Valery Afanassiev - Beethoven: Hammerklavier Sonata (2023) Hi-Res

Valery Afanasyev, a genius in the modern classical piano world who turned 76 in September, recorded Beethoven's greatest piano piece in his lifetime, ``Hammerklavier Sonata.'' He was in perfect condition as he was anxious to preserve his own interpretation of this sonata, for which his musical mentor Emil Gilels was most adept and has left behind some famous recordings. Beethoven's piano pieces are Afanasyev's musical roots, and he has recorded 18 of them so far. However, he has never featured No. 29 "Hammerklavier" in a concert in the past, and this recording is the first time he has performed it. Having studied his works for many years, his keen eye for every nook and cranny of the scores is astonishing. The performance time is 58 minutes for all four movements, which is slower than Schubert's last sonata (recorded in 1985 by ECM), which made Afanasyev's name known around the world.In particular, the third movement, Adagio, which took 22 minutes to build carefully. It is full of jet black depth that draws you in. Recording: June 13-15, 2023, Konzerthaus Liebfrauen, Wernigerode, Germany