With the three piano sonatas, Op. 31, Beethoven struck out in a new direction and the present performances of them focus on the paradox between the commonplace and the unusual which distinguish this music. Brendel effectively expresses the unease at the opening of the G major Sonata with its left hand/right hand syncopations, whilst his performance of the exaggerated rhetoric of the same sonata's slow movement is charming and never over-mannered.
The highlight of this issue, however, is the D minor Sonata. This is a perceptive reading in which the thematic threads which Beethoven scattered across the piece are revealed with great artistry. The ascending arpeggio at the opening of the first movement, which introduces the dramatic contrast of slow and fast motivic gestures, finds a warmer environment in the slow movement with its stately 'drum rolls'. Ultimately resolution is achieved in the descending arpeggio at the end of the moto perpetuo finale.
The last sonata in the set is no less perceptively observed. The second movement, a scherzo in mood rather than form, has all the qualities of a skittish polka. After the menuetto third movement, which forms the lyrical centre of the piece, the tarantella-like finale provides a conclusion which captures its grotesque flavour, but is not really con fuoco (compare Lill's ASV performance which is much faster).
These compelling performances from Brendel, which have greater spontaneity and more consistent musical logic than Lill's versions, also benefit from excellent recorded sound.'