Beethoven: Complete Works for Cello and Piano, Vol. 2

Featuring

Gabriel Schwabe
Nicholas Rimmer
Ludwig van Beethoven

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Composition History

In 1796, Beethoven established a new genre with his Op. 5 Cello Sonatas, making the cello and piano equal partners.

Compositional Technique

The finale of Beethoven's Cello Sonata Op. 102, No. 2, is a four-part fugue, defying convention and foreshadowing other fugal movements in his late works.

Performer Biography

Gabriel Schwabe, the cellist on this recording, is a laureate of three prestigious cello competitions: Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann, Concours Rostropovich, and the Pierre Fournier Award.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Beethoven considered Handel to be the greatest composer, famously declaring he would "uncover my head and kneel before his tomb."

Performer Biography

Nicholas Rimmer, the pianist on this recording, holds a professorship for piano at the Freiburg University of Music.

Compositional Technique

Beethoven's Sonata Op. 102, No. 1, was called 'Freye Sonate' ('free sonata') in the autograph due to its fusion of sonata form with elements of free fantasia style.

Composer Biography

Beethoven dedicated his Cello Sonata in A major, Op. 69, to Baron Ignaz von Gleichenstein, an amateur cellist and close supporter who assisted him with business matters.