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 realisation 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.

50 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