Freire loves the Gewandhaus Orchestra, and hearing them on this form one can understand why...All told it makes for a satisfying account of Beethoven's leonine work. The evident rapport between Freire and Chailly is especially evident in the superb confrontation at the climax of the first movement.

Nelson Freire and Riccardo Chailly banish the pompous air and replace it with a fresh, keen atmosphere.

Freire's Op. 111 is strong on thrusting narrative; rather vaguer when it comes to those physical and metaphysical elements which a Schnabel, an Arrau or a Pollini identify and define.

Two different styles clash here, but work themselves out. Mr. Freire is almost self-effacing at times, extreme at others: Mr. Chailly and his orchestra are lean and full of bite. The Opus 111 sonata is Mr. Freire at his best, too, in playing full of danger and, ultimately, repose.