BEETHOVEN Complete Cello Sonatas and Variations
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Ludwig van Beethoven
Genre:
Chamber
Label: Pentatone
Magazine Review Date: 04/2015
Media Format: Super Audio CD
Media Runtime: 140
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: PTC5186 475
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 1 |
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer
Christopher O'Riley, Fortepiano Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer Matt Haimovitz, Cello |
12 Variations on a theme from Handel's Judas Maccabeus |
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer
Christopher O'Riley, Fortepiano Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer Matt Haimovitz, Cello |
Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 2 |
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer
Christopher O'Riley, Fortepiano Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer Matt Haimovitz, Cello |
(12) Variations on Mozart's 'Ein Mädchen oder We |
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer
Christopher O'Riley, Fortepiano Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer Matt Haimovitz, Cello |
Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 3 |
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer
Christopher O'Riley, Fortepiano Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer Matt Haimovitz, Cello |
(7) Variations on Mozart's 'Bei Männern, welche |
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer
Christopher O'Riley, Fortepiano Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer Matt Haimovitz, Cello |
Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 4 |
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer
Christopher O'Riley, Fortepiano Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer Matt Haimovitz, Cello |
Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 5 |
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer
Christopher O'Riley, Fortepiano Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer Matt Haimovitz, Cello |
Author: Jed Distler
More significantly, Haimovitz and pianist Christopher O’Riley play the living daylights out of these works. They lap up Beethoven’s combative style like hungry lions anticipating raw steak, relishing the composer’s frequent subito dynamics, unpredictable placement of accents and over-the-bar-line phrase groupings. Rarely has Op 5 No 1’s first-movement introduction come alive with such rhythmic character, while the rollicking yet relaxed repartee of Op 5 No 2’s Rondo underlines the music’s kinship to the Fourth Piano Concerto’s finale. Similar attention to detail adds intensity and colour to the off-beat accents in Op 69’s Scherzo, and the Allegro vivace’s playful demeanor (complete with scrupulously observed staccatos) makes for a brash contrast to the eloquence and nobility one normally encounters. If the duo pile into Op 102 No 1’s Allegro vivace too aggressively for certain pitches to register, the joyous, uplifting mood conveyed by their briskly paced Op 102 No 2 final fugue’s transparency and sophisticated phraseology is worth this release’s total price.
Terrific performances of the variation sets prove more than merely filler. If you want a HIP counterpart to the Maisky/Argerich cycle, look no further.
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