Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 1 in F major, Op. 5 No. 1

Angela Hewitt has taken time out from her impossibly busy solo concert schedule (including her stunningly successful Bach World Tour) to record a dazzling chamber disc with one of the greatest young cellists of today. Daniel Müller-Schott’s rise to fame has been well documented in the world’s press. His fastidious, clean-lined, yet energetic playing is the perfect foil for Angela’s particular artistry.

In their first Hyperion CD together, they present Volume 1 of Beethoven’s complete cello sonatas. Beethoven’s first three cello sonatas astonished his contemporaries with their dramatically innovative qualities. Before he wrote them, there were virtually no works in which the cello fully broke away from its subservient role of basso continuo to become an equal partner to the piano. They are works of extraordinary breadth and grandeur. Writing of the Sonata in A major Op 69, the two artists explain that ‘the dialogue between the two instruments reaches perfection, and demands the highest level of communication and expressiveness’. This is surely achieved in this splendid recording.

‘Daniel Müller-Schott is a fast rising star in the cello firmament. His approach is fastidious and full-blooded, marked by emotional generosity kept in bounds by innate good taste and a winsome freshness’ (Vancouver Sun)

‘The magnetic young German cellist Daniel Müller-Schott administered a dose of adrenaline with a compelling performance of Haydn’s Concerto in C. Mr Müller-Schott, a fearless player with technique to burn, made child’s play of the work’s difficulties. But even more impressive were his gorgeous, plush tone and his meticulous attention to expression. He did not slather on vibrato but applied fine gradations, or none at all, to shape phrases graciously’ (The New York Times)