Beethoven: Cello Sonatas Volume 1

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…Daniel Müller-Schott and Angela Hewitt's… respond with imagination and flexibility to Beethoven's mercurial changes of mood, one moment tender and reflective, then bold and dynamic… — BBC Music Magazine, December 2008, 4 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 27th Oct 2008
Catalogue No: CDA67633
Label: Hyperion
Length: 78 minutes

Gramophone Magazine

December 2008

Editor's Choice

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

Work length24:43

$3.30

$4.50

Daniel Müller-Schott (cello), Angela Hewitt (piano)

Ia. Adagio sostenuto –

Track length2:59

$1.10

$1.50

Ib. Allegro

Track length14:36

$1.10

$1.50

II. Allegro vivace

Track length7:08

$1.10

$1.50

Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 5 No. 2

Work length26:07

$3.30

$4.50

Daniel Müller-Schott (cello), Angela Hewitt (piano)

I. Adagio sostenuto ed espressivo

Track length6:26

$1.10

$1.50

II. Allegro molto più tosto presto

Track length10:29

$1.10

$1.50

III. Rondo: Allegro

Track length9:12

$1.10

$1.50

Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 3 in A major, Op. 69

Work length27:10

$4.40

$6.00

Daniel Müller-Schott (cello), Angela Hewitt (piano)

I. Allegro, ma non tanto

Track length12:57

$1.10

$1.50

II. Scherzo: Allegro molto

Track length5:11

$1.10

$1.50

III. Adagio cantabile –

Track length2:01

$1.10

$1.50

IV. Allegro vivace

Track length7:01

$1.10

$1.50

About
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About

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)

Reviews

December 2008

…Daniel Müller-Schott and Angela Hewitt's… respond with imagination and flexibility to Beethoven's mercurial changes of mood, one moment tender and reflective, then bold and dynamic…

28th November 2008

it is musical matchmaking at its best. With Hewitt's controlled elegance and emotional penetration, and Muller-Schott’s expressiveness and technical virtuosity, the pair separately and together represents the perfect balance of head and heart in performance.

The dynamic duo find overwhelming intensity in this music, in a performance packed with detail and emotional gravitas

2010

Daniel Müller-Schott and Angela Hewitt give Beethoven's first three cello sonatas a nimble and colourful outing. Their musical 'dress' sense is immaculate, with never so much as a quaver out of place, no hint of ungainliness or aggression and a cultivated sound world which, whether presented singly or in duet, is consistently smooth. Their duo engagement is compelling and their repertoire of gestures – vivid dynamics, tiny instances of expressive rubato, suspended breathing and so on – is exceedingly broad. Sometimes the reverie might be considered a little overplayed. At the opening of the A major Third Sonata's brief Adagio third movement Hewitt's dreamily sculpted phrasing verges on sounding Chopinesque, though poetic in effect and poignantly responded to by Müller- Schott.
These performances are full of interesting ideas: there's rarely a bar without a subtle bend somewhere along the line and yet the various allegros are sparky in the best sense of the term, rhythmically crisp and alert, especially the rondo finale of the G minor Sonata, which is deliciously pointed by Hewitt. Those in search of a more overtly masculine approach to Beethoven would probably be better off elsewhere but Müller-Schott and Hewitt provide a bright, decorative antidote to their more austere rivals. The recorded sound is beautifully balanced.

December 2008

These performances are full of interesting ideas: there's rarely a bar without a subtle bend somewhere along the line and yet the various allegros are sparky in the best sense of the term, rhythmically crisp and alert, especially the rondo finale of the G minor Sonata, which is deliciously pointed by Hewitt.

Müller-Schott’s playing is strong and vibrant … Hewitt brings her characteristic digital dexterity and sparkling articulation to bear … the performances certainly make one look forward to their second disc

Beethoven: Cello Sonatas Volume 1

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