Beethoven Sonatas In Stereo No.9, No.10, No.13, No.14 "Moonlight"

Released by Angel Records under the catalog number SCA-1017, this pressing captures the interpretive mastery of pianist Walter Gieseking. Gieseking, a German pianist renowned for his focus on clarity and tonal color, recorded these Beethoven sonatas during the mid-1950s, a period that marked the transition into the stereophonic era. These recordings were part of a larger project to capture Gieseking’s complete cycle of the Beethoven sonatas, showcasing his signature refined technique and intellectual rigor in approaching the Classical and early Romantic repertoire.

The album includes the iconic Sonata No. 14, widely known as the 'Moonlight Sonata,' alongside the ninth, tenth, and thirteenth sonatas. Angel Records, the American subsidiary of EMI, frequently utilized these recordings to bring European concert-hall precision to international audiences. Gieseking’s approach to these works, characterized by a lighter touch and meticulous phrasing, provided a distinct alternative to the more brooding, heavy-handed interpretations common to the post-war era, and they remain documented as significant benchmarks in the history of recorded piano performance.