Beethoven: Complete Works For Solo Piano Vol. 15 – Ronald Brautigam

   in Classical Music (May, 2017)
With this 15th volume, Brautigam reaches the end of his mammoth Beethoven cycle for BIS, taking in every sonata, bagatelle and fragment and superbly recorded on a well-chosen stable of fortepianos. For this disc, he uses a copy of a four-stringed Graf from 1822, on the assumption that it will be similar to Beethoven’s own last instrument given to the composer the year before his death. Questions of appropriateness aside, it sounds splendid and allows both Brautigam’s effortless legato and his rhythmic drive to shine. Even in the slight, late National Airs with Variations, there is a sense of boldly direct communication and utter conviction. The culmination to a remarkable achievement. …