The first six volumes (9.70307–9.70312) of Boris Giltburg’s traversal of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas have been received with much acclaim: ‘[Giltburg brings] us closer to the spontaneous feel of a live performance… on this form Naxos’s cycle looks set to be something special’ (Malcolm Hayes, BBC Music Magazine, on Sonatas Nos. 4–7 / 9.70308). In this instalment the light and joyful Nos. 24 and 25 are bookended by two cornerstones of Beethoven’s piano sonatas: the powerfully dramatic Appassionata, and Les Adieux, the only programmatic sonata in Beethoven’s cycle.