Maurizio Pollini – Beethoven: The Late Sonatas (UHQCD)

The works of Beethoven are part of the repertoire of Italian pianist Maurizio Pollini. His recordings of the late piano sonatas from the 1970s won a Gramophone Classical Music Award and are among the reference recordings of these works.

In 2021/2022, Pollini returned once again to Sonatas 28 and 29. Recorded in the outstanding acoustics of Munich’s Herkulessaal, the exceptional artist thus completes his second recording of the late sonatas, which he describes as „thoroughly brilliant works.”

„Each Beethoven sonata is a world of its own. Each has its own character, from the first note to the last. Each one is unique.” – Maurizio Pollini

UHQCD stands for Ultimate High Quality Compact Disc and is a joint development of the Japanese CD replication company Memory-Tech and the Audio Quality CD Company from Hong Kong. Unlike conventional CDs, UHQCDs are not pressed from polycarbonate, but cast from a photopolymer and cured with UV light. Another layer of high-purity polycarbonate is applied to the softer photopolymer for scratch protection. The combination results in significantly reduced reflection of laser light inside the CD and an unmatched precise edge transition between pits and lands of the CD. UHQCDs are 100% compatible with standard CD players. Musically, the result is a sound image strongly reminiscent of analog master tapes.

While Universal Music Japan’s first UHQCD series relied on the DSD data of previous SHM-SACD releases, with increasing popularity, albums that had not previously been released as SHM-SACD are now appearing. Typically, the Universal Archive master tapes are re-converted to DSD for this purpose. UHQCDs are ideal for music lovers who want to get as close as possible to the sound of the recording, but do not own an SACD player.

Lista pieselor

Ludwig van Beethoven

Piano Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101

1. Etwas lebhaft und mit der innigsten Empfindung. Allegretto ma non troppo

2. Lebhaft, marschmäßig. Vivace alla marcia

3. Langsam und sehnsuchtsvoll. Adagio ma non troppo, con affetto – attacca:

4. Geschwind, doch nicht zu sehr und mit Entschlossenheit. Allegro

Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-Flat Major, Op. 106 “Hammerklavier”

5. Allegro

6. Scherzo. Assai vivace

7. Adagio sostenuto. Appassionato e con molto sentimento

8. Largo – Allegro risoluto. Fuga a tre voci, con alcune licenze