Complete Works for Cello & Piano: Albany Records

BEETHOVEN Complete Works for Cello & Piano TROY268-69 - $33.98

Energetic, searching performances of classic repertory.

When thinking of Beethoven and the cello, it is useful to remember that Mozart wrote no sonatas for the cello, Haydn wrote cello concerti, but left no sonatas either. (Haydn did write several Divertimenti for an instrument akin to the cello - the baryton - for Prince Nicolas Esterhazy, his baryton playing patron.) Beethoven is thus responsible for emancipating the cello from its role as a continuo instrument to one with its own distinct personality and voice. Solo cello literature, in a sense starts with Ludwig van Beethoven. His total output for the instrument was five sonatas and three sets of variations. Compared to his ten sonatas for the violin and 32 sonatas and a host of other works for the solo piano, his output for the cello was very limited. It occupies a position of importance, however, in the cello repertoire. In this two-CD set, Steven Honigberg and his pianist mother, Carol, bring us the complete cello works. Cellist Steven Honigberg gave a successful New York debut in 1984, and has since appeared in concert to critical acclaim in major cities throughout the U.S., including Los Angeles, Washington, DC, and the Chicago Symphony. He is a member of the National Symphony Orchestra. Carol Honigberg is currently on the faculty of Roosevelt University in Chicago. Her teachers included Rudolph Ganz and Marguerite Long in Paris. She received her Master of Music degree from Northwestern University.

Ludwig Van Beethoven, composer
Sonata No. 1 in F, Op. 5, No. 1
Steven Honigberg, cello, Carol Honigberg, piano

Ludwig Van Beethoven, composer
Seven Variations on the Duet Bei Mnnern, welche Liebe fhlen
Steven Honigberg, cello, Carol Honigberg, piano

Ludwig Van Beethoven, composer
Sonata No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 5, No. 2
Steven Honigberg, cello, Carol Honigberg, piano

Ludwig Van Beethoven, composer
Twelve Variations on a Theme from Handel's Oratorio Judas Maccabaeus
Steven Honigberg, cello, Carol Honigberg, piano

Ludwig Van Beethoven, composer
Sonata No. 3 in A, Op. 69
Steven Honigberg, cello, Carol Honigberg, piano

Ludwig Van Beethoven, composer
Twelve Variations on a Theme Ein Mdchen oder Weibchen
Steven Honigberg, cello, Carol Honigberg, piano

Ludwig Van Beethoven, composer
Sonata No. 4 in C, Op. 102, No. 1
Steven Honigberg, cello, Carol Honigberg, piano

Ludwig Van Beethoven, composer
Sonata No. 5 in D, Op. 102, No. 2
Steven Honigberg, cello, Carol Honigberg, piano

Review:

"Four years in the making, Steven Honigberg's integral survey of Beethoven's oeuvre for cello and piano is both meritorious and estimable. Accompanied by his mother, the distinguished pianist Carol Honigberg, the Washington-based cellistproves a committed and intelligent advocate of these works. Never one to demur over risk-taking, Honigberg's interpretations are vigorous, mercurial, and uncommonly attractive offerings." (Fanfare)

Energetic, searching performances of classic repertory.

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