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Easy-Listening Piano Classics: Beethoven
Naxos

Easy-Listening Piano Classics: Beethoven

$14.99
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Details

Composer
BEETHOVEN, LUDWIG VAN
Artist
Jandó, Szokolay
Format
CD
Label
Naxos
Released
Feb 23, 2010
Catalog #
8578073-74
UPC
747313807376

About

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was born in the city of Bonn, but moved in 1792 to Vienna, where he spent the rest of his relatively short (he died aged 56) yet highly productive life. While best known, perhaps, for popular large-scale orchestral works such as his concertos and symphonies, he also composed string quartets and other chamber music, songs and, of course, a large amount of music for his 'own' instrument, the piano. In each genre, Beethoven was to some extent a path breaker, transforming the models he inherited from his predecessors or the approach taken by his contemporaries into something radically unique and bequeathing to posterity music that pushed the bounds of politely regulated Classicism towards the highly personal drama of Romanticism. When the young Beethoven arrived in Vienna, he quickly established himself as a virtuoso pianist-contemporaries had quite simply never heard anything like him before-and though deafness ended his career as a pianist, he continued to compose, ultimately publishing 32 piano sonatas (some early sonatas remained unpublished), several sets of piano variations, bagatelles and dances between 1793 and 1822, a representative selection of which are featured on Easy-Listening Piano Classics. Many of Beethoven's piano sonatas have names that describe their character, though not all of these originated with the composer. For instance, 'Pathétique' is an abbreviation of Beethoven's full title 'Grande sonate pathétique' (that is, 'passionate' rather than 'pitiful'); the 'Moonlight' was so named by a music critic who thought of moonlight shimmering upon Lake Lucerne when he heard the first movement (Beethoven simply gave it the sub-title Quasi una fantasia, 'Like a fantasy'); the 'Kurfürstensonaten' are pre-Viennese sonatas dedicated to the Elector (Kurfürst) of Cologne; 'The Tempest' comes from Anton Schindler's claim that the sonata was inspired by Shakespeare's play; 'Pastoral' was provided by one of Beethoven's publishers. In addition, Beethoven composed many shorter piano pieces, which he referred to as 'Kleinigkeiten (Small Things) or Bagatelles', though these should not be underestimated: while some are popular in style and suitable for amateur performers (such as the famous, and probably misnamed 'Für Elise') others are highly characterful miniatures that one writer has described as 'lapidary, fragmentary, yes, even ironic'-true harbingers of Romanticism. Many of his dances (Minuets, Ländler, Ecossaises and so forth) also combine charm and sophistication. Whether composing large-scale serious works for the enjoyment of connoisseurs or smaller popular pieces primarily designed to entertain, Beethoven was very interested in the piano, maintaining close contact with leading piano manufacturers in Vienna and London. The demands he made on both performers and the instrument itself contributed to the development of the modern concert grand. One observer wrote that when Beethoven played the piano 'the music of the man's soul passed over his countenance. He seems to feel the bold, the commanding, and the impetuous, more than what is soothing or gentle. The muscles of the face swell, and it's veins start out; the wild eye rolls doubly wild, the mouth quivers, and Beethoven looks like a wizard, overpowered by the demons whom he himself has called up.' Yet, whether seeking the sublime or appealing to the lighter sentiments, Beethoven's music always communicates 'From the heart... to the heart'.

Tracklist 39 tracks

  1. Disc 1
  2. 1 Rondo in G Major, Op. 51, No. 2 09:28
    Track
    1
    Title
    Rondo in G Major, Op. 51, No. 2
    Duration
    09:28
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  3. 2 7 Ländler, WoO 11, Hess 27 04:00
    Track
    2
    Title
    7 Ländler, WoO 11, Hess 27
    Duration
    04:00
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  4. 3 II. Adagio cantabile 04:42
    Track
    3
    Title
    II. Adagio cantabile
    Duration
    04:42
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  5. 4 Minuet in C Major 02:07
    Track
    4
    Title
    Minuet in C Major
    Duration
    02:07
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  6. 5 2 Bagatelles 00:47
    Track
    5
    Title
    2 Bagatelles
    Duration
    00:47
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  7. 6 Bagatelle in A Minor, WoO 59, "Für Elise" 03:05
    Track
    6
    Title
    Bagatelle in A Minor, WoO 59, "Für Elise"
    Duration
    03:05
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Balázs Szokolay
  8. 7 I. Allegro ma non troppo 04:27
    Track
    7
    Title
    I. Allegro ma non troppo
    Duration
    04:27
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  9. 8 II. Tempo di menuetto 03:02
    Track
    8
    Title
    II. Tempo di menuetto
    Duration
    03:02
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  10. 9 No. 1 in E-Flat Major 03:50
    Track
    9
    Title
    No. 1 in E-Flat Major
    Duration
    03:50
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  11. 10 No. 3 in F Major 02:04
    Track
    10
    Title
    No. 3 in F Major
    Duration
    02:04
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  12. 11 No. 4 in A Major 02:57
    Track
    11
    Title
    No. 4 in A Major
    Duration
    02:57
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  13. 12 No. 6 in D Major 03:17
    Track
    12
    Title
    No. 6 in D Major
    Duration
    03:17
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  14. 13 I. Adagio sostenuto 05:14
    Track
    13
    Title
    I. Adagio sostenuto
    Duration
    05:14
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  15. 14 II. Allegretto 02:05
    Track
    14
    Title
    II. Allegretto
    Duration
    02:05
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  16. 15 No. 1 in G Minor 02:10
    Track
    15
    Title
    No. 1 in G Minor
    Duration
    02:10
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  17. 16 No. 2 in C Major 01:02
    Track
    16
    Title
    No. 2 in C Major
    Duration
    01:02
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  18. 17 No. 3 in D Major 01:34
    Track
    17
    Title
    No. 3 in D Major
    Duration
    01:34
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  19. 18 6 Ecossaises, WoO 83 01:53
    Track
    18
    Title
    6 Ecossaises, WoO 83
    Duration
    01:53
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  20. 19 Menuett in E-Flat Major, WoO 82 03:42
    Track
    19
    Title
    Menuett in E-Flat Major, WoO 82
    Duration
    03:42
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  21. 20 Rondo in C Major, WoO 48, Hess 51 02:25
    Track
    20
    Title
    Rondo in C Major, WoO 48, Hess 51
    Duration
    02:25
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  22. 21 II. Adagio 04:48
    Track
    21
    Title
    II. Adagio
    Duration
    04:48
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  23. 22 No. 4 in A Major 01:26
    Track
    22
    Title
    No. 4 in A Major
    Duration
    01:26
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  24. 23 No. 9 in A Minor 00:35
    Track
    23
    Title
    No. 9 in A Minor
    Duration
    00:35
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  25. 24 No. 5 in G Major 03:08
    Track
    24
    Title
    No. 5 in G Major
    Duration
    03:08
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  26. Disc 2
  27. 1 II. Andante 02:09
    Track
    1
    Title
    II. Andante
    Duration
    02:09
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  28. 2 II. Allegretto 03:56
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Allegretto
    Duration
    03:56
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  29. 3 I. Allegro cantabile 03:14
    Track
    3
    Title
    I. Allegro cantabile
    Duration
    03:14
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  30. 4 II. Andante 02:56
    Track
    4
    Title
    II. Andante
    Duration
    02:56
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  31. 5 III. Rondo vivace 02:26
    Track
    5
    Title
    III. Rondo vivace
    Duration
    02:26
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  32. 6 I. Moderato 01:41
    Track
    6
    Title
    I. Moderato
    Duration
    01:41
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  33. 7 II. Romanze 01:48
    Track
    7
    Title
    II. Romanze
    Duration
    01:48
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  34. 8 II. Adagio con molta espressione 07:47
    Track
    8
    Title
    II. Adagio con molta espressione
    Duration
    07:47
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  35. 9 II. Andante 06:26
    Track
    9
    Title
    II. Andante
    Duration
    06:26
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  36. 10 II. Adagio 08:11
    Track
    10
    Title
    II. Adagio
    Duration
    08:11
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  37. 11 6 Variations in G Major on the Duet Nel cor più non mi sento from La molinara, WoO 70 04:51
    Track
    11
    Title
    6 Variations in G Major on the Duet Nel cor più non mi sento from La molinara, WoO 70
    Duration
    04:51
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  38. 12 I. Allegro 09:05
    Track
    12
    Title
    I. Allegro
    Duration
    09:05
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  39. 13 II. Andante 07:30
    Track
    13
    Title
    II. Andante
    Duration
    07:30
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  40. 14 III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace 02:05
    Track
    14
    Title
    III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace
    Duration
    02:05
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó
  41. 15 IV. Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo 04:47
    Track
    15
    Title
    IV. Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo
    Duration
    04:47
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Jenő Jandó