Klaviersonate Es-dur Op. 81a (Les Adieux) / Zwölf Variationen A-dur Für Klavier Über Den Russ. Tanz Aus Dem Ballett "Das Waldmädchen" / Rondo A Capriccio G-dur Op. 129 ("Die Wut Über Den Verlorenen Groschen")

This 1964 release on the East German ETERNA label features the pianist Günter Kootz interpreting three distinct works by Ludwig van Beethoven. The centerpiece, the Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat major, Op. 81a, known as Les Adieux, was originally composed by Beethoven between 1809 and 1810 to commemorate the departure and eventual return of his patron, Archduke Rudolph. Kootz, a respected pedagogue and performer of the mid-20th century, brings a disciplined, central European sensibility to the work, reflecting the label's commitment to preserving the classical canon within the cultural infrastructure of the German Democratic Republic.

The recording is housed in the signature austere and understated packaging characteristic of ETERNA’s catalog during the 1960s. By pairing the emotive Les Adieux with the lighter Russian Dance variations and the spirited Rondo a capriccio, Op. 129, the release offers a focused survey of Beethoven’s technical range. Günter Kootz, who spent his career teaching at the Leipzig Conservatory, was widely praised for his structural clarity and technical precision, traits that were highly valued by ETERNA’s production team to establish the prestige of their classical output during the Cold War era.