Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 5 in D major, Op. 102 No. 2

For her debut recording for Brilliant Classics, young Dutch cellist Amber Docters van Leeuwen has chosen a wildly varying programme: starting off in the classical yet highly personal and original style of the late Beethoven cello sonatas, she moves to that other classic for the cello, the Debussy sonata.

Then she enters the unsettling world of Alfred Schnittke, whose eclectic and highly dramatic first cello sonata was written in 1978. She ends her journey with Flavours by Eef van Breen, written for Amber, an out of the box extravaganza in Jazz style, bitter, sweet, salty and spicy.

Amber Docters van Leeuwen took her tuition with Dmitri Ferschtman in Amsterdam, then continued at the Manhattan School of Music, where she graduated with honours. Her repertoire and concert programmes combine the classical with the experimental, and she regularly partners with musicians like Bobby McFerrin, Jef Neve and Gabriel Rios. She was winner of several international competitions, notably the first Amsterdam Cello Biennnale in 2008.

Maxim Rysanov and friends turn their attention to Beethoven after two highly praised Brahms Viola CDs, ONYX4033 and 4054. Here we have some rare early Beethoven coupled with some late great Beethoven.

The Sonatine WoO 33 was published together with three movements for mechanical clock that Beethoven composed in the early 1790s. The Sonatine is thought to date from 1797. The Trio Op.11 was composed for piano, clarinet and cello, and here it is heard in Rysanov’s own arrangement with the viola replacing the clarinet. Beethoven’s early Serenade for string trio Op.8 of 1797 was arranged (with the composer’s lukewarm approval – he wrote that they ‘were much improved by me in places’) for viola and piano in 1804 as Op.42. The version used here of the 'Theme, Variations and March' is by William Primrose. Finally, from the composer’s later period, we have the last of his five cello sonatas played by Kristine Blaumane and pianist Jacob Katsnelson.

Quirine Viersen, one of Holland’s foremost cellists, and Silke Avenhaus are musical partners already for many years, forming a close unity of musical thought and emotion. This recording dates from the beginning of their partnership and offers passionate readings of Beethoven’s two late Cello Sonatas Op. 102, combined with the deeply romantic world of Schumann, in his Phantasiestücke and the fairylike Stücke im Volkston.

The combination of cello and piano has long been a popular choice among composers. Detailing a selection of works by two of the world’s greatest, this release celebrates one of music’s most enduring partnerships through showcasing some of the duo’s best literature.

The compilation covers works written towards the end of each composer’s life, and first to be presented are Beethoven’s Sonatas Op.102 Nos. 1 and 2. Completed in 1815 and therefore dating from the start of his late period, these self-contained compositions stand as the shortest and most concentrated of the composer’s duo sonatas – though the wealth of feeling that is exhibited throughout more than makes up for this. Next to be featured is Schumann’s delightful Fantasiestücke Op.73 – a set of small-scale pieces taking the style of Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words. They are followed by 5 Stücke im Volkston Op.102, completed in 1878 and similarly inspired by Lieder and folksong through their use of simple yet characteristic themes.

From the intensity of Beethoven’s sonatas to the affective expression of Schumann’s creations, this collection unites some of the most spiritual and original music in the cello and piano repertoire. Quirine Viersen and Silke Avenhaus offer an authoritative interpretation that brims with colour: a valuable addition to Brilliant Classics chamber music library.

Truly phenomenal performances by two formidable Beethoven interpreters at the top of their game. Fournier’s aristocratic cello playing is beautifully matched by Gulda’s improvisatory approach to the piano line. 2CDs at super budget price.

The cellist Peter-Philipp Staemmler and pianist Hansjacob Staemmler are brothers and come from Thuringia. They were winners at the Deutscher Musikwettbewerb in 2009 and this is their debut CD.

The mercurial partnership of Angela Hewitt and Daniel Müller-Schott brought overwhelming intensity and emotional gravitas’ to a first disc of Beethoven’s cello sonatas. Here in a second volume they present two more of these groundbreaking masterpieces, together with the composer’s homages to Mozart and Handel—works which are equally important additions to the cello repertoire.

Hewitt’s characteristic digital dexterity and deep understanding of the classical style and Müller-Schott’s vibrant playing combine to create performances of great energy and sensitivity that will delight their many fans.

In a fascinating booklet note, Daniel Müller-Schott explores the evolution of Beethoven’s works for cello from a musician’s perspective, describing their revolutionary power and demonstrating the composer’s multifarious imagination [‘Mannigfachphantastische’].

Having received high praise for their recent releases of ‘Russian Cello Masterpieces’ (Zuill Bailey), and the ‘Berlin Concert’ and ‘Bach’s Goldberg Variations’, (Simone Dinnerstein), these two accomplished musicians re-affirm their long–standing partnership with a new 2CD set of the complete works for cello by Beethoven. Simone Dinnerstein and Zuill Bailey have performed together regularly for more than a decade, and together they received the Classical Recording Foundation Award in 2006 and 2007. Both are known as highly accomplished musicians with a flair for arresting interpretations. Simone Dinnerstein has received major critical acclaim for her recent releases of her acclaimed “Berlin Concert”, and Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Zuill Bailey’s recording of Russian music for cello and piano has been similarly well received by the press. Learning Beethoven’s complete works for piano and cello was the first major project that the two of them undertook when they first began working together as a duo. Beethoven’s masterpieces for piano and cello represent arguably the greatest evolution of musical composition by one of the world’s most remarkable and creative minds. The five Sonatas and the sets of Variations chronicle refined points in the early, middle and late stages of his compositions.