Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Opp 12 no 2 & 96 album review sheer joie de vivre

"Viktoria Mullova began her cycle of the Beethoven violin sonatas partnered by Kristian Bezuidenhout, but Alasdair Beatson has been the pianist for the last three instalments. They end the series with a pairing of the second of the Op 12 set in A major with the last of the sonatas, in G. All of the performances use historical instruments, with Mullova playing her gut-strung 1750 Guadagnini and using a classical bow, while here Beatson plays a different keyboard for each sonata."

"For the rather Mozartian Op 12 no 2 he uses a copy of a Walter fortepiano made in 1805, seven years after the sonata was composed; while for the much more ambitious keyboard writing of Op 96 it's a copy of a Graf from 1819. Mullova/Beatson: Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Opp 12 & 96. Photograph: Signum What is common to the performances of both sonatas is the sheer joie de vivre of the playing."

"Everything seems energised, and if the precision and immaculate ensemble is sometimes at the expense of obvious affection for the music and perhaps the last degree of warmth, that's usually a small price to pay. The fine detail of both the violin and the keyboard playing is exquisite; the shape of every phrase, you feel, has been considered and weighted accordingly, without losing any sense of spontaneity, so the music never stales."

Viktoria Mullova and Alasdair Beatson conclude a Beethoven violin-sonata cycle with a pairing of Op 12 No. 2 in A major and the final sonata in G. Mullova performs on a gut-strung 1750 Guadagnini with a classical bow while Beatson selects period-appropriate fortepianos: a Walter copy (1805) for Op 12 No. 2 and a Graf copy (1819) for Op 96. The performances exhibit a pronounced joie de vivre, energetic pacing and immaculate ensemble. Precision and detailed shaping of phrases prevail, producing exquisite instrumental detail and spontaneity even where warmth is slightly restrained.

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