Imagine discovering the best attributes of your three favorite, legendary, and European Beethoven sonata interpreters in one relative unknown from down under.Out of the twenty-plus artists whose recordings of the sonatas I have heard, I especially admire Gulda for his playfulness, clarity, and forward momentum, Backhaus for his color and depth of tone, and Pollini for his remarkable ability to shed light on the underlying complexities of these works without sacrificing their structural integrity.So I was surprised and thrilled to discover in Bruce Hungerford all of these characteristics applied in just the right measure across the eighteen sonatas I have so far found on CD. These performances are engaging, dramatic, fun, and on first hearing a little radical, though repeated listening makes them seem both natural and extraordinary. In direct comparison, Gulda seems a little flat, Backhaus somewhat pedestrian, and Pollini often a tad too dense and serious.I do not think there is any "definitive" set of Beethoven's sonatas. They can be rewarding viewed from any vantage point. And I will continue to value the best attributes of Gulda, Backhaus, Pollini (whose Hammerklavier and other late sonatas are essential), and many others, especially in those sonatas Hungerford never recorded. But this Australian's readings are immensely satisfying and deserve much broader recognition than they are ever likely to receive.You owe it to yourself to hear these.