Daniel Müller-Schott and Angela Hewitt give Beethoven’s first three cello sonatas a nimble and colourful outing. Their musical “dress” sense is immaculate, with never so much as a quaver out of place, no hint of ungainliness or aggression and a cultivated sound world which, whether presented singly or in duet, is consistently smooth. Their duo engagement is compelling and their repertoire of gestures – vivid dynamics, tiny instances of expressive rubato (especially from Hewitt), suspended breathing (ie towards the close of the G minor Second Sonata’s opening Adagio) and so on – is exceedingly broad. Sometimes I wondered whether the reverie was being overplayed, such as the little pause for thought at 13'25" into the first movement of the F major First Sonata. At the opening of the A major Third Sonata’s brief Adagio third movement Hewitt’s dreamily sculpted phrasing verges on sounding Chopinesque, though poetic in effect and poignantly responded to by Müller-Schott.

These performances are full of interesting ideas: there’s rarely a bar without a subtle bend somewhere along the line and yet the various allegros are sparky in the best sense of the term, rhythmically crisp and alert, especially the rondo finale of the G minor Sonata, which is deliciously pointed by Hewitt. Those in search of a more overtly masculine approach to Beethoven would probably be better off with the classic sets by Rostropovich and Richter (Philips, 1/85R) or Fournier and Gulda (6/93R). Then again I’ve always thought András Schiff and Miklós Perenyi (ECM, 12/04) or Antonio Meneses and Menahem Pressler (Avie, 8/08) strike a nice balance between formality and fantasy. But Müller-Schott and Hewitt provide a bright, decorative antidote to their more austere rivals. The recorded sound is beautifully balanced.