SOLOMON: THE COMPLETE BEETHOVEN RECORDINGS (12 CDS)

2020 is the Beethoven year as it marks the 250th birthday of the genius from Bonn – the perfect occasion to release Solomon’s complete Beethoven recordings. The internationally renowned music critic Joachim Kaiser counts the pianist among the "few great Beethoven players of our time" and praises his "pianistic energy, which every person that cares about piano playing has to know and love". Without a doubt the recordings of the sonatas (Solomon's complete recording of the piano sonatas unfortunately remained incomplete), namely the Grand Sonata for the Hammerklavier, "Les Adieux" and the "Mondscheinsonate" are among the most insistent interpretations that these works have experienced.
Born in London in 1902 as Solomon Cutner, the son of Jewish immigrants was a
prodigy par excellence. A grand disciple of Clara Schumann’s, he already gave up his last name as a child. Not only, but especially his Beethoven interpretations made him legendary in the 1930s and 40s. Left with one-sided paralysis due to a stroke, his career found an abrupt end in 1956.
Only four works appear twice in Solomon's Beethoven discography; two of them - the Sonata Op. 111 (1948 and 1951), and the 3rd Piano Concerto (1944 and 1956) - are presented in this compilation of the entire Beethoven repertoire in both versions, which Solomon has recorded for vinyl.

CD 1
■ Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1 in C
Major Op. 15 / Sonata No. 27 in E Minor Op. 90 (1958)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827)
Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major Op. 15 / C-Dur
1. I. Allegro con brio 13‘34
2. II. Largo 12‘12
3. III. Rondo: Allegro scherzando 8‘55
Sonata No. 27 in E Minor Op. 90 / e-Moll
4. I. Mit Lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit Empfindung 5‘59
und Ausdruck
5. II. Nicht zu geschwind und sehr singbar vorzutragen 7‘11
Solomon piano / Klavier
Philharmonia Orchestra conductor / Dirigent Herbert Menges (1-3)
recorded / aufgenommen 1956
■ Bonus
Piano Sonata No. 7 in D Major Op. 10, 3 / D-Dur
6. I. Presto 7‘05
7. II. Largo e mesto 10‘09
8. III. Minuet: Allegro & Trio 2‘43
9. IV. Rondo: Allegro 4‘12
Solomon piano / Klavier
recorded / aufgenommen 1956 Total
Time 72‘03

CD 2
■ Beethoven
Piano Concerto No. 2 in B Flat Major
Op. 19 (c. 1953)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827)
Piano Concerto No. 2 in B Flat Major op. 19 / B-Dur
1. I. Allegro con brio 13‘28
2. II. Adagio 8‘51
3. III. Rondo: Molto allegro 6‘05
Solomon piano / Klavier
Philharmonia Orchestra
conductor / Dirigent André Cluytens
recorded / aufgenommen 1952
The Emperor Concerto (1956)
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E Flat Major
Op. 73 “Emperor” / Es-Dur
4. I. Allegro 19‘26
5. II. Adagio un poco mosso 8‘23
6. III. Rondo: Allegro. Più allegro 9‘46
Solomon piano / Klavier
Philharmonia Orchestra
conductor / Dirigent Herbert Menges
recorded / aufgenommen 1955
Total Time 66‘02

CD 3
■ Beethoven
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor Op. 37
(1958)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827)
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor Op.
37 / c-Moll
1. I. Allegro con brio 16‘22
2. II. Largo 10‘43
3. III. Rondo: Allegro. Presto 8‘48
Solomon piano / Klavier
Philharmonia Orchestra conductor /
Dirigent Herbert Menges
recorded / aufgenommen 1956
■ Bonus
Piano Sonata No. 22 in F Major Op. 54 /
F-Dur
4. I. In tempo di minuetto 4‘52
5. II. Allegretto. Più allegro 4‘56
Solomon piano / Klavier
Piano Sonata No. 28 in A Major Op.
101 / A-Dur
6. I. Allegretto ma non troppo 3‘43
7. II. Vivace alla Marcia 5‘29
8. III. Adagio ma non troppo 2‘31
9. IV. Allegro 7‘07
Solomon piano / Klavier
recorded / aufgenommen 1951 (4-5)
1954 (6-9)
Total Time 64‘33

CD 4
■ Beethoven
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major Op.
58 / G-Dur (1955)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827)
1. I. Allegro moderato 18‘10
2. II. Andante con moto 5‘20
3. III. Rondo: Vivace 9‘34
Solomon piano / Klavier
Philharmonia Orchestra
conductor / Dirigent André Cluytens
recorded / aufgenommen 1952
■ Bonus
Piano Sonata No. 32 in C Minor Op.
111 / c-Moll
4. I. Maestoso. Allegro con brio ed
ppassionato 8‘43
5. II. Arietta (con variazioni): Adagio
molto semplice e cantabile 17‘58
Solomon piano / Klavier
recorded / aufgenommen 1951
Total Time 59‘46

CD 5
■ Beethoven
Tempest and Appassionata Sonatas
(1956)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827)
Piano Sonata No. 17 in D Minor Op. 31,
2 “Tempest” / d-Moll „Der Sturm“
1. I. Largo. Allegro 8‘07
2. II. Adagio 8‘10
3. III. Allegretto 6‘08
Sonata No. 23 in F Minor Op. 57
“Appassionata” / f-Moll
4. I. Allegro assai. Adagio. Più allegro
8‘50
5. II. Andante con moto. Variazioni I-III –
attacca: 7‘17
6. III. Allegro, ma non troppo. Presto
4‘53
Solomon piano / Klavier
recorded / aufgenommen 1954
■ Bonus
Piano Sonata No. 18 in E Flat Major Op.
31, 3 / Es-Dur
7. I. Allegro 9‘16
8. II. Scherzo: Allegretto vivace 5‘29
9. III. Minuet: Moderato grazioso & Trio.
Coda 4‘25
10. Presto con fuoco 4‘36
Solomon piano / Klavier
recorded / aufgenommen 1954 Total
Time 67‘14

CD 6
■ Beethoven
Sonata No. 29 in B Flat Major Op. 106
„Hammerklavier“ /
Sonata No. 26 in E Flat Major Op. 81a
„Les adieux“ (1953)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827)
Piano Sonata No. 29 in B Flat Major Op.
106 „Hammerklavier“ / B-Dur
1. I. Allegro 10'07
2. II. Scherzo: Assai vivace. Presto 2'31
3. III. Adagio sostenuto 22‘20
Piano Sonata No. 26 in E Flat Major Op.
81a „Les Adieux“ /
Es-Dur „Das Lebewohl“
4. I. Adagio. Allegro (Abschied) 6'44
5. II. Andante espressivo (Abwesenheit)
3'50
6. III. Viviacissimamente (Ankunft) 5‘27
Solomon piano / Klavier
recorded / aufgenommen 1952
Total Time 51‘02

CD 7
■ Beethoven
Sonata in C Minor Op. 13 / Sonata in E
Major Op. 109 (1954)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827)
Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor Op. 13
„Pathétique“ / c-Moll
1. I. Grave. Allegro di molto e con brio
8‘54
2. II. Adagio cantabile 6‘10
3. III. Rondo: Allegro 4‘16
Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major Op.
109 / E-Dur
4. I. Vivace ma non troppo. Vivace
espressivo 3‘39
5. II. Prestissimo 2‘13
6. III. Tema: Andante molto cantabile ed
espressivo 13‘09
Solomon piano / Klavier
recorded / aufgenommen 1951
■ Bonus
Piano Sonata No. 14 in C Sharp Minor
Op. 27, 2 “Moonlight” /
cis-Moll „Mondschein“
7. I. Adagio sostenuto 8‘33
8. II. Allegretto 1‘56
9. III. Presto agitato. Adagio. Presto
agitato 7‘22
Solomon piano / Klavier
recorded / aufgenommen 1952 Total
Time 56‘14

CD 8
■ Beethoven
Sonata in E Flat Major Op. 27, 1 /
Sonata in A Flat Major Op. 110 (1962)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827)
Piano Sonata No. 13 in E Flat Major Op.
27, 1 / Es-Dur
1. I. Andante. Poco meno mosso.
Allegro. Tempo I 5‘38
2. II. Allegro molto e vivace. Trio 1‘48
3. III. Adagio con espressione – Allegro
vivace. Tempo I. Presto 9‘13
Piano Sonata No. 31 in A Flat Major Op.
110 / As-Dur
4. I. Moderato cantabile molto
espressivo 7‘08
5. II. Allegro molto 1‘58
6. III. Adagio, ma non troppo 10‘51
Solomon piano / Klavier
recorded / aufgenommen 1956
■ Bonus
Piano Sonata No. 32 in C Minor Op.
111 / c-Moll
7. I. Maestoso. Allegro con brio ed
appassionato 9‘04
8. II. Arietta (con variazioni): Adagio
molto semplice e cantabile 19‘30
Solomon piano / Klavier
recorded / aufgenommen 1948
Total Time 65‘11

CD 9
■ Beethoven
Sonatas Op. 2 No. 1 in F Minor & No. 3
in C Major (1954)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827)
Piano Sonata No. 1 in F Minor Op. 2, 1 /
f-Moll
1. I. Allegro 4‘57
2. II. Adagio 5‘40
3. III. Minuetto: Allegretto & Trio 3‘15
4. IV. Prestissmo. L’istesso tempo 7‘25
Piano Sonata No. 3 in C Major Op. 2, 3 /
C-Dur
5. I. Allegro con brio 9‘38
6. II. Adagio 7‘27
7. III. Scherzo: Allegro 3‘04
8. IV. Allegro assai 4‘55
Solomon piano / Klavier
recorded / aufgenommen 1951 (5-8)
1952 (1-4)
Total Time 46‘22

CD 10
■ Beethoven
Sonatas for Violoncello & Piano Vol. I
(1955)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827)
Cello Sonata in F Major Op. 5, 1 / F-Dur
1. I. Adagio sostenuto 3‘35
2. Allegro. Adagio. Presto. Tempo I
11‘05
3. II. Allegro vivace 7‘06
Sonatas for Violoncello & Piano Vol. II
(1955)
Cello Sonata in G Minor Op. 5, 2 / g-Moll
4. I. Adagio sostenuto e espressivo 6‘55
5. II. Allegro molto più tosto presto 6‘50
6. III. Rondo: Allegro 9‘18
Cello Sonata in A Major Op. 69 / A-Dur
7. I. Allegro ma non tanto 11‘59
8. II. Scherzo: Allegro molto 4‘58
9. III. Adagio cantabile. Allegro vivace
9‘07
Gregor Piatigorsky cello / Cello
Solomon piano / Klavier
recorded / aufgenommen 1954
Total Time 70‘56