Sebastián is a true Beethovenian, he breathes and experiences Beethoven's every single emotion, of true love, drama, passion, desperation, beauty and darkness. Living Beethoven with every key stroke is an experience of monumental inner impact, only at reach for the daring soul and the truly talented soloist.

Famous for his deeply moving and highly original interpretations and dazzling mastery of his repertoire, Sebastián continues this travel through the universe of Beethoven in this Volume 7 with five Sonatas from 1804 and 18010.

Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 22 in F major, Op. 54, was written in 1804. It is contemporary to the first sketches of the Symphony No. 5 in C Minor. It is one of Beethoven's lesser known sonatas, overshadowed by its widely known neighbours, the Appassionata and the Waldstein.

The Sonata is remarkable in its concision, a precursor in some ways to the Sonata in E Major, Opus 109. The two movements present opposite faces on many levels.

Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 (colloquially known as the Appassionata, meaning "passionate" in Italian) is a piano sonata. Among the three famous piano sonatas of his middle period (the others being the Waldstein, Op. 53 and Les Adieux, Op. 81a), it was composed during 1804 and 1805, and perhaps 1806, and was dedicated to Count Franz von Brunswick. The first edition was published in February 1807 in Vienna.

Unlike the early Sonata No. 8, Pathétique, the Appassionata was not named during the composer's lifetime, but was so labeled in 1838 by the publisher of a four-hand arrangement of the work.

The Appassionata was considered by Beethoven to be his most tempestuous piano sonata until the twenty-ninth piano sonata (known as the Hammerklavier), being described as a "brilliantly executed display of emotion and music". 1803 was the year Beethoven came to grips with the irreversibility of his progressively deteriorating deafness.

The Piano Sonata No. 24 in F-sharp major, Op. 78, nicknamed "À Thérèse" (because it was written for Countess Thérèse von Brunswick) was written by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1809. It consists of two movements.

Maynard Solomon notes that this and the "Appassionata" sonata, op.57, were Beethoven's favorite of his piano sonatas prior to the "Hammerklavier."

The Piano Sonata No. 25 in G major, Op. 79, was written by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1809. It consists of three movements.

It is one of Beethoven's shorter sonatas with an approximate performance time of only eleven minutes, if Beethoven's prescribed repeats are all observed. It is also the shortest of his sonatas with more than two movements.

Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat major, Op. 81a, known as the Les Adieux sonata, was written during the years 1809 and 1810.

The title Les Adieux implies a programmatic nature. The French attack on Vienna, led by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1809, forced Beethoven's patron, Archduke Rudolph, to leave the city. Yet, there is some uncertainty about this nature of the piece - or at least, about the degree to which Beethoven wished this programmatic nature would be known. He titled the three movements "Lebewohl," "Abwesenheit," and "Wiedersehen," and reportedly regarded the French "Adieux" (said to whole assemblies or cities) as a poor translation of the feeling of the German "Lebewohl" (said heartfully to a single person) (Kolodin, 1975). Indeed, Beethoven had written the syllables "Le-be-wohl" over the first three chords.

On the first 1811 publication, a dedication was added reading "On the departure of his Imperial Highness, for the Archduke Rudolph in admiration".

Hear Beethoven as you have never heard it before, getting lost in the world of invigorating ideas and emotional virtuosity that has made Sebastián Forster one of the outstanding interpreters of the classical repertoire currently working on the world stage today.

1. Piano Sonata no22 in F Major Op54 1 In tempo di Menuetto (Ludwig van Beethoven)
2. Piano Sonata no22 in F Major Op54 2 Allegretto Piu allegro (Ludwig van Beethoven)
3. Piano Sonata no 23 Appassionata in F Minor Op57 1 Allegro assai (Ludwig van Beethoven)
4. Piano Sonata no23 Appassionata in F Minor Op57 2 Andante con moto (Ludwig van Beethoven)
5. Piano Sonata no23 Appassionata in F Minor Op57 3 Allegro ma non troppo Presto (Ludwig van Beethoven)
6. Piano Sonata no24 A Therese F Sharp Major Op78 1 Adagio cantabile Allegro ma non troppo (Beethoven)
7. Piano Sonata no24 A Therese in F Sharp Major Op78 2 Allegro vivace (Ludwig van Beethoven)
8. Piano Sonata no25 Cuckoo in G Major Op79 1 Presto alla tedesca (Ludwig van Beethoven)
9. Piano Sonata no25 Cuckoo in G Major Op79 2 Andante (Ludwig van Beethoven)
10. Piano Sonata no25 Cuckoo in G Major Op79 3 Vivace (Ludwig van Beethoven)
11. Piano Sonata no26 Les Adieux in E Flat Major Op81 1 (Les Adieux) Adagio Allegro (Beethoven)
12. Piano Sonata no26 Les Adieux in E Flat Major Op81 2 (L'Absence) Andante espressivo (Beethoven)
13. Piano Sonata no26 Les Adieux in E Flat Major Op81 3 (Le Retour) Vivacissimamente (Beethoven)

Listen to: the entire album.

Release date: 06/30/2015
Sebastian Forster lives in New Jersey USA

Tagged as: Classical, Classical Period, Romantic Era, Instrumental Classical, Classical Piano, Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven

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