“To bringg Beethoven to life in our hearts” was the lifelong purpose of the pianist Elly Ney. And she achieved it. Her interpretations, heartfelt and individual, are as arresting today as they ever were. The winner is Beethoven, and we share his victory.

Elly Ney, piano

It is over forty years since Elly Ney died in Tutzing on 31 March 1968. She had gone to the studio for the last time just two months beforehand to record Beethoven’s sonatas op. 110 and op. 111 – the swansong of a life in which the great composer had always been the central figure.

This reissued CD is the first in a series that makes Elly Ney’s late recordings available once again. All the original tapes have been digitally remastered and processed with the CEDAR de-noise system. To safeguard their authenticity the commentaries on the works that were made at the time have been preserved as far as possible, as they often convey an aesthetic viewpoint that comes close to Elly Ney’s understanding of Beethoven and her way of portraying him.

Track listing

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Sonata No. 30 in E major, op. 109
[1] I Vivace, ma non troppo  4.30
[2] II Prestissimo 2.39
[3] III 1. Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo 9.51
2. Molto espressivo
3. Leggiermente
4. Allegro vivace
5. Un poco meno andante ciò è un poco più adagio come il tema
6. Allegro, ma non troppo
7. Tempo primo del tema

Sonata No. 31 in A flat major, op. 110
[4]  I Moderato cantabile, molto espressivo 7.07
[5]  II Allegro molto 2.35
[6]  III Adagio ma non troppo 4.22
[7]  IV Fuga: Allegro ma non troppo 7.56

Sonata No. 32 in C minor, op. 111
[8]  I Maestoso – Allegro con brio ed appassionato 10.48
[9]  II Arietta: Arietta: Adagio molto, semplice e cantabile 19.10

TT: 72.47