Encores After Beethoven András Schiff

• Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828): Beethoven Sonatas opp. 2 and 7:
• 1 Three Piano Pieces, D. 946: No. 1 in E-Flat Minor. Allegro assai (Live) 07:33
• Beethoven Sonatas opp. 10 and 13:
• 2 Allegretto in C Minor, D. 915 (Live) 04:59
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791): Beethoven Sonatas opp. 10 and 13:
• 3 Eine kleine Gigue in G Major, K. 574 (Live) 01:45
• Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809): Beethoven Sonatas opp. 14, 22 and 49:
• 4 Sonata in G Minor, Hob. XVI:44: I. Moderato (Live) 09:33
• 5 Sonata in G Minor, Hob. XVI:44: II. Allegretto (Live) 04:08
• Franz Schubert: Beethoven Sonatas opp.26, 27 and 28:
• 6 Hungarian Melody in B Minor, D. 817 (Live) 04:03
• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827): Beethoven Sonatas 31 and 53:
• 7 Andante Favori in F Major, WoO 57. Andante grazioso con moto (Live) 08:45
• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): Beethoven Sonatas opp. 54, 57, 78, and 81a:
• 8 Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major, BWV 825: Menuet I & II (Live) 02:32
• 9 Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major, BWV 825: Gigue (Live) 02:36
• Beethoven Sonatas opp. 90, 101 and 106:
• 10 Prelude and Fugue B-Flat Minor, BWV 867: Prelude (Live) 02:30
• 11 Prelude and Fugue B-Flat Minor, BWV 867: Fugue (Live) 03:27
• Total Runtime 51:51

Info for Encores After Beethoven

Between March 2004 and May 2006 Sir András Schiff performed the complete cycle of Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas at the Tonhalle, Zürich, recorded and released by ECM New Series. This collection presents the encores from these concerts.

What does one play after Beethoven sonatas? András Schiff says: “For me it’s essential not to seek entertainment but rather to look for pieces that are closely related to the previously heard sonatas.”

The pianist explores links to Franz Schubert, Wolfgang Mozart, Josef Haydn and Johann Sebastian Bach. For all the interconnecting strands of musical history, Schiff's selection of encores also adds up to a thoroughly enjoyable ‘recital’ disc in its own right.

András Schiff, piano

As a young pianist, András Schiff earned wide esteem for his 1980s recordings of the major keyboard works of J.S. Bach; in recent years, as part of his long-term relationship with ECM, he has gone back to Bach as a sage veteran, earning even more acclaim for his New Series versions of the Goldberg Variations (2001) and the Six Partitas (2007), both intimate concert recordings. In August 2011, Schiff turned his focus to the 48 preludes and fugues of Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier, recording both Books I and II in the Auditorium Radiosvizzera Italiana, Lugano. The performance of these influential works sets new interpretive standards. For the recording, Schiff’s own Steinway was brought to Lugano, and the production beautifully captures a masterful player and his instrument of choice.

András Schiff, born in Budapest in 1953, puts a strong focus on cyclic performances of the important piano works by the masters from Bach to Bártok. His wide-ranging discography on ECM includes works by Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann and Janáček, among many others. One of Schiff's most ambitious projects to date, the complete Beethoven sonata cycle was performed in 20 major musical centers worldwide and recorded for ECM in concert at the Zürich Tonhalle. In 1999, Schiff created his own chamber orchestra, the Cappella Andrea Barca, which consists of international soloists, chamber musicians and friends. In addition to working annually with this orchestra, he conducts London’s Philharmonia Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.

Booklet for Encores After Beethoven