The Late Piano Sonatas

Pianist (and lawyer) Paul Wee has made recordings of the virtuosic 19th century repertoire, which have earned him the highest praise from the music press. He also devoted himself to Beethoven with Franz Liszt's transcription of the Eroica Symphony, which was praised by critics for his outstanding musicality. Perhaps it was therefore only a matter of time before he would turn his attention to the pinnacle of piano literature: Beethoven's late sonatas. Although the Sonata op. 101 is the least known of this group of works, it opens Beethoven's third and most prophetic creative period. It is followed by the Sonata op. 106, the so-called "Hammerklavier Sonata", a powerful work in every respect that, as the author of the accompanying text writes, "makes such demands that you almost need a new listening apparatus". As for the last three sonatas, which were composed simultaneously and conceived as a triptych, Beethoven knew that they would be his final contributions to the sonata genre.