Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
CD 1
Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor Op 2 No 1 [18'02]
01. Allegro [3'54]
02. Adagio [5'18]
03. Menuetto: Allegretto [3'36]
04. Prestissimo [5'14]
Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major Op 2 No 2 [24'26]
05. Allegro vivace [7'32]
06. Largo appassionato [6'42]
07. Scherzo: Allegretto [3'17]
08. Rondo: Grazioso [6'55]
Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major Op 2 No 3 [27'43]
09. Allegro con brio [10'16]
10. Adagio [8'54]
11. Scherzo: Allegro [3'10]
12. Allegro assai [5'23]
CD 2
Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor 'Appassionata' Op 57 [25'46]
13. Allegro assai [10'50]
14. Andante con moto [6'46]
15. Allegro ma non troppo [8'10]
16. 6 Variations on an original theme in F major Op 34 [13'12]
Piano Sonata No. 9 in E major Op 14 No 1 [14'28]
17. Allegro [6'51]
18. Allegretto [3'56]
19. Allegro comodo [3'41]
Piano Sonata No. 10 in G major Op 14 No 2 [16'44]
20. Allegro [7'20]
21. Andante [5'56]
22. Scherzo: Allegro assai [3'28]
CD 3
23. Fantasia in G minor Op 77 [9'37]
Piano Sonata No. 13 in E flat major 'Quasi una fantasia' Op 27 No 1 [16'59]
24. Andante – Allegro – Tempo I [5'42]
25. Allegro molto e vivace [2'11]
26. Adagio con espressione [3'13]
27. Allegro vivace [5'53]
Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor 'Moonlight' Op 27 No 2 [16'19]
28. Adagio sostenuto [6'25]
29. Allegretto [2'23]
30. Presto agitato [7'31]
Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major Op 101 [22'43]
31. Allegretto ma non troppo (Etwas lebhaft und mit der innigsten Empfindung) [4'56]
32. Vivace alla marcia (Lebhaft, Marschmäßig) [6'44]
33. Adagio, ma non troppo, con affetto (Langsam und sehnsuchtsvoll) – Allegro (Geschwind, doch nicht zu sehr, und mit Entschlossenheit) [11'03]
34. Klavierstück (Bagatelle) in A minor 'Für Elise' WoO59 [3'17]
CD 4
Piano Sonata No. 16 in G major Op 31 No 1 [24'35]
35. Allegro vivace [6'51]
36. Adagio grazioso [10'59]
37. Allegretto [6'45]
Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor 'Tempest' Op 31 No 2 [24'58]
38. Largo – Allegro [8'50]
39. Adagio [8'52]
40. Allegretto [7'16]
Piano Sonata No. 18 in E flat major Op 31 No 3 [23'19]
41. Allegro [8'52]
42. Scherzo: Allegretto vivace [5'04]
43. Menuetto: Moderato e grazioso [4'42]
44. Presto con fuoco [4'41]
CD 5
Piano Sonata No. 11 in B flat major Op 22 [26'26]
45. Allegro con brio [7'51]
46. Adagio con molta espressione [8'50]
47. Minuetto [3'32]
48. Rondo: Allegretto [6'13]
Piano Sonata No. 22 in F major Op 54 [12'57]
49. In tempo d'un menuetto [6'23]
50. Allegretto – Più allegro [6'34]
Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major 'Waldstein' Op 53 [26'40]
51. Allegro con brio [10'57]
52. Introduzione: Adagio molto [4'44]
53. Rondo: Allegretto moderato – Prestissimo [10'59]
54. Andante in F major 'Andante favori' WoO57 [10'02]
CD 6
Variations and a Fugue on an Original Theme 'Eroica' Op 35 [24'56]
55. Complete: Introduzione col Basso del Tema – Tema – Variations 1-15 – Finale alla Fuga [24'56]
Piano Sonata No. 12 in A flat major Op 26 [20'29]
56. Andante con variazioni [8'10]
57. Scherzo: Allegro molto [2'45]
58. Marcia funebre sulla morte d'un eroe [6'26]
59. Allegro [3'08]
Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat major 'Les adieux' Op 81a [18'18]
60. Das Lebewohl: Adagio – Allegro [7'44]
61. Abwesenheit: Andante espressivo – [4'27]
62. Das Wiedersehen: Vivacissimamente [6'07]
CD 7
Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor 'Pathétique' Op 13 [19'48]
63. Grave – Allegro di molto e con brio [9'24]
64. Adagio cantabile [5'18]
65. Rondo: Allegro [5'06]
Seven Bagatelles Op 33
66. No 1 in E flat major: Andante grazioso, quasi allegretto [4'05]
67. No 2 in C major: Scherzo. Allegro – Trio [2'48]
68. No 3 in F major: Allegretto [2'15]
69. No 4 in A major: Andante [3'10]
70. No 5 in C major: Allegro ma non troppo [3'09]
71. No 6 in D major: Allegretto quasi andante [2'35]
72. No 7 in A flat major: Presto [3'05]
Piano Sonata No. 27 in E minor Op 90 [14'40]
73. Mit Lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit Empfindung und Ausdruck [6'19]
74. Nicht zu geschwind und sehr singbar vorgetragen [8'21]
Piano Sonata No. 25 in G major Op 79 [9'38]
75. Presto alla tedesca [4'39]
76. Andante [2'47]
77. Vivace [2'12]
CD 8
Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major 'Hammerklavier' Op 106 [46'38]
78. Allegro [11'23]
79. Scherzo: Assai vivace – Presto [2'42]
80. Adagio sostenuto, appassionato e con molto sentimento [19'57]
81. Largo – Allegro – Allegro risoluto [12'36]
Six Bagatelles Op 126
82. No 1 in G major: Andante con moto [3'08]
83. No 2 in G minor: Allegro [2'54]
84. No 3 in E flat major: Andante [2'33]
85. No 4 in B minor: Presto [3'57]
86. No 5 in G major: Quasi allegretto [2'42]
87. No 6 in E flat major: Presto – Andante amabile e con moto – Tempo I [4'13]
CD 9
Piano Sonata No. 5 in C minor Op 10 No 1 [20'50]
88. Allegro molto e con brio [6'34]
89. Adagio molto [9'26]
90. Prestissimo [4'50]
Piano Sonata No. 6 in F major Op 10 No 2 [14'36]
91. Allegro [6'10]
92. Allegretto [4'34]
93. Presto [3'52]
Piano Sonata No. 7 in D major Op 10 No 3 [25'14]
94. Presto [7'02]
95. Largo e mesto [10'57]
96. Menuetto: Allegro [2'58]
97. Rondo: Allegro [4'17]
98. 32 Variations on an original theme in C minor WoO80 [10'57]
CD 10
Piano Sonata No. 19 in G minor Op 49 No 1 [8'14]
99. Andante [4'40]
100. Allegro [3'34]
33 Variations on a waltz by Anton Diabelli in C 'Diabelli Variations' Op 120 [55'41]
101. Theme: Vivace [0'53]
102. Variation 1: Alla marcia maestoso [2'02]
103. Variation 2: Poco allegro [0'55]
104. Variation 3: L'istesso tempo [1'19]
105. Variation 4: Un poco più vivace [1'05]
106. Variation 5: Allegro vivace [0'58]
107. Variation 6: Allegro ma non troppo e serioso [1'43]
108. Variation 7: Un poco più allegro [1'06]
109. Variation 8: Poco vivace [1'15]
110. Variation 9: Allegro pesante e risoluto [1'47]
111. Variation 10: Presto [0'41]
112. Variation 11: Allegretto [1'10]
113. Variation 12: Un poco più moto [0'55]
114. Variation 13: Vivace [1'21]
115. Variation 14: Grave e maestoso [4'07]
116. Variation 15: Presto scherzando [0'42]
117. Variation 16: Allegro [0'58]
118. Variation 17: Allegro [1'03]
119. Variation 18: Poco moderato [2'10]
120. Variation 19: Presto [0'50]
121. Variation 20: Andante [2'47]
122. Variation 21: Allegro con brio – Meno allegro – Tempo primo [1'39]
123. Variation 22: Allegro molto, alla 'Notte e giorno faticar' di Mozart [0'50]
124. Variation 23: Allegro assai [0'59]
125. Variation 24: Fughetta: Andante [3'03]
126. Variation 25: Allegro [0'48]
127. Variation 26: [Piacevole] [0'57]
128. Variation 27: Vivace [0'57]
129. Variation 28: Allegro [1'01]
130. Variation 29: Adagio ma non troppo [1'14]
131. Variation 30: Andante, sempre cantabile [2'11]
132. Variation 31: Largo, molto espressivo [5'06]
133. Variation 32: Fuga: Allegro [3'03]
134. Variation 33: Tempo di Menuetto moderato [4'06]
Piano Sonata No. 20 in G major Op 49 No 2 [8'37]
135. Allegro, ma non troppo [4'42]
136. Tempo di Menuetto [3'55]
CD 11
Piano Sonata No. 4 in E flat major 'Grande Sonate' Op 7 [31'20]
137. Allegro molto e con brio [8'32]
138. Largo, con gran espressione [9'37]
139. Allegro [5'24]
140. Rondo: Poco allegretto e grazioso [7'47]
Piano Sonata No. 24 in F sharp major Op 78 [10'37]
141. Adagio cantabile – Allegro ma non troppo [7'24]
142. Allegro vivace [3'13]
Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major 'Pastoral' Op 28 [28'10]
143. Allegro [11'53]
144. Andante [8'05]
145. Scherzo: Allegro vivace [2'38]
146. Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo [5'34]
CD 12
Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major Op 109 [20'56]
147. Vivace, ma non troppo – Adagio espressivo – [3'55]
148. Prestissimo [2'39]
149. Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo: Gesang mit innigster Empfindung [14'22]
Piano Sonata No. 31 in A flat major Op 110 [21'32]
150. Moderato cantabile molto espressivo [7'17]
151. Allegro molto [2'20]
152. Adagio ma non troppo – Fuga: Allegro ma non troppo [11'55]
Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor Op 111 [28'38]
153. Maestoso – Allegro con brio ed appassionato [9'06]
154. Arietta: Adagio molto, semplice e cantabile [19'32]
A stunning 12-CD box set, Beethoven Unbound, will be released to mark the completion of Llŷr Williams’ monumental Beethoven cycle at Wigmore Hall and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) – recorded live at Wigmore Hall over three years and nine recitals.
As well as the complete piano sonatas, the box set also features other works including the 32 Variations in C minor, Eroica Variations, Opus 126 Bagatelles and the Diabelli Variations, a total of almost 14 hours of music. This is Williams’ fourth album on Signum Classics. Beethoven Unbound is presented in a beautiful hinged box with extensive notes by Misha Donat, and personal notes by Williams and the album’s award-winning producer Judith Sherman, with whom Williams worked previously on his Wagner Without Words release.
Williams comments on the box set and the partnership with Sherman: “Rather than adopt the chronological approach, I have arranged the works roughly in the order that I played them in the concerts, and each CD has been devised as a mini-recital programme. This has sometimes allowed for creativity in putting the pieces together. Working with Judy on this project has been a joy and a privilege. It was sad to reach the end – but at least we still have a Schubert cycle to look forward to!”
Williams has developed a reputation as one of the finest exponents of Beethoven, since giving his first Beethoven cycle in Perth in 2010, and winning a South Bank Sky Arts Award in 2012 for an epic two-week marathon in Edinburgh. The Guardian said of one of his RWCMD cycle recitals in 2016: “Williams’ already considerable stature as a Beethoven interpreter seems to grow with every performance” (Rian Evans, 25 March 2016) and The Independent commented on a Wigmore recital: “Williams treats it [the keyboard] as an extension of his body, and with the three Opus 10 sonatas plus the Diabelli Variations he took us onto an altogether higher plane” (Michael Church, 12 October 2016). 2017 saw the conclusion not only of the solo series at Wigmore Hall and the RWCMD, but also of a complete concerto cycle with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
![Llŷr Williams - Llŷr Williams: Beethoven Unbound (2018) [Hi-Res]](https://img.israbox.com/uploads/posts/2018-08/1533957591_635212052723-cover-zoom.jpg)
