‘Every bit as intellectually lucid, technically secure and focussed, as her Bach … this exhilarating clarity of thought is matched by her clean incisive sound (well caught by the recording), and helps to contribute to the striking sense of purpose in these relatively early and still essentially classical works’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘There's nothing in the packaging or labelling of this, her first Beethoven CD, that promises recordings of all the sonatas, but don't be too surprised if that's what we eventually get. The three here are so good that Hewitt's countless fans are unlikely to sit still for anything less than a complete cycle … once again she uses the superb sound of her instrument to create music of the greatest beauty’ (Ottowa Citizen, Canada)

‘Angela Hewitt's first instalment in a projected Beethoven sonata cycle offers intelligent, stylish and often illuminating interpretations … fusing poetry and passion, Hewitt lets her long hair down and her fingers run wild’ (Gramophone)

‘Angela Hewitt brings her trademark intelligence and poise to these fine recordings … in [the Appassionata] she shows a firm grasp of the work's majestic architecture, realising each dramatic climax while steadily sustaining its momentum. But it is in the slow movements of the other two sonatas, especially the D major, that Hewitt is at her most affecting, her depth of feeling equal to the 'great expression' demanded by the composer’ (The Observer)

‘As this impressive new disc shows, it is a mistake to try to pigeon-hole Angela Hewitt’ (The Daily Telegraph)

‘Clarity, elegance, intelligence, a belief in letting the composer speak: the winner of the Gramophone Artist of the Year award parades her qualities in the first of a new Beethoven series that balances the overfamiliar Appassionata with the connoisseur’s Op 10 No 3 and neglected Op 7. There’s not a dead note anywhere. The largos find her piercing the depths; she’s equally impressive at quicksilver turns and tumbling cascades’ (The Times)

‘In the ‘Moonlight’ Sonata, Osborne casts a spell from the very opening, suggesting improvisation yet also a searching harmonic rigour and beguiling the ear with subtle colour and touch’ (Classical Source)

‘Osborne … has that special ability to make music that you thought you knew inside out seem fresh and totally alive’ (The Guardian)

‘The Moonlight, Op 27 No 2, receives a particularly satisfying performance, from the first movement's magically limpid, unhurried mysteries, through the allegretto's sprightly curtseys, to the finale, so deservedly marked presto agitato. It's in this movement that Osborne really hits the heights. He drives the notes forward, stirring excitement without succumbing to the melodramatic … the Pathétique and Waldstein sonatas receive equally refreshing and sensitive accounts. And all are recorded with Hyperion's usual finesse’ (The Times)

‘Performances of exceptional quality … and real stature … this is an outstanding disc’ (International Record Review)

‘Instantly recommends itself as an important addition to the catalogue … this Beethoven disc similarly makes one marvel at the way Osborne's own personality seems able to ally itself with the composer's, in the way he illuminates aspects of style, structure and substance with clarity, subtlety and dynamism’ (The Daily Telegraph)

‘Elsewhere in this issue I complain about Lang Lang's ego-driven showmanship. Angela Hewitt is his polar opposite: every note she plays honors the composer. Though I sense her technique is every bit as comprehensive as Lang Lang's, her self-effacing artistry puts the focus where it truly belongs, on the infinite variety and depth of Beethoven's genius. I'm happy to add that the sound of Hewitt's 1981 Fazioli concert grand registers both the intimacy and grandeur of her interpretations with a deeply satisfying realism. This is, not surprisingly, the second installment of a projected cycle. Currently other gifted pianists are in the process of recording the complete sonatas—Ronald Brautigam, Paul Lewis and Gerhard Oppitz, to name just three. If you're in the market for a completed cycle, it's always an embarrassment of riches, and there's an interpretive approach to suit any taste. But I suspect that in the end Hewitt's subtle, exacting, and expressive performances will stand comparison with any. Here is Beethoven for all seasons’ (Enjoythemusic.com)