Beethoven: Cello Sonatas & Bagatelles Opp. 102, 119 & 126

by Roel Dieltiens, Andreas Staier

Overview

Recordings of the pieces on this album are not rare; the two late cello sonatas show up on numerous complete sets of the Beethoven sonatas for cello and piano, and most Beethoven pianists have undertaken the bagatelles at one time or another. Yet the pairing of the two late cello sonatas with the composer's second and third sets of bagatelles is more unusual and quite instructive. The two cello sonatas and the second half of the Bagatelles, Op. 119 (the first five were composed earlier), lie early in Beethoven's last creative period. They are wildly experimental pieces in which the composer worked out details of his late style: compact, foursquare tunes set against each other in unexpected ways, mystical slow melodies, drastic formal freedom, and what is often overlooked in all the talk of the transcendent qualities of Beethoven's late style, is that they are often funny. Cellist Roel Dieltiens and fortepianist Andreas Staier, the latter playing a copy of an 1827 Graf fortepiano, emphasize both the experimental and the comic in these works. In the bagatelles, Staier perhaps takes the humor a bit too far, with buzzing noises and a kind of piano mute at the end of the 14-second Bagatelle, Op. 119, No. 10, but generally, his interpretations are very strong. In the bizarre, ragtime-like Bagatelle in B minor, Op. 126, No. 4, he gets the right balance between keeping to the Presto tempo marking and making room for the syncopations. The two cello sonatas are even better. Dieltiens and Staier create an exploratory feel that diverges considerably from most of the heavier readings on the market but seems true to the works. With superb Teldex Studio sound, this is a recording that should have considerable appeal beyond historical performance circles. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	06/17/2022
Label:	Harmonia Mundi
UPC:	3149020944639
Rank:	154780

Tracks

1. Cello Sonata No. 4 Op. 102 No. 1 C major~I. Andante - Allegro vivace
2. Cello Sonata No. 4 Op. 102 No. 1 C major~II. Adagio - Tempo d'andante - Allegro vivace
3. 11 Bagatelles Op. 119~1. Allegretto (G minor)
4. 11 Bagatelles Op. 119~2. Andante con moto (C major)
5. 11 Bagatelles Op. 119~3. ¿¿ l'Allemande (D major)
6. 11 Bagatelles Op. 119~4. Andante cantabile (A major)
7. 11 Bagatelles Op. 119~5. Risoluto (C minor)
8. 11 Bagatelles Op. 119~6. Andante - Allegretto (G major)
9. 11 Bagatelles Op. 119~7. Allegro, ma non troppo (C major)
10. 11 Bagatelles Op. 119~8. Moderato cantabile (C major)
11. 11 Bagatelles Op. 119~9. Vivace moderato (A minor)
12. 11 Bagatelles Op. 119~10. Allegramente (A major)
13. 11 Bagatelles Op. 119~11. Andante ma non troppo (B-flat major)
14. Cello Sonata No. 5 Op. 102 No. 2 D major~I. Allegro con brio
15. Cello Sonata No. 5 Op. 102 No. 2 D major~II. Adagio con molto sentimento d'affetto
16. Cello Sonata No. 5 Op. 102 No. 2 D major~III. Allegro - Allegro fugato
17. 6 Bagatelles Op. 126~1. Andante con moto, cantabile e compiacevole (G major)
18. 6 Bagatelles Op. 126~2. Allegro (G minor)
19. 6 Bagatelles Op. 126~3. Andante, cantabile e grazioso (E-flat major)
20. 6 Bagatelles Op. 126~4. Presto (B minor)
21. 6 Bagatelles Op. 126~5. Quasi allegretto (G major)
22. 6 Bagatelles Op. 126~6. Presto - Andante amabile e con moto (E-flat major)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Roel Dieltiens   Primary Artist,Cello
Andreas Staier   Primary Artist,Fortepiano

Technical Credits

William Holl Le Jeune   Illustrations
Henk Cornelissen   Instrument Design
Marten Cornelissen   Instrument Design
Josep Molina   Photography
Hilla Maria Heintz   Liner Note Translation
Pieter Claesz   Cover Art
Julian Schwenkner   Engineer,Editing
Merlijn Doomernik   Photography
Peter Guelke   Liner Notes
Christopher Clarke   Instrument Design
Charles Johnston   Liner Note Translation
Martin Sauer   Artistic Director,Editing
Ludwig van Beethoven   Composer