Beethoven, a tyro pianist, writes for the cello... Adrian Brendel and Tim Horton perform a daring balancing act

3 tracks - 49:09

I. Adagio sostenute ed espressivo
II. Allegro molto piu tosto presto
III. Rondo (Allegro)

Recorded in concert at the Malvern Festival Theatre on 31 January 2008

Cameras operated by Jo Coates, Simon Ings and Matthew Jolly
Recorded and Mastered by Eric James for URM Audio Ltd
Video editing by Jo Coates
Produced by Adrian Brendel
Assistant Producer - Matthew Jolly

During the eighteenth century the cello gradually came to be regarded as a solo as well as an accompanying instrument. Nonetheless, neither Mozart nor Haydn composed a cello sonata. Ludwig van Beethoven was the first major composer to write works with equally important roles for both instruments.

A tiny, physically forgettable man with a blemished face, ragged hair and poor personal hygiene, Beethoven wrote music that must have sounded like gibberish to almost everyone who heard it. But as Steven Isserlis, a former detractor, has written: "Beethoven is just there, and, if we are to understand anything about music, we have to attempt to come to terms with him." The cello sonatas are an excellent place to start. They come in three groups, each capturing a key moment in Beethoven's development as a composer.

The first two, in F major and G minor, were written when the composer was carving out a career as a pianist. (In Beethoven's day, all serious performers composed.) They are really sonatas for piano with cello: Beethoven was hardly likely to let himself be overshadowed by a cellist. Nonetheless, and setting aside the besetting problem of balance which dogs the cello-piano combination, these early sonatas boast some startling effects.

The Sonata in G minor, Op. 5 No.2 has only two movements: an expressive and extended Adagio imbued with drama and lyricism, and an Allegro - a superb two-hander that slips quietly out from under the Adagio's unbelievably long silences before erupting in an arpeggiated finale so tempestuous, Beethoven's friend Domenico Dragonetti couldn't resist showing him how the cello part sounded on his bass.

Beethoven was bowled over. According to his biographer Alexander Thayer, "he sprang up and threw his arms around both player and instrument." The virtuosic passages for double basses in the Fifth Symphony, where they frequently double with the cellos, have their origins here, and scotch the common assumption that Beethoven's love of music at low registers was a product of his later deafness.

Ethan Ames, 2008

Adrian Brendel has been Music Director of Music at Plush since 1995. His commitment to chamber music has led to projects with Lisa Batiashvili, Imogen Cooper, Till Fellner and Paul Lewis, among others. Solo appearances this year include Schumann’s Cello Concerto in Vienna’s Konzerthaus, performances at the Verbier and Schleswig-Holstein festivals, and recital and trio tours around Europe. He has commissioned a work from Sir Harrison Birtwistle to premiere at the Cheltenham festival in 2009. Adrian divides his time between Plush, London and Berlin and is Artistic Director of music label Plushmusic.

In 1995 Tim Horton was asked to replace Alfred Brendel at short notice to give two performances of Schoenberg’s Piano Concerto with the CBSO and Sir Simon Rattle. Tim's career has seen his career grow from strength to strength ever since. He has performed with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony and Trondheim Symphony orchestras and the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. He is also the pianist in Ensemble 360, a chamber group that was formed in 2005 to take over from the Lindsays as resident ensemble at the Crucible, Sheffield. (Their CDs of Mozart and Spohr are available on ASV Sanctuary.) Chamber music is central to Tim’s musical activities. In partnership with Adrian Brendel, he has given concerts in Italy, Germany and at the Wigmore Hall, London, and the pair have also performed extensively throughout Spain.