Beethoven Brahms

The great but elusive pianist Grigory Sokolov’s first new release in three years is a generous selection of recordings from his acclaimed 2019/20 tour. Sokolov contrasts works by Beethoven – the C major Sonata op. 2/3 and the Bagatelles op. 119 – with Brahms’s beautiful late intermezzos, and also performs music by Rameau, Rachmaninov, Schubert and Debussy. BBC Music Magazine Choice

Featuring

Grigory Sokolov
Ludwig van Beethoven
Johannes Brahms
Franz Schubert
Jean-Philippe Rameau
Sergei Rachmaninoff

Claude Debussy

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Performer Biography

Grigory Sokolov performs only solo recitals and restricts his activities to central Europe due to his dislike of long flights and jet lag.

Interpretation

Grigory Sokolov does not travel with his own piano but works closely with Steinway technicians to adapt to each instrument, enjoying the fresh possibilities each new piano offers.

Recording & Production

Grigory Sokolov avoids studio recordings and editing, insisting that all his performances, including those on this album, be recorded live in concert with minimal alteration.

Recording & Production

One of the recording venues for this album was the Church of San Bernardo in Rabbi, Italy, where Grigory Sokolov plays annually in support of the Michelangeli Cultural Foundation, honoring Italian pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli.

Performer Biography

Grigory Sokolov, the pianist on this album, rose to fame after winning the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1966 at the age of sixteen.

Recording & Production

This album features recordings from three different live recitals given by Grigory Sokolov during the summer of 2019, selected from 70 to 80 recitals he gives annually.