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Beethoven: Für Elise and Bagatelles Opp. 33, 119 & 126

Paul Lewis (piano)

Awards:

This disc serves to remind us how much marvellous music Beethoven wrote where there isn’t a scowl in sight…Throughout, Paul Lewis plays with the most natural, relaxed but concentrated enjoyment,...

Beethoven: Für Elise and Bagatelles Opp. 33, 119 & 126

Paul Lewis (piano)

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Awards:

This disc serves to remind us how much marvellous music Beethoven wrote where there isn’t a scowl in sight…Throughout, Paul Lewis plays with the most natural, relaxed but concentrated enjoyment,...

About

When we think of Beethoven and the piano, his monumental 'Thirty-Two Sonatas' come to mind. They have often been referred to as the 'New Testament' to Bach's 'Old Testament', the 'Well-Tempered Clavier'. However, over a period of decades, Beethoven constantly returned to the genre of the 'Bagatelle'. He called them 'trifles', but this small form par excellence actually meant a great deal to him. As with the 'Sonata', Beethoven laid the foundations for a flourishing new genre of piano miniatures. Whether they last a few minutes or a few seconds, these 'Bagatelles' are masterpieces, rendered with in all their brief perfection by the infallible Paul Lewis.

Contents and tracklist

1. Andante grazioso quasi allegretto (E-Flat Major)
Track length3:58
2. Scherzo. Allegro (C Major)
Track length2:50
3. Allegretto (F Major)
Track length2:03
4. Andante (A Major)
Track length3:05
5. Allegro ma non troppo (C Major)
Track length3:12
6. Allegretto quasi andante (D Major)
Track length2:23
7. Presto (A-Flat Major)
Track length2:00
1. Allegretto (G Minor)
Track length2:28
2. Andante con moto (C Major)
Track length1:04
3. à l'Allemande (D Major)
Track length1:40
4. Andante cantabile (A Major)
Track length1:39
5. Risoluto (C Minor)
Track length1:04
6. Andante. Allegretto (G Major)
Track length1:51
7. [Allegro ma non troppo] (C major)
Track length1:10
8. Moderato cantabile (C Major)
Track length1:26
9. Vivace moderato (A Minor)
Track length0:31
10. Allegramente (A Major)
Track length0:12
11. Andante ma non troppo (B-Flat Major)
Track length1:47
1. Andante con moto, cantabile e con piacevole (G Major)
Track length3:00
2. Allegro (G Major)
Track length3:01
3. Andante, Cantabile ed espressivo (E-Flat Major)
Track length2:47
4. Presto (B Major)
Track length3:53
5. Quasi allegretto (G Major)
Track length2:39
6. Presto. Andante amabile e con moto (E-Flat Major)
Track length4:18

Spotlight on this release

Awards and reviews

  • Presto Recording of the Week
    10th July 2020
  • Gramophone Magazine
    September 2020
    Editor's Choice
  • BBC Music Magazine
    October 2020
    Instrumental Choice

October 2020

This disc serves to remind us how much marvellous music Beethoven wrote where there isn’t a scowl in sight…Throughout, Paul Lewis plays with the most natural, relaxed but concentrated enjoyment, instantly communicated to the happy listener. A delightful disc altogether, warmly recommended.

September 2020

As you’d expect from such an experienced Beethoven performer as Paul Lewis, there’s a confidence in every track...What is also particularly telling is the way he creates the sense of a bigger structure over the course of an opus, even where that involves a study in contrasts....Lewis always giv[es] due consideration to Beethoven’s highly contrasting musical ingredients....All told, another hugely impressive disc from one of our greatest Beethovenians.

10th July 2020

Lewis's affection and respect for these still-underappreciated little pieces is evident from the very first phrase of this lovely recital as he launches into Op. 33 with the musical equivalent of a raised eyebrow, the wry stretching of the upbeat hinting at a smörgåsbord of surprises in store...This is altogether a wonderful album, and the most eloquent of postscripts to the pianist’s towering survey of the complete piano sonatas.

1st August 2020

Combining expressive variety and technical ease, Lewis delights in the wit too. Even Für Elise, beaten to death by every would-be and would-not-be learner, becomes tolerable in his hands.

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