16-CD set includes works not listed in work list below.

“Beethoven's piano output alone is enormous and arguably the greatest collection of all, and surely its most remarkable feature is the sheer variety of expression. Among the 32 Sonatas you will not find two that are similar; and in the 20 sets of Variations one marvels at the range and inspiration of his vision and imagination. Indeed, he was a rebel and he defined the course of classical music probably more than any other composer. He travelled fast and far, from the influence of Haydn and Mozart in his early works to his own idiomatic language of the middle period works and, finally, reached heights of great spiritual depth in the last 10 years or so. The works are presented in chronological order, but there are many instances where scholars cannot pin down the precise time of composition. Also, in a few cases, strict chronology is deliberately ignored so that on each album the order offers more attractive listening.“ (Martini Tirimo)

Recorded 2008-2018.

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REVIEW:

This is a mountain of music; sixteen albums, each lasting nearly eighty minutes. Not all the unknown Beethoven is of the first magnitude, but much (more than you imagine) of it is. Obviously for such a undertaking it is necessary to have a very special interpreter. The veteran British-Cypriot pianist Martino Tirimo is an artist with a superb and very extensive career, although he has not reached the popularity of the media.

If you are looking for a titanic interpretation of the Hammerklavier you will have to go to Richter, but if what you need is a useful set that allows you to consult at all times works such as the 24 variations on the Arietta “Venni amore” by vicenzo Maria Righini then you must go to this box. Tirimo, in addition, has written a useful 60-page booklet notifying each and every one of the pieces. This is the work of a life.

– Scherzo [Spain] (Félix de Azúa)