Various Composers - Sonata Facile (Lilit Grigoryan)

Information

• Reynaldo Hahn - Sonatine in C Major, IRH 90
• Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 25 in G Major, Op. 79
• Nikolai Medtner - Sonate-Idylle in G Major, Op. 56
• Hermann Goetz - Sonatina in F Major, Op. 8 No. 1
• Maurice Ravel - Sonatine in F Sharp Minor, M. 40
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major, KV 545 "Sonata Facile"

Lilit Grigoryan, piano

Date: 2025

Label: Berlin Classics

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Review

Modest Program: Nothing but Sonatinas. Three-movement works that are easy to play, like those which, in the complete works of Ludwig van Beethoven, were not taken particularly seriously. Even more curious: at the center of this selection is Beethoven’s G major Sonata op. 79, which he himself referred to as a “Sonatina,” yet it is a thoroughly mature work (and not the two “Sonata facile” pieces, op. 49). So the title “Sonata facile” is somewhat misleading.

What Lilit Grigoryan has brought together in terms of rare finds is no small matter. Nikolai Medtner’s Sonata-Idyll op. 56 actually represents the final solo piano work of the composer. The sonatinas by Reynaldo Hahn, Maurice Ravel, and Hermann Goetz (op. 8/I), a pupil of Bülow, are the only contributions to the genre from these composers. They may be “little sonatas,” but they are only relatively easy to play.

What all of these pieces share — like Mozart’s titular Sonata facile KV 545 — is a performance duration of just over ten minutes. Also interesting: the canonical sonatinas by minor masters such as Benda, Clementi, Diabelli, and Kuhlau are deliberately omitted here. All of the works included are substantial, very good sonatinas. The best, in fact.

Lilit Grigoryan, born in 1985 in Yerevan, Armenia and a student of Matthias Kirschnereit in Rostock, plays the works with marked clarity — without romantic haze or overly fluid rubato. In doing so, Beethoven perhaps comes across a bit too much like a music box, and Ravel rather harmlessly sober. Still, as an ambitious long-term goal and repertoire suggestion for aspiring amateur pianists: these are excellent choices. Definitely worth placing next to the music stand.

— Kai Luehrs-Kaiser

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Lilit Grigoryan (born June 24, 1985 in Yerevan) is a Armenian pianist. She studied under Arkuhi Harutyunyan, Sergey Sarajyan, Matthias Kirschnereit and Maria João Pires. Grigoryan has performed globally at major venues like Berlin's Konzerthaus, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, and Salzburg's Mozarteum, collaborating with orchestras such as Sinfonia Varsovia and the Armenian National Philharmonic. Since her debut CD in 2012, she has released several recordings and been widely broadcast. Grigoryan is currently a lecturer and artistic associate at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Rostock

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