Late Beethoven

My quest for continual music rejuvenation has pushed me to later periods. I ignored most of the 19th century in my youth. Not entirely, of course: I was aware of the "mainstream" repertoire, but I wasn't familiar with all of the Mozart piano sonatas until my 40s, Haydn until my 50s, and now Beethoven until my late 50s. As a result, I listen with less authority, but perhaps greater wonder.

I'm pretty sure I have not listened to all of Beethoven's sonatas until now; perhaps I am a fool to expose my ignorance. Of course, a handful of them are known to all of us. No. 26, Das Lebewohl (often referred to as Les Adieux), is readily recognized, but No. 27 had escaped me all these years. I have known of No. 29, Das Hammerkalvier, primarily through books and essays. While I vaguely recognized the opening movement, the rest is a revelation. No wonder: it is a large work that speaks a language I have not learned to savor. Yet.

I mention these three sonatas because they comprise Ronald Brautigam's latest volume, all performed on Paul McNulty's fortepiano after a 1819 Graf. I'm a sucker for series, a collector at heart. Having established that I related to Brautigam's approach and liked the sound of the recording, there was no question that I would collect the entire series, as it is released.

Indeed, I like these recordings so much that I can't conceive of something better. That is the voice of ignorance, of course. It's a crowded field: there are so many performances to choose from, just how does one make that decision? I'm tempted to go with András Schiff's latest. I have been very impressed by his lectures, some of which are available over the Internet, and I've always liked his (modern piano) sound. Perhaps he will provide a good contrast. Regardless of performer, there are incredible riches in this repertoire and I'm sure the more recordings I listen to, the better.