Beethoven: the Complete Works For Cello and Fortep

Steven Isserlis (cello) & Robert Levin (fortepiano)

In this new chamber recording, Steven Isserlis together with his regular collaborator, fortepianist Robert Levin, presents a magisterial and long-awaited compendium of Beethoven’s complete works for cello and piano, including Beethoven’s arrangement of his Op 17 Horn Sonata. The use of the fortepiano opens up a wealth of sonic possibilities for these works.

The five Cello Sonatas span Beethoven’s compositional epochs and comprise the most important cycle of cello sonatas in the entire repertoire. Isserlis writes that the composer ‘transforms himself from confident virtuoso to supreme master of classical form, and then beyond that to a mystic exploring strange new worlds of unearthly beauty—a wondrous transfiguration’.

Beethoven - Cello Sonatas Nos. 1-5:
 No. 1 in F major, Op. 5 No. 1
 No. 2 in G minor, Op. 5 No. 2
 No. 3 in A major, Op. 69
 No. 4 in C major, Op. 102 No. 1
 No. 5 in D major, Op. 102 No. 2

 12 Variations on "Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen" for Cello and Piano, Op. 66
 12 Variations on "See the conquering hero comes" for Cello and Piano, WoO 45
 7 Variations on "Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen", for Cello and Piano, WoO 46
 Horn Sonata in F major, Op. 17

"This set contains of the finest Beethoven performances you are likely to hear. Steven Isserlis is on blazing form: every note lives, every movement is characterised with infectious relish; his range is breathtaking. The ensemble with Robert Levin is dynamic, intimate, often electric.
BBC Music Magazine - January 2014 ****