“There is little to say about the Juilliard recital of the last three Beethoven Sonatas. Jacob recorded two of these works for RCA, and for that matter there is a different performance of Op. 111 in our first Lateiner set. But this was a favorite program of Jacob’s, and it seems illuminating to hear the way he plays all three Sonatas almost as if they were one continuous work.”
– Leslie Gerber
Jacob Lateiner is one of the greatest American classical pianists of all time. His limited number of commercial recordings for RCA, Westminster, and a few independent labels are prized by pianophiles for both the technical excellence of his playing and his powerful insight into both musical structure and drama. His repertoire spanned the classical era to the virtuoso postwar works of Elliott Carter.
Producer Leslie Gerber, a longtime friend (and fan) of Lateiner, has already issued one volume of Lateiner’s formidable “Lost Art” on Parnassus Records. This second volume, drawing on recital recordings made in New York City, contains several additions to the Lateiner discography along with one of his favorite recital programs: the three final sonatas of Beethoven. This performance , recorded at the Juilliard School where his reputation as one of the greatest American piano pedagogues was forged, emphasizes the works’ extrovert character which place them squarely at the birth of the Romantic music movement.
