Artist: Abdel Rahman El Bacha
Album: Beethoven: Complete piano sonatas
Genre: Classical
Release Date: 2013
Audio Format:: FLAC (tracks) 24bit, 88,2 kHz
Duration: 10:37:35
Total Tracks: 103
Total Size: 8,73 GB

Tracklist:

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Disc 1
Sonate n°1 en fa mineur opus 2 n°1
1 – Allegro 4’38
2 – Adagio 5’05
3 – Menuetto (Allegretto) 3’30
4 – Prestissimo 5’15
Sonate n°2 en la majeur opus 2 n°2
5 – Allegro vivace 7’28
6 – Largo appassionato 6’32
7 – Scherzo (Allegretto) 3’28
8 – Rondo Grazioso 6’26
Sonate n°3 en ut majeur opus 2 n°3
9 – Allegro con brio 11’08
10 – Adagio 7’16
11 – Scherzo (Allegro) 3’32
12 – Allegro assai 5’42

Disc 2
Sonate n°19 en sol mineur opus 49 n°1
1 – Andante 5’54
2 – Rondo (Allegro) 3’50
Sonate n°20 en sol majeur opus 49 n°2
3 – Allegro ma non troppo 4’49
4 – Tempo di menuetto 3’23
Sonate n°4 en mi bémol majeur opus 7
5 – Allegro molto e con brio 8’58
6 – Largo con gran espressione 7’41
7 – Allegro 5’20
8 – Rondo (Poco allegretto e grazioso) 7’20

Disc 3
Sonate n°5 en ut mineur opus 10 n°1
1 – Allegro molto e con brio 6’20
2 – Adagio molto 8’06
3 – Finale (prestissimo) 4’12
Sonate n°6 en fa majeur opus 10 n°2
4 – Allegro 5’50
5 – Allegretto 4’12
6 – Finale (presto) 2’21
Sonate n°7 en ré majeur opus 10 n°3
7 – Presto 7’11
8 – Largo e mesto 8’37
9 – Menuetto (Allegro) 2’53
10 – Rondo (Allegro) 4’01

Disc 4
Sonate n°8 en ut mineur opus 13 “Pathétique”
1 – Grave – Allegro di molto e con brio 9’25
2 – Adagio cantabile 4’52
3 – Rondo (Allegro) 4’47
Sonate n°9 en mi majeur opus 14 n°1
4 – Allegro 6’43
5 – Allegretto 4’03
6 – Rondo (Allegro commodo) 3’22
Sonate n°10 en sol majeur opus 14 n°2
7 – Allegro 6’26
8 – Andante 5’07
9 – Scherzo (Allegro assai) 3’46
Sonate n°11 en si bémol majeur opus 22
10 – Allegro con brio 7’50
11 – Adagio con molto espressione 8’28
12 – Menuetto 3’20
13 – Rondo (Allegretto) 6’29

Disc 5
Sonate n°12 en la bémol majeur opus 26 “Marche funèbre”
1 – Andante con variazioni 7’58
2 – Scherzo (Allegro molto) 2’52
3 – Marcia funebre “sulla morte d’un eroe” (Maestoso) 6’04
4- Allegro 2’53
Sonate n°13 en mi bémol majeur opus 27 n°1 “Quasi una fantasia”
5 – Andante – Allegro – Andante 5’40
6 – Allegro molto e vivace 1’58
7 – Adagio con espressione Allegro vivace – Tempo I – Presto 7’52
Sonate n°14 en ut dièse mineur opus 27 n°2 “Clair de lune”
8 – Adagio sostenuto 6’43
9 – Allegretto 2’23
10 – Presto agitato 7’17
Sonate n°15 en ré majeur opus 28 “Pastorale”
11 – Allegro 10’30
12 – Andante 6’54
13 – Scherzo (Allegro vivace) 2’25
14 – Rondo (Allegro ma non troppo) 5’07

Disc 6
Sonate n°16 en sol majeur opus 31 n°1
1 – Allegro vivace 6’42
2 – Adagio grazioso 10’48
3 – Rondo (Allegretto) 6’23
Sonate n°17 en ré mineur opus 31 n°2 “La Tempête”
4 – Largo – Allegro 8’57
5 – Adagio 7’28
6 – Allegretto 7’21
Sonate n°18 en mi bémol majeur opus 31 n°3
7 – Allegro 8’17
8 – Scherzo (Allegro vivace) 6’12
9 – Menuetto (Moderato e grazioso) 4’05
10 – Presto con fuoco 4’51

Disc 7
Sonate n°21 en ut majeur opus 53 “Waldstein”
1 – Allegro con brio 10’59
2 – Introduzione (Adagio molto) 3’13
3 – Rondo (Allegretto moderato – Prestissimo) 9’43
Sonate n°22 en fa majeur opus 54
4 – In tempo di menuetto 4’54
5 – Allegretto – Più Allegro 6’35
Sonate pour piano n°23 en fa mineur opus 57 “Appassionata”
6 – Allegro assai 10’10
7 – Andante con moto 6’11
8 – Allegro ma non troppo – Presto 8’39

Disc 8
Sonate n°24 en fa dièse majeur opus 78 «À Thérèse»
1 – Adagio cantabile – Allegro ma non troppo 7’44
2 – Allegro vivace 2’59
Sonate n°25 en sol majeur opus 79 “Alla tedesca”
3 – Presto alla tedesca 4’57
4 – Andante 2’57
5 – Vivace 2’13
Sonate n°26 en mi bémol majeur opus 81 a “Les Adieux”
6 – Les Adieux (Adagio – Allegro) 7’23
7 – L’Absence (Andante espressivo) 3’49
8 – Le Retour (Vivacissimamente – poco Andante – Tempo I) 6’07
Sonate n°27 en mi mineur opus 90
9 – Mit Lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit Empfindung und Ausdruck (Allegro) 5’48
10 – Nicht zu geschwind und sehr singbar vorzutragen (Rondo) 7’09

Disc 9
Sonate n°28 en la majeur opus 101
1 – Allegretto ma non troppo 4’36
2 – Vivace alla marcia 6’47
3 – Adagio, ma non troppo, con affetto 2’18
4 – Tempo del primo pezzo 0’28
5 – Allegro 7’39
Sonate n°29 en si bémol majeur opus 106 “Hammerklavier”
6 – Allegro 12’09
7 – Scherzo (Assai vivace) 3’04
8 – Adagio sostenuto (Appassionato e con molto sentimento) 18’07
9 – Largo 2’20
10 – Allegro risoluto (fuga a tre voci, con alcune licenze) 9’47

Disc 10
Sonate n°30 en mi majeur opus 109
1 – Vivace, ma non troppo – Adagio espressivo 3’32
2 – Prestissimo 2’37
3 – Andante (Molto cantabile ed espressivo) 12’58
Sonate n°31 en la bémol majeur opus 110
4 – Moderato cantabile molto espressivo 6’47
5 – Allegro molto 2’18
6 – Adagio ma non troppo – Fuga, Allegro ma non troppo 11’18
Sonate n°32 en ut mineur opus 111
7 – Maestoso – Allegro con brio ed passionato 9’11
8 – Arietta (Adagio molto semplice e cantabile) 16’36

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“Over and above the purely musical aspect that makes Beethoven one of the greatest composers of all time, what stands out for me is the lesson of a moral being: insofar as Beethoven sets himself immensly high standards, immense rigour and courage – in his life, in everything he undertakes, in the authenticity of even the slightest of his artistic gestures – his attitude must rub off on his interpreter. That’s why I think that, for me, Beethoven has represented not only one of the most profound lessons in music, but also a lesson in life.” –Abdel Rahman El BachaRecording the full cycle of the 32 piano sonatas of Ludwig van Beethoven is an important accomplishment for any pianist, and in the case of Abdel Rahman El Bacha, it is also a major statement. El Bacha has lived with these sonatas for decades and found in them not only the highest forms of musical expression but also a testament to Beethoven’s life and moral character. This kind of interpretation of Beethoven’s music usually suggests a subjective viewpoint and a Romantic sensibility, which in lesser hands might translate into intense, passionate, and possibly chaotic performances. Yet El Bacha is quite the opposite in his playing, calmly observant of what is written on the page and collected in his emotions and expressions, leaving no doubt of his clear thinking and resolute playing. Placing the sonatas in nearly chronological order, El Bacha demonstrates not only the evolution of Beethoven’s style and intellectual development, but also communicates the growth of his artistic spirit, from the refinement of the early Classical sonatas to the concentrated power and sublimity of the late works. Mirare’s box set presents the sonatas on 10 CDs in paper sleeves, which are housed in a sturdy trimline package. Ostensibly a budget set, the recordings are still quite good for the clean sound and the piano’s vibrant presence. –Blair Sanderson, AllMusic