Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 8-11 (Young Hyun Cho)

Pianist Young Hyun Cho, who has been praised by Aachener Zeitung (Germany) as “…a blessed interpreter of Beethoven…,” brings her impeccable technique and expressive depth to these four early period sonatas.

Ludwig van Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas are the cornerstone of his musical legacy, serving as a profound expression of his artistic evolution. As composer Hans von Bülow aptly put it, if Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier is the Old Testament for pianists, then Beethoven’s piano sonatas are the New Testament. Beethoven’s life is often divided into three distinct periods, each marked by a significant evolution in his musical style. 

The four Piano Sonatas in this recording, Nos. 8–11, offer a fascinating window into this pivotal chapter of his life. Listening to these four sonatas in sequence is a journey from explosive tragedy to intimate conversation, culminating in a grand, confident summation of his early period.

Young Hyun Cho’s recordings have received worldwide critical acclaim, with Textura noting that “Cho’s complete set of Beethoven’s sonatas would be well worth acquiring” and praising her “impeccable technique and the clarity of expression and articulation.” The Absolute Sound praised her Sonatas Nos. 12–15 saying her, “highly virtuosic pianism goes to the core of the music, and the sound of the keyboard is captured superbly by Blue Griffin founder and chief engineer Sergei Kvitko.”