Beethoven’s colossal “Hammerklavier” is the longest and perhaps the most complex of all his sonatas, with a slow movement of rare emotional depth (even by Beethoven’s standards) that prefigures Chopin in its ornamentation. The sonata juxtaposes explosive power, fragile tenderness, and earthy humor, capped by a double fugue that rivals Bach in a dazzling display of counterpoint. Pierre-Laurent Aimard—a pianist The Times (London) praised for “stupendous technique, remorseless energy, and fanatical … passion”—performs this masterpiece and more.

Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano

Program
OBUKHOV Création d’or
OBUKHOV Révelation
LISZT Nuages gris, S. 199
LISZT Les jeux d’eaux à la Villa d’Este
SCRIABIN Piano Sonata No. 10, Op. 70
SCRIABIN Piano Sonata No. 5, Op. 53
BEETHOVEN Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat Major, Op. 106, “Hammerklavier”