'Raptly revelatory and deeply communicative' (Fanfare): the earlier volumes of this Beethoven sonata cycle by Giovanni Bellucci have received an enthusiastic welcome in the international press, for the Italian pianist's depth of insight and his individual, dynamic response to this 'New Testament' of the keyboard.

Now the newly recorded late sonatas are added to the previous two volumes to present a modern cycle, at a super-budget price, to set alongside distinguished pianists of former generations. The recordings have been made in the superb acoustics of the Salle de Musique at La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland – the source of several previous and notable Beethoven recordings such as Claudio Arrau's late and magisterial address to most of the sonatas, on Philips.

For this recording, Bellucci himself has acted as recording producer, assisted by sound engineering from Fabio Ferri, and the result is a sonata cycle of remarkable interpretative integrity, tracing in the most vivid terms Beethoven's evolution as a composer, from 18th-century rebel to 19th-century visionary. In this way, the new set joins Bellucci's recordings of the nine symphonies as transcribed by Liszt, and the piano concertos, as a complete and artistically satisfying portrait of the composer.

This box of sonatas is enhanced by an extensive introduction to the oeuvre by Bellucci, who discusses Beethoven in biographical and spiritual as well as musical terms. 'What exactly is the momentous decision that must be addressed by anyone wishing to perform Beethoven in the 21st century?' ask Bellucci. 'In my view, there can be no neglecting the life-giving flexibility of rhythm, a pliancy that eludes codification. Such flexibility calls for a deep understanding of musical syntax as well as perfect psychophysical coordination' – and in this regard, he places himself in a distinguished interpretative tradition leading back to Artur Schnabel.

The critics have agreed: 'Bellucci has a way through his approach to rhythm that makes the music inhale and exhale, rise and fall, in a totally natural way… [that] transcended considerations of technical execution, the exquisite tone Bellucci draws from his Model D Steinway, and the exceptionally beautiful recording,' (Fanfare).