Angela Hewitt - Beethoven piano sonatas Vol2 - Hyperion Records CDA67605 (2007) SACD rip via PS3 to iso (3.79GB) | 24bit/88.2kHz flac | Mch (2.95GB) (+5.96dB gain) | 2ch (1.04GB) DR15 (+6dB gain) | Classical ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This second CD devoted to the Sonatas of Beethoven includes 3 very different works that were written within a period of about 7 years. They are presented in reverse chronological order simply because that way they make a more satisfying recital for the listener. ~ Angela Hewitt © 2007 Angela Hewitt is widely acknowledged as 1 of the great pianists of the age. Gramophone Artist of the Year in 2006 & the recent subject of a week-long artist focus on BBC Radio 3, her frenetic concert schedule & expanding discography bear testimony to her extraordinary talent & energy. Hewitt’s legion of fans will be delighted at this eagerly awaited 2nd volume of Beethoven sonatas. Her 1st release in this series was fulsomely praised for its ‘clarity, intelligence & elegance’ … ‘fusing poetry & passion’, & all these trademark qualities of her playing are fully present in this 2nd disc. Angela presents 3 very different works here: the enchanting ‘Pastoral’ Sonata Op 28, the monumental ‘Pathétique’ Op 13 & the dazzling early masterpiece Op 2 No 3. Her interpretations are vividly personal, yet the voice of the composer speaks clearly throughout. ---------------------------------- Reviews: 'The Pastoral sonata leads off Angela Hewitt's second Beethoven sonata cycle instalment, and she taps into the music's overall geniality while also paying heed to its darker corners … I love Hewitt's conversational give and take between the droning left-hand ostinato and the main theme at the Rondo finale's outset … in addition to Hyperion's superb sound, Hewitt, as usual, provides her own penetrating, vividly articulate annotations' (Gramophone) 'Hewitt's fluent pianism … there's no shortage of imaginative touches in Hewitt's performances of the Pastoral sonata' (BBC Music Magazine) 'Quietly dazzling … in the Scherzo [Pastoral] the B minor trio is also marvellous—fleet, shadowy, all taken in a single breath … next, the 'Pathétique', which suits Hewitt very well. In the first movement, I particularly like the way in which she projects the Sturm-und-drang quality of the main Allegro di molto e con brio without turning it into the 'Appassionata' … [Op 2 No 3] Hewitt sounds completely happy playing it, and she finds just the right balance between its extrovert bravura and its lyricism' (International Record Review) 'Hewitt punches out the dramatic opening chords of Beethoven’s Pathétique sonata with stinging vehemence, but otherwise plays the three sonatas here with a light touch. She often lingers deliciously over the Pathétique’s rich dissonances, while the adagio cantabile sings under her featherweight fingers and the rondo surges with spritely abandon at each return of the theme' (The Times) 'Throughout, Hewitt maintains her trademark clean tone. Colours are beautifully controlled, forms coherently shaped' (The Sunday Times) 'Angela Hewitt is on characteristic top form in three of Beethoven's iconic sonatas … Hewitt's intelligent planning gives it [Pathétique] a hardcore makeover. The extremes of dynamic range are deftly realised, and she's fearless at articulating with a brittle touch where necessary' (Classic FM Magazine) 'In this, the second installment in her Beethoven sonata survey, Angela Hewitt goes from strength to strength. Still early in the game, it already shows promise of being one of the very best … I am finding Hewitt to be the most consistently well played and to have the most interesting things to say about these well-explored works, often in unexpected places and in Beethoven's most unassuming moments' (Fanfare, USA) 'Hewitt is also someone to be reckoned with … these remain important and excellent readings, and I look forward to hearing more form her, in a set definitely worth collecting, if for no other reason than the absolutely best-ever to-die-for piano sound' (Audiophile Audition, USA) 'An uncluttered, clear-focused, Perahia-like poetic overview whose intellectual acumen is almost Kempf-like in its clarity. By keeping the opening movement [Pathétique] on a firm rein, the finale, for once, doesn't emerge as a temporal and expressive anti-climax, but appears to grow quite naturally out of what had gone before … [Pastoral] again Hewitt has her finger on the pulse of this elusive work, easing us into the opening movement with a beguiling warmth that radiates exactly the right degree of gentle reverie … such expressive and structural clarity' (International Piano) 'I liked her performance of the Pastoral, which opens proceedings, and Op 2/3 which concludes matters, but I thought her Pathétique a little underwhelming … Classic FM magazine made this a Disc of the Month' (MusicWeb International)» More 'Recordings of Beethoven sonatas are hardly rare, but performances of such subtletly and care definitely are … what distinguishes Hewitt's playing is precisely her careful use of dynamic, excellent fingering technique and a focus on key … great music, beautifully played: a definite best buy' (Scotland on Sunday) 'Angela Hewitt continues her cycle of Beethoven's sonatas with a suitably sombre reading of the Pathétique Op 13, and wonderfully shaped Pastoral Op 28. The early Op 2 no 3 brims with youthful vigour' (The Northern Echo) 'Elsewhere in this issue I complain about Lang Lang's ego-driven showmanship. Angela Hewitt is his polar opposite: every note she plays honors the composer. Though I sense her technique is every bit as comprehensive as Lang Lang's, her self-effacing artistry puts the focus where it truly belongs, on the infinite variety and depth of Beethoven's genius. I'm happy to add that the sound of Hewitt's 1981 Fazioli concert grand registers both the intimacy and grandeur of her interpretations with a deeply satisfying realism. This is, not surprisingly, the second installment of a projected cycle. Currently other gifted pianists are in the process of recording the complete sonatas—Ronald Brautigam, Paul Lewis and Gerhard Oppitz, to name just three. If you're in the market for a completed cycle, it's always an embarrassment of riches, and there's an interpretive approach to suit any taste. But I suspect that in the end Hewitt's subtle, exacting, and expressive performances will stand comparison with any. Here is Beethoven for all seasons' (Enjoythemusic.com) ---------------------------------- Available to buy and download here: http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/a.asp?a=A542 If you like this, then please support Hyperion and buy the others in the series. Tracks: 01-op28_I_[Allegro] 02-op28_II_[Andante] 03-op28_III_[Scherzo - Allegro vivace] 04-op28_IV_[Rondo - Allegro ma non troppo] 05-op 13_I [Grave] 06-op13_II [Adagio cantabile] 07-op13_III [Rondo - Allegro] 08-op2N3_I [Allegro con brio] 09-op2N3_II Adagio] 10-op2N3_III [Scherzo - Allegro] 11-op2N3_IV [Allegro assai] Musicians: Angela Hewitt - Piano http://www.filefactory.com/folder/74294a078651bf50 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Checksum for iso: 82b3288665751bd809b20a22267d2f8d *Angela Hewitt - Angela Hewitt Beethoven pno sonatas Vol2.iso Checksums for flac tracks Mch: 591a4511ea12b904c75816434fbb3c1f *01 - Angela Hewitt - op28_I_[Allegro].flac 5b60aeb831164d304991aef3499684f3 *02 - Angela Hewitt - op28_II_[Andante].flac 5cb9c98a088b0c920e7c3cd01338119a *03 - Angela Hewitt - op28_III_[Scherzo - Allegro vivace].flac 165a8b91bcdfe347030d0f29fd97691f *04 - Angela Hewitt - op28_IV_[Rondo - Allegro ma non troppo].flac 29112b00b43977480e24b963ac96226e *05 - Angela Hewitt - op 13_I [Grave].flac c12bfbe2433f89a7b0ae9e335077d2a8 *06 - Angela Hewitt - op13_II [Adagio cantabile].flac 8a408cc3ca44786204c4579a8b01b1b1 *07 - Angela Hewitt - op13_III [Rondo - Allegro].flac 8a626d8ca4676552a4c39eae5e615dfe *08 - Angela Hewitt - op2N3_I [Allegro con brio].flac 58e91278a1cb667e451dc652a9e6aae4 *09 - Angela Hewitt - op2N3_II Adagio].flac 180e040922a778f3582b0b99aa0e8656 *10 - Angela Hewitt - op2N3_III [Scherzo - Allegro].flac 58b2c8a1bea17bb7e05ee332222a7f60 *11 - Angela Hewitt - op2N3_IV [Allegro assai].flac Checksums for flac tracks 2ch: c685ef8b65264ec0d0cc2f14e6c40996 *01 - Angela Hewitt - op28_I_[Allegro].flac 29c92b3c24d90f7ebb59ab0e8436e4f3 *02 - Angela Hewitt - op28_II_[Andante].flac afd9ed18e59c458413b31f912ac43da3 *03 - Angela Hewitt - op28_III_[Scherzo - Allegro vivace].flac 7875b5e0fec51857e056498286aded4a *04 - Angela Hewitt - op28_IV_[Rondo - Allegro ma non troppo].flac 537959fd3647b0dc56fe45444b9b5b29 *05 - Angela Hewitt - op 13_I [Grave].flac 43b661996af40ade311e65d8d0a31cfc *06 - Angela Hewitt - op13_II [Adagio cantabile].flac 720e8d0da378ace1965c73bf5d74be58 *07 - Angela Hewitt - op13_III [Rondo - Allegro].flac 6ad15bb99594c21092c802247b12183a *08 - Angela Hewitt - op2N3_I [Allegro con brio].flac f9c652d0951bd43605e510c69ff78a85 *09 - Angela Hewitt - op2N3_II Adagio].flac 32ef7709a48e46f43c7836e8e3c24961 *10 - Angela Hewitt - op2N3_III [Scherzo - Allegro].flac 90c2538106070ad1fe3e4d5b14a9e9fc *11 - Angela Hewitt - op2N3_IV [Allegro assai].flac