account
basket
Challenge Records Int. logo
Piano Sonatas nos. 3, 23 & 30
Ludwig van Beethoven

Angela Brownridge

Piano Sonatas nos. 3, 23 & 30

Price: € 20.95
Format: SACD
Label: Challenge Classics
UPC: 0608917270723
Catnr: CC 72707
Release date: 11 March 2016
Buy
1 SACD
✓ in stock
€ 20.95
Buy
 
Label
Challenge Classics
UPC
0608917270723
Catalogue number
CC 72707
Release date
11 March 2016

"The recording sounds like a single take and the listener is drawn into something akin to a live performance with a palpable sense of occasion."

Musicweb, 24-8-2016
Album
Artist(s)
Composer(s)
Press
EN
NL
DE

About the album

Pianist Angela Brownridge made her concert debut at Wigmore Hall when she was only twelve years old. Since then she has toured the world, recorded three albums prior to this one, and has performed at the BOZAR Brussels, Konzerthaus Berlin, and Concertgebouw A’dam. Brownridge has been compared to some of the legends, including Rachmaninov and Cherkasky. The New York Times called her “one of the world’s finest pianists” and a “true genius… Her performances were passionate, rhapsodic, and totally compelling. She is a marvelously exciting artist, and a wonderfully assertive pianist with a strong sense of musical structure.” For this release, Brownridge has chosen staples in the piano repertoire, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas no.’s 3, 23, and 30. Her interpretation of no. 23, “Apassionata,” has garnered her critical accolades.
Driemaal Beethoven door grand dame Brownridge
De drie pianosonates van Beethoven waren zo belangrijk voor hem dat hij ze in 1795 zijn tweede opusnummer gaf. Hij schreef de sonates kort nadat hij verhuisde naar Wenen en droeg ze op aan zijn rolmodel Joseph Haydn, van wie hij ook kort les heeft gehad. Al in deze vroege sonates kunnen we zien, en horen, dat Beethoven het genre naar grote hoogtes wilde tillen. Gedurende zijn leven streefde Beethoven nieuwe pianogeluiden, timbres en harmonieën na, waarbij hij zijn voorgangers Haydn en Mozart ver achter zich liet. Met name de latere sonates van Beethoven zijn omringd door een enkel aura: wat betreft hun vorm en expressiviteit zijn ze zowel gedurfd als mystiek. Beethoven hield echter ook vast aan traditie. Zo houdt hij bijvoorbeeld in zijn Sonate in E majeur, Op. 109, duidelijk vast aan de traditionele sonatevorm, maar hij speelt toch op een unieke manier met de verwachtingen van de luisteraar.

De sonates zijn op dit album opgenomen door de veelgeprezen pianiste Angela Brownridge. Ze speelt drie sonates: één uit de vroege periode, één uit de middenperiode en één uit de late periode. In een tijd waarin de alsmaar ontwikkelende opnametechniek en een continue zoektocht naar perfectie zorgt voor overbewerkte en onnatuurlijke albums, herstelt Brownride spontaniteit, karakter en schoonheid met haar opnames.

Brownridge heeft een uitgebreide carrière gehad, met een rijke discografie en concerten over de hele wereld. Ze blijft jong en energiek in haar spel en begrijpt de diepgang van deze pianomuziek als geen ander.
'... ein wahres Genie. Ihre Interpretationen waren passioniert, rhapsodisch und überwältigend. Sie ist eine fantastisch aufregende Künstlerin und eine wundervolle ausdrückliche Pianistin mit einem ausgeprägten Sinn für musikalische Struktur' 'eine der besten Pianistinnen der Welt' New York Times

Angela Brownridge gab ihr erstes Konzert im Alter von zehn und stand bereits mit zwölf auf der Bühne der Wigmore Hall, von wo aus sie dann die ganze Welt bereiste und in Konzerten zu hören war. Dabei bewahrte sie sich stets ihre Spontaneität und stelle dabei immer die Schönheit des Klangs ins Zentrum ihrer Arbeit, was ihr weltweite Anerkennung einbrachte. Für ihre erste Aufnahme für Challenge Classics widmet sie sich den Sonaten von Beethoven und portraitiert den Komponisten hierbei mit Werken aus all seinen Schaffensphasen: von seinem op. 2, der Klaviersonate Nr. 3, bis hin zu op. 109, der 30. Komposition dieser Gattung.

Artist(s)

Angela Brownridge (piano)

ANGELA BROWNRIDGE, piano. ….'one of the world’s finest pianists….”     New York Times Hailed as a major star in classical music Angela Brownridge has been compared with such pianists as the legendary Solomon, Rachmaninov, Cherkasky, and Bolet. She began her life in an atmosphere of freedom and individualism virtually impossible to find today. Under the guidance of Maria Curcio, who had been a pupil of Schnabel for many years, she absorbed the ability to produce every nuance of the piano, and to present music flexibly and persuasively instead of concentrating on a single method of technique or continual displays of brilliance, learning to deal with the differing requirements of a varied range of composers which recalls Cortot in his prime. Indeed, by realising...
more
ANGELA BROWNRIDGE, piano.
…."one of the world’s finest pianists….” New York Times Hailed as a major star in classical music Angela Brownridge has been compared with such pianists as the legendary Solomon, Rachmaninov, Cherkasky, and Bolet. She began her life in an atmosphere of freedom and individualism virtually impossible to find today. Under the guidance of Maria Curcio, who had been a pupil of Schnabel for many years, she absorbed the ability to produce every nuance of the piano, and to present music flexibly and persuasively instead of concentrating on a single method of technique or continual displays of brilliance, learning to deal with the differing requirements of a varied range of composers which recalls Cortot in his prime. Indeed, by realising that many pianists of a bygone age played with far more individuality, magic, and inspiration than has become the fashion, she was able to develop her own unique personality. In an age which has become over-fascinated with mere technique, and which seeks the degree of 'perfection' offered by over-edited CDs, Angela's playing restores spontaneity, character, and beauty of sound to the platform.
A child prodigy, equally talented in composition, extemporisation, and technically brilliant, Angela first performed in public at the age of seven, and a year later had several pieces published. By the age of ten she had given her first concerto performance, and in her early teens was appearing regularly as a recitalist and concerto performer throughout Great Britain and abroad. She later won a piano scholarship to Edinburgh University, and after graduating B. Mus. was awarded a further scholarship for a two-year period of study in Rome with Guido Agosti. As the winner of several competitions she was able to continue her studies with Maria Curcio in London, where she now lives.
Since then Angela has appeared in all the major London concert halls, and has visited Eastern and Western Europe, the USA, Canada, the Far East and Australia, as well as performing extensively in the UK. She has been a soloist with many leading orchestras and conductors, and Festival engagements include Bath, Edinburgh, Warwick, Newport Rhode Island, Bratislava, Brno, Hong Kong, and Maastricht.
Her recorded repertoire is very varied, including some first ever collections of the complete piano music of Barber, Gershwin, Kenneth Leighton and the complete piano concertos of Saint-Saëns.
Her recordings have received worldwide critical acclaim, several being voted “Critics’ Choice” by Hi-Fi News and Record of the Year by the Absolute Sound magazine of America . She has also appeared on BBC TV in programmes which have involved her in discussion about the music she has performed. She often gives lecture recitals and master classes, and maintains her love of improvisation which has led her on occasions into the world of jazz.
Concert Reviews ‘.....true genius. Her performances were passionate, rhapsodic and totally compelling. She is a marvellously exciting artist, and a wonderfully assertive pianist with a strong sense of musical structure’. New York Times ‘....amazing technique and tonal splendour .... wonderful clarity and dramatic force .... electrifying authority of which passion and dedication were the keynotes. She is an artist of the highest calibre and this was playing of the highest order’. The Guardian
less

Composer(s)

Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential of all composers. His best-known compositions include nine symphonies, five piano concertos, one violin concerto, 32 piano sonatas, 16 string quartets, his great Mass the Missa solemnis, and one opera, Fidelio. Together with Mozart and Haydn, he was part of the First Viennese School.    Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of the Holy Roman Empire, Beethoven displayed his musical talents at an early age and was taught by his father Johann van Beethoven and by composer and conductor Christian Gottlob...
more
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential of all composers. His best-known compositions include nine symphonies, five piano concertos, one violin concerto, 32 piano sonatas, 16 string quartets, his great Mass the Missa solemnis, and one opera, Fidelio. Together with Mozart and Haydn, he was part of the First Viennese School. Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of the Holy Roman Empire, Beethoven displayed his musical talents at an early age and was taught by his father Johann van Beethoven and by composer and conductor Christian Gottlob Neefe. At the age of 21 he moved to Vienna, where he began studying composition with Joseph Haydn, and gained a reputation as a virtuoso pianist. He lived in Vienna until his death. By his late 20s his hearing began to deteriorate, and by the last decade of his life he was almost totally deaf. In 1811 he gave up conducting and performing in public but continued to compose; many of his most admired works come from these last 15 years of his life.

less

Press

The recording sounds like a single take and the listener is drawn into something akin to a live performance with a palpable sense of occasion.
Musicweb, 24-8-2016

''On the Steinway of Westvestgo in Schiedam the English pianist knows how to convince us with great tunes in the pianosonates of Beethoven.''
Piano wereld, 01-7-2016

The recorded sound is excellent and truly shows all the details of these magical performances. Even if you think you know these pieces well and have heard them many times, you should listen to this disc. It may well open your ears to details you never noticed before, and gives you even greater insight into these wonderful masterpieces.
Princeton NJ, 20-6-2016

"The strength of the classical music of Beethoven comes from the pulse of the tempo. You have to hold on to that, unless the composer indicates otherwise. That idea has settled in my mind and that's why I wanted to make this recording, with all the consequences. It's something I really believe in."
Pianist, 01-2-2016

Play album Play album

Often bought together with..

Johann Sebastian Bach
Harpsichord Concertos Vol. 2
Fabio Bonizzoni | La Risonanza
Frédéric Chopin
The Four Ballades
Angela Brownridge
Six Piano Sonatas
Einav Yarden
Dmitri Shostakovich, Mieczysław Weinberg
Solo Sonatas for Violin nos. 1 - 3
Linus Roth

You might also like..

Michael Haydn, Joseph Haydn
Violin Concerto No. 4 | Concerto for Viola and Harpsichord
Noriko Amano | Ryo Terakado
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Requiem KV 626 - Version for string quartet by Peter Lichtenthal (1780-1853)
Kuijken String Quartet
Various composers
Sonata for two pianos in D Major, K. 448/375a | Fantasie for piano four hands in F Minor, D. 940
Piano Duo Scholtes & Janssens
Ludwig van Beethoven
Sonatas for Piano and Violin Vol. 1
Michael Foyle | Maksim Stsura
Ludwig van Beethoven
Complete Works for Piano Trio vol. 5
Van Baerle Trio | Residentie Orkest The Hague
Ludwig van Beethoven
Complete Piano Trios vol. 4
Van Baerle Trio
Various composers
Eclectic | Being Me
Marie François
Franz Schubert
A Sentimental Moment
Duo Morat-Fergo
Various composers
Auf Flügeln des Gesanges - Romantic songs and transcriptions
Cyprien Katsaris | Christoph Prégardien
Ludwig van Beethoven
Complete Piano Trios vol. 2
Van Baerle Trio
Ludwig van Beethoven
Complete Piano Trios vol. 1
Van Baerle Trio
Various composers
Missa Unitatis
Cappella Pratensis