Beethoven: Sonatas Ops. 53, 57, 111 by Vladyslav Ustiuhov: Album Review

by admin February 19, 2026

February 19, 2026

Beethoven: Sonatas Ops. 53, 57, 111 by Vladyslav Ustiuhov: Album Review

Vladyslav Ustiuhov’s debut recording of Beethoven’s “Waldstein” (Op. 53), “Appassionata” (Op. 57), and Op. 111 is like a line in the sand. Shaped by Ukrainian and Russian musical roots, then sharpened through intense training at the Boston Conservatory and the Frost School of Music, Ustiuhov plays these sonatas like they’re lived experience: struggle, reinvention, resilience, and that stubborn Beethovenian will to keep going. Recorded during his Master’s and Doctor of Musical Arts years, the project lands is a technical calling card and a personal diary written in hammer blows and whispers.

The “Waldstein” opener ( I. Allegro con brio) moves with a sleek, athletic fluidity, with playful rhythm, bright momentum, and that satisfying pulse where the music seems to inhale and exhale across its long span. Ustiuhov keeps the motion elastic rather than rushed, letting the shimmer and bold contrasts register without turning brittle. Later, III. Rondo starts sweeter and lighter, almost sunlit, then midway sinks into something darker and heavier before bouncing back, prancing, pulsating, and quick-footed toward the finish like the clouds finally break.

“Appassionata” shows his control of atmosphere, especially II. Andante con moto, which he treats like a slow procession, contemplative, solemn, and steady, with low, grounded, and sober notes. Near the end, the texture briefly trickles faster and turns airy—like a fragile thought trying to escape—only to settle back into that calm, somber gravity.

Then comes Op. 111 (I. Maestoso – Allegro con brio ed appassionato), and Ustiuhov really leans into the drama. Big, cinematic gestures crash in like waves, followed by delicate retreats, then sudden surges, with haunting notes, a brief rampage, and lighter runs that flicker like nerves. It plays like a chase scene and a philosophical argument at the same time. It’s suspenseful, playful, and intense in rotating bursts.

What ties the album together is narrative clarity. These sonatas can easily become “virtuoso showreel,” but Ustiuhov keeps the story front and center—radiance, storm, and finally that sense of reaching the edge of expression and looking out into something bigger.