Piano Sonatas, No.15 Pastoral, No.21 Waldstein, No.24 In F Sharp Major, No.25 In G Major

This recording is part of Wilhelm Kempff’s celebrated second cycle of the complete Beethoven piano sonatas, recorded for Deutsche Grammophon between 1964 and 1965 in the Beethovensaal, Hanover. The cycle emerged during a period when Kempff was widely regarded as the definitive interpreter of Beethoven, known for his clarity, spontaneous lyricism, and poetic approach to the keyboard, which offered a distinct alternative to the more rigorous or aggressive styles often associated with the German repertoire at the time.

The production sought to capture the refined, intimate sound of Kempff's Steinway through the meticulous engineering of the Deutsche Grammophon team. While this specific catalog number, 2535 291, represents a later mid-seventies reissue intended to make these iconic performances more accessible to a broader audience, the underlying recordings remain a cornerstone of classical discography. They are consistently praised by critics for their structural intelligence and the effortless, almost improvisatory quality that Kempff brought to Beethoven's compositions.