Only now have I learnt how to write quartets properly." So wrote Beethoven in 1801, having just finished his first set of string quartets at the surprisingly advanced age of 30. The competition of Haydn and Mozart must have been intimidating for the young composer. Performed here by the Jerusalem Quartet, these six String Quartets Op.18 already display much boldness and originality, from the dramatic echoes of Romeo & Juliet in No.1, to the astonishing programmatic finale of No.6, "La Malinconia.

Stephen Kovacevich TITLE: Beethoven: The 32 Piano Sonatas, Bagatelles (9CD) "Nobody plays this music more authoritatively and eloquently," wrote London's Sunday Times of Stephen Kovacevich in Beethoven. "He is in his element, responding wholeheartedly to the extreme physicality that Beethoven brought to music... but the wit and delicacy of the playing are also remarkable."Kovacevich himself has spoken of his love for the "fun and virtuosity" of the composer's early sonatas, while in the often challenging later works he sees a "subtext of radiance and some sort of inherent faith in life."

Kvapil is considered the finest exponent of Czech piano music.. a performer with such a specialized repertoire is often unfairly 'tagged' with the erroneous reputation of not playing anything else, and Kapil's present release of three Beethoven piano sonatas will certainly correct that idea.

The violinist Midori has been a celebrated performer for more than 35 years, this recording of Beethoven's Violin Concerto, complemented by his two Romances for violin and orchestra, marks the composer's 250th birthday in December 2020. Midori plays with the Lucerne Festival Strings in a recording made in Switzerland shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic had caused the cancellation of a planned concert performance and international tour. "Beethoven guided my colleagues and me," says Midori, "his work focusing and inspiring us, our concentrations heightened, enveloped together in our musical efforts... I am reminded that he was a man of strong beliefs... who took firm stands on many major issues of his day... Beethoven's determination still provides a model for humankind."

Emphasizing it's reputation as probably the greatest of all violin concertos, Perlman has described Beethoven's masterpiece as "classical and transparent", saying "You can't hide behind it". In this live recording, made with with Daniel Barenboim and the Berliner Philharmoniker, his playing is as fearless and authoritative as it is beautiful.

For his first album with Warner Classics, Lahav Shani conducts the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in Symphony No. 7 and plays Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4: two pieces which come from Beethoven's so-called middle period. The classical harmonic tension contributes to the drive of the music as much as the rhythmic propulsion. This music features a clarity of texture and, above all, a unity between the melodic motive and the accompaniment. Acclaimed for his 'instant chemistry' with the orchestra, Lahav Shani is considered the shooting star amongst conductors - as Der Tagesspiegel puts it: 'The young maestro is simply sensational'.

For this box, ALTO has compiled ten albums by as many outstanding pianists of the 20th century. These include both exemplary recordings and new compilations by ALTO as well as live recordings from the catalogs of the great labels. The entire 20th century is covered from Artur Schnabel and Artur Rubinstein to Marta Argerich with works by composers they were highly celbrated for. The interested enthusiast doesn't get a random grab bag here, but rather a well-thought-out program that also impresses connoisseurs. 10 Giants of the Keyboard: Marta Argerich; Chopin, Brahms, Liszt, Ravel, Prokofiev Vladimir Ashkenazy; Chopin Alfred Brendel; Schubert including complete Impromptus Emil Gilels; Schumann, Chopin, Tchaikovsky GLenn Gould; Bach 1955 Goldbergs, Partitas, Fugues Vladimir Horowitz; Mozart, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Liszt, Scriabin, othrs Wilhelm Kempff; Mozart concerti Sviatoslav Richter; Iconic Schubert Artur Rubinstein; Chopin Favourites Artur Schnabel; Beethoven collection

Gramophon magazine greeted both these recordings with rapturous reviews when first released; "Profoundly satisfying, the work of musicians who know the scores backwards, love playing them and know what not to do... Haitink and the LSO seem set to provide one of the top Beethoven cycles of the digital era"