Beethoven : Sonates pour piano n°4, 14. Biss.

   in Classical Music (Mar, 2013)
The second volume in Biss’ Onyx cycle finds him in superbly concentrated form. Cleverly, he frames the Moonlight with contrasts: the early, slightly gauche, E flat Sonata opens the disc in dramatic fashion, while in pairing the Fantasy and op 78 Sonata he almost seems to be inventing a new composite piece. Thoughtful, direct and muscular, Biss is setting an impressively high standard for the remaining discs in the series. …