Die Späten Klaviersonaten = The Late Piano Sonatas = Les Dernières Sonates Pour Piano = Le Ultime Sonate Per Pianoforte

Released in 1977 on the Deutsche Grammophon label, this three-LP box set features Maurizio Pollini's interpretations of Ludwig van Beethoven's final piano sonatas, specifically numbers 28 through 32. These works, composed toward the end of Beethoven’s life, represent a profound shift in musical language, characterized by extreme technical difficulty and intellectual depth. Pollini, having won the International Chopin Piano Competition in 1960, was already established as a formidable technician, and this project was viewed as a significant milestone in his documentation of the core Germanic piano repertoire.

The recording is celebrated for its structural clarity and rigorous adherence to the score, a hallmark of Pollini’s precise, analytical approach. Critics of the era frequently noted his ability to maintain a detached yet authoritative perspective on music that is often performed with excessive romantic indulgence. The box set remains a cornerstone of Deutsche Grammophon's catalog, reflecting the label's commitment to high-fidelity audio engineering and the preservation of definitive interpretations of the Western classical canon.