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Track(s) taken from CDA67879

Presto in C minor, WoO52

composer
1797; Bagatelle; first published in 1888

Steven Osborne (piano)
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Recording details: July 2011
Henry Wood Hall, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Andrew Keener
Engineered by Simon Eadon
Release date: May 2012
Total duration: 4 minutes 8 seconds

Cover artwork: House on the Water (1930). Paul Klee (1879-1940)
Private Collection / Photo © Christie's Images / Bridgeman Images
 

Other recordings available for download

Pavel Kolesnikov (piano)

Reviews

‘It's part of Osborne's personal excursion to seek the individual potency of each Bagatelle … the more you listen (aided by a plausibly lifelike recording), the clearer it'll become that Osborne has delved deep to extract so much from cameos that pack emotional enormity within small spaces’ (Gramophone)

‘The joy of having a player of Steven Osborne's spare, rhythmically incisive brilliance … these pieces display Beethoven's genius for creating artistic grandeur from the most miniature of pianistic forms’ (The Observer)

‘Steven Osborne plays with pearly, silky insouciance … this disc follows on from his one of Beethoven sonatas, and it ignites a similar joy in the way that he conveys ideas so lucidly and with such subtle shades of tone, distilling the essence of each miniature with potency and freshness’ (The Daily Telegraph)

‘Beautifully poised and unfailingly intelligent … the crystal clarity of Osborne's exquisitely polished pianism is an unalloyed joy to the ear’ (International Record Review)

‘Pure joy … Steven Osborne … plays with razor-sharp attack and articulation’ (Pianist)

‘Steven Osborne includes all the published bagatelles and some of the miscellaneous pieces and plays them superbly … a classy pianist’ (Dominion Post, New Zealand)

‘Steven Osborne's new CD of the Bagatelles, recorded with all the artistry and attention you expect from Hyperion, catches all the whimsy that Beethoven's title suggests’ (The New Zealand Herald)
The C minor Presto WoO52 dates from 1797, and was possibly intended for inclusion in the Piano Sonata in the same key Op 10 No 1. In its definitive form, the Sonata was Beethoven’s first work of its kind to be cast in three movements rather than four, and he may have discarded the scherzo-like piece because its tempo was too similar to that of the finale. It was first published in 1888, in tandem with the C major Allegretto WoO56.

from notes by Misha Donat © 2012

Le Presto en ut mineur WoO52 date de 1797 et était peut-être destiné à figurer dans la Sonate pour piano, op. 10 no 1, de même tonalité. Sous sa forme définitive, cette sonate était la première œuvre de Beethoven de son genre coulée en trois mouvements plutôt qu’en quatre, et il a peut-être abandonné la pièce dans le style d’un scherzo parce que son tempo ressemblait trop à celui du finale. Cette pièce a été publiée pour la première fois en 1888, conjointement avec l’Allegretto en ut majeur, WoO56.

extrait des notes rédigées par Misha Donat © 2012
Français: Marie-Stella Pâris

Das Presto in c-Moll, WoO52, entstand im Jahre 1797 und sollte möglicherweise ursprünglich noch in die Klaviersonate op. 10 Nr. 1 (ebenfalls in c-Moll) eingefügt werden. In ihrer endgültigen Form war diese Sonate Beethovens erstes Werk dieser Art, das in drei anstelle der üblichen vier Sätzen angelegt war, und es ist möglich, dass er das scherzohafte Stück deshalb verwarf, weil es im Tempo zu sehr wie das Finale der Sonate geartet war. Es wurde erstmals im Jahre 1888 herausgegeben, zusammen mit dem Allegretto in C-Dur, WoO56.

aus dem Begleittext von Misha Donat © 2012
Deutsch: Viola Scheffel

Other albums featuring this work

Beethoven: Moonlight Sonata & other piano music
Studio Master: CDA68237Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
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