Beethoven / Ashkenazy,Vladimir Beethoven: Pno Sonatas Nos 21 & 29 CD

The two sonatas featured on this release charted unprecedented paths of sonority and virtuosity, although the musical and pianistic aims radically differ. Vladimir Ashkenazy re-recorded them both, the 'Hammerklavier' for his complete Beethoven sonata cycle, and the 'Waldstein' as a digital remake for a separate CD. The rare and much sought-after 1967 recording of the 'Hammerklavier' - Vladimir Ashkenazy's first of any Beethoven sonata for Decca - is sharply delineated and full of tensile energy, the fugal finale's gnarlier sequences more incisively articulated than his later remake.

1. Piano Sonata No. 21 in C Major ('Waldstein'), Op. 53: 1. Allegro Con Brio 2. Piano Sonata No. 21 in C Major ('Waldstein'), Op. 53: 2. Introduzione (Adagio Molto) - 3. Piano Sonata No. 21 in C Major ('Waldstein'), Op. 53: 3. Rondo (Allegretto Moderato - Prestissimo) 4. Piano Sonata No. 29 in B Flat Major ('Hammerklavier'), Op. 106: 1. Allegro 5. Piano Sonata No. 29 in B Flat Major ('Hammerklavier'), Op. 106: 2. Scherzo (Assai Vivace - Presto - Prestissimo - Tempo 1) 6. Piano Sonata No. 29 in B Flat Major ('Hammerklavier'), Op. 106: 3. Adagio Sostenuto 7. Piano Sonata No. 29 in B Flat Major ('Hammerklavier'), Op. 106: 4. Largo - Allegro Risoluto