo. Poco allegretto e grazioso
Piano Sonata No.5 in C minor, op.10 No.1
5. Allegro molto e con brio
6. Adagio molto
7. Finale Prestissimo
Piano Sonata No.6 in F major, op.10 No.2
8. Allegro
9. Allegretto
10. Presto
Disc 3
Piano Sonata No.7 in D major, op.10 No.3
1. Presto
2. Largo e mesto
3. Menuetto. Allegro
4. Rondo. Allegro
Piano Sonata No.8 in C minor, op.13 "Pathétique"
5. Grave – Allegro di molto e con brio
6. Adagio cantabile
7. Rondo. Allegro
Piano Sonata No.9 in E major, op.14 No.1
8. Allegro
9. Allegretto
10. Rondo Allegro comodo
Piano Sonata No.10 in G major, op.14 No.2
11. Allegro
12. Andante
13. Scherzo Allegro assai
Disc 4
Piano Sonata No.11 in B flat major, op.22
1. Allegro con brio
2. Adagio con molta espressione
3. Menuetto
4. Rondo Allegretto
Piano Sonata No.12 in A flat major, op.26
5. Andante con Variazioni
6. Scherzo Allegro molto
7. Marcia funebre sulla morte d'un Eroe. Maestoso andante
8. Allegro
Piano Sonata No.13 in E flat major, op.27 No.1 Sonata quasi una fantasia
9. Andante – Allegro – Tempo I
10. Allegro molto e vivace
11. Adagio con espressione
12. Allegro vivace - Tempo I - Presto
Disc 5
Piano Sonata No.14 in C sharp minor, op.27 No.2 "Moonlight" Sonata quasi una fantasia
1. Adagio sostenuto
2. Allegretto
3. Presto Agitato
Piano Sonata No.15 in D major, op.28 "Pastorale"
4. Allegro
5. Andante
6. Scherzo. Allegro vivace
7. Rondo. Allegro ma non troppo
Piano Sonata No.16 in G major, op.31 No.1
8. Allegro vivace
9. Adagio grazioso
10. Rondo Allegretto
Disc 6
Piano Sonata No.17 in D minor, op.31 No.2 "The Tempest"
1. Largo – Allegro
2. Adagio
3. Allegretto
Piano Sonata No.18 in E flat major, op.31 No.3 "The Hunt"
4. Allegro
5. Scherzo Allegretto vivace
6. Menuetto Moderato e grazioso
7. Presto con fuoco
Piano Sonata No.19 in G minor, op.49 No.1
8. Andante
9. Rondo. Allegro
Disc 7
Piano Sonata No.20 in G major, op.49 No.2
1. Allegro ma non troppo
2. Tempo di Minuetto
Piano Sonata No.21 in C major, op.53 "Waldstein"
3. Allegro con brio
4. Introduzione. Adagio molto
5. Rondo. Allegretto moderato - Prestissimo
Piano Sonata No.22 in F major, op.54
6. In Tempo d'un Menuetto
7. Allegretto - Piu Allegro
Piano Sonata No.23 in F minor, op.57 "Appassionata"
8. Allegro assai
9. Andante con moto
10. Allegro ma non troppo
Disc 8
Piano Sonata No.24 in F sharp major, op.78 "For Therese"
1. Adagio cantabile – Allegro ma non troppo
2. Allegro vivace
Piano Sonata No.25 in G major, op.79
3. Presto alla tedesca
4. Andante
5. Vivace
Piano Sonata No.26 in E flat major, op.81a "Les adieux"
6. Farewell (Les adieux). Adagio - Allegro
7. Absentee (L'absence). Andante espressivo
8. The reunion (Le retour). Vivacissimamente
Piano Sonata No.27 in E minor, op.90
9. With vivacity and certainly with feeling and expression
10. Not too fast and very singable
Disc 9
Piano Sonata No.28 in A major, op.101
1. Somewhat lively and with the most intimate feeling. Allegretto ma non troppo
2. Lively, marching. Vivace alla marcia
3. Slowly and longingly. Adagio ma non troppo, con affetto
4. Quickly, but not too much and with determination. Allegro
Piano Sonata No.29 in B flat major, op.106 "Hammerklavier"
5. Allegro
6. Scherzo. Assai vivace
7. Adagio sostenuto
8. Largo
9. Allegro risoluto
Disc 10
Piano Sonata No.30 in E major, op.109
1. Vivace, ma non troppo – Adagio espressivo – Tempo I
2. Prestissimo
3. Singing, with the deepest feeling Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo
4. Variation I: Molto espressivo
5. Variation II: Leggiermente
6. Variation III: Allegro vivace
7. Variation IV: Slightly slower than the theme
8. Variation V: Allegro, ma non troppo
9. Variation VI: Tempo I del tema
Piano Sonata No.31 in A flat major, op.110
10. Moderato cantabile molto espressivo
11. Allegro molto
12. Adagio ma non troppo
13. Fuga Allegro ma non troppo
Piano Sonata No.32 in C minor, op.111
14. Maestoso – Allegro con brio es appassionato
15. Arietta Adagio molto semplice e cantabile
16. Variation I
17. Variation II
18. Variation III
19. Variation IV
20. Variation V
Disc 11
33 Piano Variations in C major, op.120 On a Waltz by Anton Diabelli
1. Tema. Vivace
2. Variation I. Alla marcia maestoso
3. Variation II. Poco allegro
4. Variation III. L'istesso tempo
5. Variation IV. Un poco più vivace
6. Variation V. Allegro vivace
7. Variation VI. Allegro ma non troppo e serioso
8. Variation VII. Un poco più allegro
9. Variation VIII. Poco vivace
10. Variation IX. Allegro pesante e risoluto
11. Variation X. Presto
12. Variation XI. Allegretto
13. Variation XII. Un poco più moto
14. Variation XIII. Vivace
15. Variation XIV. Grave e maestoso
16. Variation XV. Presto scherzando
17. Variation XVI. Allegro
18. Variation XVII. Allegro
19. Variation XVIII. Poco moderato
20. Variation XIX. Presto
21. Variation XX. Andante
22. Variation XXI. Allegro con brio – Meno allegro
23. Variation XXII. Allegro molto, alla "Notte e giorno faticar" di Mozart
24. Variation XXIII. Allegro assai
25. Variation XXIV. Fughetta. Andante
26. Variation XXV. Allegro
27. Variation XXVI. Piacevole
28. Variation XXVII. Vivace
29. Variation XXVIII. Allegro
30. Variation XXIX. Adagio ma non troppo
31. Variation XXX. Andante, sempre cantabile
32. Variation XXXI. Largo, molto espressivo
33. Variation XXXII. Fuga. Allegro – poco adagio
34. Variation XXXIII. Tempo di Menuetto moderato (ma non tirarsi dietro)
Disc 12
Piano Sonata No.8 in C minor, op.13 "Pathétique"
1. Grave – Allegro di molto e con brio
2. Adagio cantabile
3. Rondo. Allegro
Piano Sonata No.14 in C sharp minor, op.27 No.2 "Moonlight" Sonata quasi una fantasia
4. Andante sostenuto
5. Allegretto
6. Presto Agitato
Piano Sonata No.21 in C major, op.53 "Waldstein"
7. Allegro con brio
8. Introduzione. Adagio molto
9. Rondo. Allegretto moderato - Prestissimo
Piano Sonata No.23 in F minor, op.57 "Appassionata"
10. Allegro assai
11. Andante con moto
12. Allegro ma non troppo - Presto
Disc 13
Piano Sonata No.29 in B flat major, op.106 "Hammerklavier"
1. Allegro
2. Scherzo. Assai vivace
3. Adagio sostenuto
4. Largo – Allegro risoluto
Piano Sonata No.32 in C minor, op.111
5. Maestoso – Allegro con brio ed appassionato
6. Arietta Adagio molto semplice e cantabile