“For Beethoven there is no separation between music and life”: that is Daniel Barenboim’s firm conviction. Barenboim knows Beethoven’s works inside out from a double perspective: the vantage point of a conductor, and that of a pianist. “Beethoven was a very political artist. He was interested in understanding how man lives and what man needs to live.” That is not only evident in the nine symphonies – Beethoven’s calling card for large audiences – but also, much more intimately, in the 32 piano sonatas. They reflect the composer’s entire trajectory from the Sturm und Drang period of youth to the mature wisdom of a musician who learned to live with the onset of deafness. For many decades, Daniel Barenboim has been one of the living pianists most familiar with these works. Not only do his three complete recordings testify to that profound knowledge, but also a great number of performances in the music capitals of the world. Already in February and March 2019, Barenboim performed eight Beethoven sonatas in two recitals. Less than a year later, he returns to conclude his Beethoven trilogy – and to celebrate his 30th concert at the Ruhr Piano Festival!