LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
October 19, 2020
Complete Sonatas For Piano & Violin On Historic Instruments
Albany, 2020
9/10
Listen to Complete Sonatas For Piano & Violin On Historic Instruments
Performed by violinist Jerilyn Jorgensen and pianist Cullen Bryant, the pair approached this project with as much authenticity as possible, where original instruments from the Frederick Collection are used to build these sonatas from scratch with much attention to detail.
Disc 1 starts with the keys and strings interacting in playful yet sublime ways on the dazzling “Sonata No. 1 In D Major, Op 12/1”, and this meticulousness carries over to the warm piano and graceful violin of the reflective “Sonata No. 2 In A Major Op, 12/1”.
The middle discs offer us the emotive spirit and dreamy climate of “Sonata No. 5 In F Major, Op. 24”, while “Sonata No. 7 In C Minor, Op 30/2” moves swiftly, playfully and with no shortage of dynamic interplay between the esteemed musicians.
The last disc saves some of the best for last, where “Sonata No. 10 In G Minor, Op. 96” moves both firmly and cautiously, as keys sometimes pound and other times dance, and the violin conveys both gloriousness and introspection in its precise capacity.
Bryant uses 5 pianos across this lengthy affair, all of which have a connection to Beethoven, and Jorgensen plays the Andrea Carolus Leeb violin that dates back to 1797 and was built in Vienna. A more powerful violin than its modern counterpart, the nuances of these instruments, combined with the duo’s unparalleled skill, helps make these reworkings nothing short of spellbinding.