This double-CD release is a second volume in pianist Paavali Jumppanen's ongoing recording cycle of the Beethoven piano sonatas.

This new release contains six piano sonatas: three early Op. 10 sonatas (published in 1798) and three sonatas written between 1804-06 (Opp. 53, 54 & 57). Piano Sonata Op. 53 Waldstein, completed after the 3rd Symphony, was described by Wilhelm von Lenz, an early biographer of Beethoven, as a "heroic symphony for piano." Piano Sonata Op. 57 Appassionata is undoubtedly Beethoven's darkest and most aggressive work. The Sonata has been compared to Dante's Inferno and Shakespeare's bloodthirsty Macbeth.

Paavali Jumppanen is an internationally esteemed pianist, a versatile performer equally at home as a concerto soloist, chamber musician, and a recitalist. His vast repertoire spans piano literature from Bach to the Avant-garde. Jumppanen has spent several years performing the works of Viennese Classics, in particular Beethoven. His performances of the complete cycles of Beethoven's and Mozart's Piano Sonatas as well as Beethoven's concertos and chamber music have won critical acclaim.

Jumppanen has collaborated with numerous contemporary composers and premiering many solo and chamber works for the piano. He has worked personally with esteemed composers including Pierre Boulez, William Duckworth, Henri Dutilleux, as well as composers of his native Finland. On the DG recording project of the complete works by Pierre Boulez, Jumppanen recorded the piano sonatas upon the composer's request.

Jumppanen's first instalment in the Beethoven cycle received thrilling reviews and, among others, the ‘Choc' Award from the French music magazine Classica.

Read Paavali Jumppanen's blog to learn about his approach to ornamentation, repeats, editions, and interpretation on his Beethoven Piano Sonatas recordings. (www.paavalijumppanen.com)