Yundi: Beethoven

18 March 2013, 10:53 | Updated: 19 March 2013, 11:08

Beautiful Beethoven with a personal touch, performed by Chinese pianist Yundi. Album of the Week, 18 March 2013.

The tunes may be well-known, but each note is carefully thought out in these measured performances. Yundi plays the 'Moonlight' sonata at a slower pace than many well-known recordings, adding a fragile quality and a sense of timelessness to the almost over-familiar music. His interpretation of the 'Pathétique' sonata strikes a careful balance between indulgence and optimism, rounded off with a flourish in the busy final movement.

The three sonatas show off Beethoven's Romantic emotions, side by side with the mischievous faster movements, giving us a flavour of both the pianist and composer's personality through the medium of beautiful tunes.

A cheery whistle-stop tour through some of Beethoven's most famous piano music, placing Yundi firmly among the world's finest pianists.