Beethoven: Für Elise and Bagatelles Opp. 33, 119 & 126

Pianist Paul Lewis is the type of musician that can take the most mundane musical phrase and bring it to life. And all without exaggeration or sounding affected. He's displayed this high degree of musicianship on all of his previous recordings, especially when playing the music of Franz Schubert. These short-form Bagatelles by Ludwig van Beethoven have often been overlooked by pianists who thought they weren't substantial enough, or that they wouldn't allow them to demonstrate their pianistic skills and technique. Quite the contrary. It's by uncovering the essence and charm of these miniatures that pianists can reveal their musical backbone. And speaking in strictly pedagogical terms, these pieces were, and still are, the stepping stone or gateway into Beethoven's music for thousands of piano students. Take Für Elise for example. Despite simply being a series of repeated broken chords with a dramatic passage thrown in for diversion, it's been one of the essential learning tools for every piano student, and is arguably the most famous piano work of all time. These 'trinkets' should not be overlooked, especially when played as well as they are in this revelatory recording by Paul Lewis.