The Lost Tapes – Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 21 & 23 Rudolf Serkin

• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827): Piano Sonata No. 21 in C Major, Op. 53 "Waldstein":
• 1van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 21 in C Major, Op. 53 "Waldstein": I. Allegro con brio11:39
• 2van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 21 in C Major, Op. 53 "Waldstein": II. Introduzione. Adagio molto04:11
• 3van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 21 in C Major, Op. 53 "Waldstein": III. Rondo. Allegretto moderato - Prestissimo11:04
• Piano Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57 "Appassionata"
• 4van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57 "Appassionata": I. Allegro assai11:41
• 5van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57 "Appassionata": II. Andante con moto07:10
• 6van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57 "Appassionata": III. Allegro ma non troppo09:59
• Total Runtime55:44

Info for The Lost Tapes – Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 21 & 23

Rudolf Serkin — one of the greatest Beethoven performers.

The Bohemian-born pianist (1903–1991) was not considered by keyboard connoisseurs to be one of the great, naturally talented pianists. Yet he approached his craft with intensity and dedication, and was widely considered the most authoritative Beethoven interpreter in the decades after World War II. He recorded many of Beethoven's sonatas and concertos several times and gave them a unique brand of austere, even severe, intensity and directness.

Serkin's avoidance of the rubato — that push and pull of melody — is said to have characterized Beethoven's own performances in their day.

WQXR music director Abram Chasins wrote in 1957 “What he hears within him is unsurpassed in purity and nobility; and what he feels is felt with the utmost sincerity and selflessness.”

Long considered lost, this tape has now resurfaced and the recording is being issued for the first time.

Rudolf Serkin, piano

Digitally remastered

Rudolf Serkin
(1903-1991) was a Bohemian-born pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Beethoven interpreters of the 20th century.

Serkin made his first United States appearance at the Coolidge Festival in Washington, D.C. in 1934. In 1936, he launched his solo concert career in the USA with the New York Philharmonic. The critics raved, describing him as "an artist of unusual and impressive talents in possession of a crystalline technique, plenty of power, delicacy, and tonal purity." In 1937, Serkin played his first New York City recital at Carnegie Hall.

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