Playing Beethoven's music on a fortepiano, like the one used in this recording, offers a different visceral experience for the pianist, allowing for more intimate expression and incisive attacks.
Composition History
Beethoven's Piano Sonatas Op. 10 were published in September 1798 and dedicated to Countess Anna Margarete von Browne, wife of one of his wealthy patrons.
Instruments
The fortepiano used for this recording is a copy by Paul McNulty of an 1805 instrument by Anton Walter, a piano builder active in Vienna.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in the Chapel of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, on December 7-9, 2021, and produced, engineered, and edited by Adam Binks.
Compositional Technique
The Op. 10 set follows Beethoven's pattern of publishing sonata groups in threes, featuring pieces of diverse character, structure, and tonality, always including a single work in a minor key.
Performer Biography
Daniel Tong, the fortepiano performer, is also Head of Piano in Chamber Music at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and founded the Wye Valley Chamber Music Festival in 1999.
Composer Biography
During his first decade in Vienna, Beethoven was as renowned as a pianist and improviser as he was a composer, with the piano serving as a primary vehicle for his innovations.
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