Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 29 "Hammerklavier" & 26 "Les Adieux," Bagatelles

1	Piano Sonata No. 29 in B
2	Piano Sonata No. 29 in B
3	Piano Sonata No. 29 in B
4	Piano Sonata No. 29 in B
5	Bagatelles (11) for piano
6	Bagatelles (11) for piano
7	Bagatelles (11) for piano
8	Bagatelles (11) for piano
9	Bagatelles (11) for piano
10	Bagatelles (11) for piano
11	Bagatelles (11) for piano
12	Bagatelles (11) for piano
13	Bagatelles (11) for piano
15	Bagatelles (11) for piano
16	Piano Sonata No. 26 in E
17	Piano Sonata No. 26 in E
18	Piano Sonata No. 26 in E
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 29 "Hammerklavier" & 26 "Les Adieux," Bagatelles
1.	Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major ("Hammerklavier") Op. 106 10:27
	Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
	Performed by Stephen Bishop Kovacevich
2.	Bagatelles (11) for piano, Op. 119 2:19
	Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
	Performed by Stephen Bishop Kovacevich
3.	Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat major ("Les Adieux") Op. 81a 6:32
	Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
	Performed by Stephen Bishop Kovacevich

All Music Guide

This is the final release in Stephen Kovacevich's ten-year survey of Beethoven's sonatas. It is understandable that anyone would want to leave the "Hammerklavier Sonata" until the last. It is Beethoven's most challenging piano sonata in almost every respect, but Kovacevich is definitely up to the challenge. He brings out some of the more percussive elements of Beethoven's writing in the first movement; a refreshing lightness in the Scherzo, even in the minor mode Trio; fleeting glimpses of Chopin-esque harmonies and lyricism in the third movement; and clear differentiation of character and lines in the final Largo and fugue. Kovacevich then goes from one of the longest of Beethoven's piano works to the shortest. The "Bagatelles, Op. 119," are played with charm and grace, but are not necessarily delicate little whimsies. Pay attention or you'll miss the 13-second-long Allegramente one. Again, with "Sonata No. 26 Les Adieux," Kovacevich plays with clarity, not using too much pedal and not getting carried away by the sentiments of the sonata's program. The sound is generally nice and clear, picking up the piano's tones evenly, but there are faint rushes of air around the microphones that can be distracting. However, this is a minute flaw in the recording of a first-rate performance. Patsy Morita

Dallas Morning News

There's no current pianist who has a better claim to voicing his thoughts on this repertoire. He has been an acclaimed exponent of the Viennese classics since his earliest years. (B) Lawson Taitte