The dazzling Russian pianist releases a Beethoven album – his first solo album in a decade – to mark a new contract with DG.

After an absence of quarter of a century, Russian pianist Evgeny Kissin has returned to Deutsche Grammophon with a new, exclusive contract and an album of Beethoven sonatas scheduled for release in August.

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Kissin’s discography already contains landmark recordings for the yellow label, among them critically acclaimed collaborations with the Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan and Claudio Abbado, says Deutsche Grammophon.

The new Beethoven double-disc set features a programme personally chosen by Kissin from recitals given over the past decade, and includes Piano Sonatas No 14 Op. 27 No 2, popularly known as the Moonlight Sonata, No 23 Op. 57, the Appassionata, and No 26 Op. 81a, Les Adieux. It also features the evergreen 32 Variations in C minor and a profound exploration of the sublime two-movement Piano Sonata No 32 Op. 111, the composer’s final work in the genre. The album – Kissin’s first solo recording in more than a decade – represents a major addition to his Beethoven discography and is an essential document of his...