Beethoven: Late Piano Sonatas Nos. 28 – 32

The pianist (and lawyer!) Paul Wee has made recordings of the virtuoso repertoire of the 19th century that have earned him the highest praise from the music press. He also dedicated himself to Beethoven with Franz Liszt's transcription of the Eroica Symphony, which was lauded by critics for its consummate musicality. Perhaps it was therefore only a matter of time before he turned his attention to the summit of piano literature: Beethoven's late sonatas.

Although the Sonata Op. 101 is the least well-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 massive work in every respect, which, as the author of the liner notes writes, "makes such demands that one almost needs a new listening apparatus." As for the final three sonatas, which were composed at the same time and conceived as a triptych, Beethoven knew that they would represent his final contributions to the genre of the sonata.