Piano Sonata No. 21 in C, Op. 53 ‘Waldstein’ :
1 Allegro con brio
2 Introduzione:
Adagio molto:
attacca
3 Rondo:
Allegretto moderato Prestissimo

Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31, No. 2, ‘The Temptest’ :
4 Largo - Allegro
5 Adagio
6 Allegretto

Piano Sonata No. 31 in A flat, Op. 110 :
7 Moderato cantabile molto espressivo
8 Allegro molto
9 Adagio ma non troppo - Arioso dolente
10 Fuga:
Allegro ma non troppo

These three piano sonatas outline a progression from the despair of the Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31, No. 2, written at the same time as the start of the famous ‘Heiligenstadt Testament’, when Ludwig van Beethoven’s realization that his deafness was complete and permanent drove him to contemplate suicide, via his courageous fight back, brilliantly expressed in the irrepressible optimism of the Piano Sonata No. 21 in C, ‘Waldstein’, Op. 53 towards the lofty spiritual aspirations of the Piano Sonata No. 31 in A flat, Op. 110.

Fifty years after his victory in the International Liszt- Bartók Piano Competition David Wilde’s masterful interpretations are the fruit of a lifetime’s experience of studying and performing these towering masterpieces.

‘Overwhelming sense of direction and culmination. Highly recommended.'

– International Record Review, June 2009

‘... the most impressive aspect of this disc is the beautiful sound Wilde coaxes from his superbly voiced Steinway ... pliant treble and richly resonant bass.'

– Gramophone, July 2009