Beethoven: Rondino in E flat major, WoO 25

The Oslo Chamber Academy us a new ensemble with some of Scandinavia’s leading wind soloists. Since their formation, they have quickly established a reputation as being authentic advocates of music from whichever period they are performing, adjusting their instruments to reflect the repertoire.

Since 2010 they have been travelling overseas to showcase their unique ensemble, participating in many different festivals and including ‘Ruhr 2010’.

When Beethoven died early in 1827, it is said that 10,000 people attended his funeral. Famed for the brilliance of his piano and symphonic works, he also played the violin and viola and wrote 10 sonatas for violin and piano. Of these, the F major (Op. 24) 'Spring' and the A Major (Op.47) 'Kreutzer' are the most celebrated.

On The Kreutzer Sonata and other works Leonard and Tinney perform these sonatas with a mix of skill and feeling which comes from lives utterly devoted to music making. The 'Spring' sonata, so called because of the way the music gently unfolds at the beginning, is a testament to the composer's own love of nature. The 'Kreutzer' sonata has long been seen as one of the great challenges in chamber music repertoire; a challenge that Catherine Leonard and Hugh Tinney meet with ease as a seamless and intimate duo. Two shorter works, a Beethoven Rondo and Kreisler Rondino complete the CD.

Beethoven wrote several works before 1800 which were composed for groups of wind instruments. However it was the horn that best came to depict nature at the beginning of the 19th century; Romantic composers being quick to take advantage of the instrument that Punto developed, writing sonatas for the instrument of which those by Beethoven and his pupil Ries are the most well known.

first released 1956