Pianist Evgeny Kissin has just released a long-awaited solo album. “Evgeny Kissin: Beethoven” is the pianist’s first solo album in over ten years. It is also his first album dedicated entirely to the solo piano works of Ludwig van Beethoven.
The new album includes some of Beethoven’s most popular piano sonatas, including the “Moonlight,” “Appassionata” and “Les Adieux.” Kissin also performs Beethoven’s 32 Variations on an Original Theme, the early Piano Sonata no. 3 and the late Piano Sonata no. 32.
Each performance on the album comes from live recitals that Kissin gave between 2006 and 2016. In the album’s press release, Kissin states, “These recordings were made in the moment of performance. Live recordings always surpass studio albums for me, because I feel more inspired when playing for an audience. It means a lot to me to be able to share the spirit of that live experience with others.”
Kissin released his first album in 1984, when he was thirteen years old. He has collaborated with some of the world’s leading conductors and orchestras, including Claudio Abbado and Herbert von Karajan.
