Beethoven Piano Sonatas - Pizarro - Hi Fi-Choice

Recordings of Beethoven piano sonatas are three-a-penny, even given the parlous state of the classical market. But this first disc on the Linn label from Artur Pizarro is a gem, delivered in HDCD through compatible players. The readings are fresh, rhythmically assured and highly involving. The lop-sided finale of the Tempest is particularly thrilling, but it's unfair to select from this consistently excellent recital. The Blüthner piano used here is less percussinve than a Steinway, and it lacks the sonority and weight of a Bösendorfer. Instead it has a warm, intimate quality that complements these highly original readings, and the engineering is more than worthy of the Linn lineage.