Lars Sellergren plays - Volume 3

The Beethoven Variations make a good introduction to the first CD. Sellergren brings out the light and shade of the music, with an emphasis on its serious and virtuosic aspects. His playing is evocative of the late Piano Sonatas, which is hardly surprising, since in the notes he hypothesises that perhaps “this is how [Beethoven] played when he took Vienna by storm.” His own playing is virtuosic but never showy, which makes me surmise that his account of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.4 on Volume 1 would be worth hearing. His forthcoming CD of Mozart should also be worthwhile and I’d certainly like to hear him play some of Beethoven’s mature sonatas. Musicweb-International