In the early months of 2020, Louis Lortie inaugurated his dazzling full set of Beethoven sonatas in front of enraptured live audiences—part of a year of festivities for the composer's 250th birthday—at the Bourgie Hall in Montreal. Though circumstances forced Lortie to continue the series without the captivated crowds, he completed the 32-sonata cycle in the same stunning hall, with passion and dynamism to spare.

How does a pianist approach a project as daunting as this? "Pianists," explains Lortie, "are like athletes—there are some things that are built into the body, things that have to be done so the nerves and muscles react the right way. Once you have built that up, you are set for life." Since his breakthrough 1984 season that brought him a prize in Leeds and a victory in the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition, Lortie has remained in top form, a musician whose skill and dedication make him an ideal candidate to take on this monumental challenge.

This first volume notably includes Sonatas No. 8 (Pathétique) and No. 18 ("The Hunt").