Customer Reviews

Complete Sonatas for Pianoforte & Cello

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Well, say Beethoven and then you will remember symphonies and overtures, sonatas, concerti, cuartets (perhaps in that order of popularity), missa solemnis, fidelio ... who cares the cello sonatas??? They are not the most famous works. Yes, but then remember the most important thing of LvB as a composer is not any of his works alone, but the evolution anyone can see inside his glorious output. something not so marked in bach, mozart, brahms, and others (yes, stravinsky, monteverdi and others also have different musical styles, but I think LvB is the most famous composer with such different musical approaches). so to grasp the genious, the scope of his career I think one needs to listen to his evolution.

begin with the symphonies: 5 or 6 discs from c 1801 to 1824.

or the piano sonatas around 10 cds from c 1795 to 181...

or quartets, from c 1800s to 1826 or 1827, several cds.

Don't count concertos or violin sonatas, he never composed one in a late style.

for a cheap survey of his evolution, then you have to buy samples of that famous works or ... buy the cello sonatas.

2 from 1796 (early), that of 1809 (middle) and those 2 from 1815 (late): all of his career represented by only 2 hours.

in the early you will find virtuosism with that "drive" so typical of LvB at that time, combined with something of the "classical" style. And look to the length of movements: how developped are they!!!. In the middle sonata, all the glorious lyricism and grandeur which can be found in the pastoral or the violin concerto. And in the late sonatas some of the most profound music he composed: spiritual slow sections or movements, with quite concentrated rapid ones and to end the last sonata, a fugue. sometimes the writing becomes rapsodic, like a fantasy.

the combination here is that of a period cello and a fortepiano. There is more balanced sound because the piano sounds not so powerfull in general and produces a sound like a cimbalon, achieving greater clarity. and the cello plays with low vibrato, with a style sometimes remembering baroque. for some people it can be a bit underpowered, but for me once I get accustomed to this style, I cant stand anymore traditional approaches. the engineers succedded in achieving that balance I spoke before.

1st movs expositions are repeated (essential in 3dr sonata) and missing in usual recordings to make room for the early variations, which are absent here. The reason I put 4 stars is that, I wouls like they to have included at least one of the variations, but I read channel classics have made another cd with all 3 cello variations. I dont know the new wispelwey recording (with a modern piano, I think). here he plays very well, together with the little known Komen in fortepiano. Also I don`t know other period performances (tan with pleeth, bylsma with Imseerel, bylsma with bilson, coin with cohen).

This set is very, very good.