Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61
01 I. Allegro ma non troppo
02 II. Larghetto
03 III. Rondo: Allegro

Franz Alexander Pössinger (1767-1827)
Violin Concerto in G Major, Op. 9
04 I. Allegro
05 II. Adagio
06 III. Rondo: Allegretto

Anton Steck - violin
L'Arpa Festante
Matthew Halls – conductor

It is unbelievable that such a popular work in the current repertoire as Ludwig van Beethovens Violin Concerto Op. 61 only conquered the concert hall around three to four decades after its composition. The work ultimately gained its popularity through two revised printed versions published in Vienna and in London, which both reveal substantial revisions in the solo parts. The quest for Beethovens original version proves to be extremely complicated, as Beethoven himself offered up to four alternatives to the soloists in some spots of the manuscript. A study of the different inks and quills used in that autograph has allowed the violinist Anton Steck to propose the new und unusual version recorded here, which thanks also to the use of historical instruments results in a tangible and transparent rendering of a very well-known piece. In addition to Beethovens composition, Steck presents the world premiere recording of the Violin Concerto of the Viennese violinist Franz Alexander Pössinger a friend of Beethoven who was probably involved in the revision of the solo part of his concerto. Pössingers work was written in 1805, just one year before Beethovens. --- Editorial Reviews, amazon.com

While there will be a great deal of interest shown in this recording purely by virtue of its claim to be a world premiere recording after the original autograph score, and the fact that the “filler” (who I detest this disparaging description!) was written by a violinist with a very close personal link to Beethoven, for me the disc is a tremendous success simply because it offers beautifully recorded, accomplished performances. Anton Steck is a first-class violinist and his accounts of these two very different works are honest and engaging. Yes, of course, there are moments when the subconscious inner ear is surprised by the unexpected, but these are rarely disturbing; even the early published editions of the concerto offer variant readings – Beethoven’s score offers violinists up to four different versions of some bars! L’arpa festante (76543 strings) support Steck with some ravishing playing, and enjoy the tunefulness of Pössinger’s relatively light work (with a far smaller orchestra and lasting just under 18 minutes, compared to Beethoven’s 44!) There is some evidence that Pössinger was the violinist to whom Beethoven turned for technical advice, so the pairing of the two works is appropriate. An especial delight of the recording are Steck’s cadenzas for the Beethoven! Perhaps this line-up could be persuaded to follow up the booklet’s title: “Viewed in a completely different light” – let’s have another couple of contemporary concertos and Beethoven’s Romances? ---Brian Clark, earlymusicreview.com

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1 Piano Trio in B flat major ('Archduke'), Op. 97: Allegro moderato			
2 Piano Trio in B flat major ('Archduke'), Op. 97: Scherzo, Allegro			
3 Piano Trio in B flat major ('Archduke'), Op. 97: Andante cantabile			
4 Piano Trio in B flat major ('Archduke'), Op. 97: Allegro moderato	
5 Piano Trio in B flat major, D. 898 (Op. 99): Allegro moderato			
6 Piano Trio in B flat major, D. 898 (Op. 99): Andante un poco mosso			
7 Piano Trio in B flat major, D. 898 (Op. 99): Scherzo & Trio, Allegro			
8 Piano Trio in B flat major, D. 898 (Op. 99): Rondo, Allegro vivace

Alfred Cortot - piano 
Jacques Thibaud - violin
Pablo Casals – cello

More than 70 years have passed since the Cortot-Thibaud-Casals trio waxed the Schubert B flat and Beethoven Archduke trios. Both recordings were hailed as classics in the early days of electrical recording and have enjoyed numerous incarnations on LP and CD. Even if you already own these performances, you honestly haven't heard them until you experience these new restorations. The effect is not unlike washing your eyeglasses. All the surface snap, crackle, and swish has been tamed, but more room tone emerges along with long-buried, intermingling overtones from all three instruments. There's more tempo fluctuation than modern ears may be accustomed to, along with Thibaud's slippery portamentos. Yet these devices are channeled toward specific expressive ends. Mannered they may seem, but indulgent, never. And listeners used to Cortot's freewheeling approach to solo repertoire will be surprised at how much he behaves himself in a chamber music context. Write, petition, call, beg, cajole, do anything to induce EMI to bring out the remainder of this trio's recorded output in equally amazing transfers. ---Jed Distler

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01. Trio for Oboe, Clarinet and Bassoon C Major, Op. 87: I. Allegro
02. Trio for Oboe, Clarinet and Bassoon C Major, Op. 87: II. Adagio
03. Trio for Oboe, Clarinet and Bassoon C Major, Op. 87: III. Menuetto. Allegro molto
04. Trio for Oboe, Clarinet and Bassoon C Major, Op. 87: IV. Finale. Presto
05. Trio for Piano, Flute and Bassoon G major WoO 37: I. Allegro
06. Trio for Piano, Flute and Bassoon G major WoO 37: II. Adagio
07. Trio for Piano, Flute and Bassoon G major WoO 37: III. Thema andante con Variazioni
08. Variations in C Major on Mozart’s “La ci darem la mano”, WoO 28: Thema
09. Variations in C Major on Mozart’s “La ci darem la mano”, WoO 28: Variation 1
10. Variations in C Major on Mozart’s “La ci darem la mano”, WoO 28: Variation 2
11. Variations in C Major on Mozart’s “La ci darem la mano”, WoO 28: Variation 3
12. Beethoven: Variations in C Major on Mozart’s “La ci darem la mano”, WoO 28: Variation 4
13. Variations in C Major on Mozart’s “La ci darem la mano”, WoO 28: Variation 5
14. Variations in C Major on Mozart’s “La ci darem la mano”, WoO 28: Variation 6
15. Variations in C Major on Mozart’s “La ci darem la mano”, WoO 28: Variation 7
16. Variations in C Major on Mozart’s “La ci darem la mano”, WoO 28: Variation 8-Coda
17. Sonata for Piano and Horn in F Major, Op. 17: I. Allegro moderato
18. Sonata for Piano and Horn in F Major, Op. 17: II. Poco Adagio, quasi Andante
19. Sonata for Piano and Horn in F Major, Op. 17: III. Rondo. Allegro moderato
20. Duo for Clarinet and Bassoon B flat major WoO 27 No. 3: I. Allegro sostenuto!
21. Duo for Clarinet and Bassoon B flat major WoO 27 No. 3: II. Aria con variazioni. Andantino con moto

Les Vents Francais:
Emmanuel Pahud, flute
Francois Leleux, oboe
Paul Meyer, clarinet
Gilbert Audin, bassoon
Radovan Vlatković, horn
Éric Le Sage, piano.

This extra helping of Beethoven’s music for winds comes on the heels of Les Vents Français’s recent triple-CD release Winds & Piano, praised by The Telegraph for “stylistically sure and interpretatively ear-catching” performances, including one of Beethoven’s Op.16 Quintet, which earned the group added plaudits for “astutely balanced and finely observed” playing. This recording offers much more of a good thing, with Beethoven grouping the winds in a variety of smaller combinations. ---warnerclassics.com

This Warner Classics release is billed as music by Beethoven, but most of it fits only partly under that rubric. Les Vents Français experienced well-deserved success for their French-heavy programs on recordings and in concert, and it is understandable that they would like to branch out with Beethoven. But in so doing, they get into pretty obscure territory. The Trio in C major, Op. 87, despite its high opus number, is an early work, like all the other genuine pieces on the album, composed in 1795. Originally for two oboes and English horn, it is transcribed here for oboe, clarinet, and bassoon by John P. Newhill, who wrote a book on the basset-horn. The most interesting of the bunch is the Trio in G major for piano, flute, and bassoon, WoO 37, one of the not-abundant works by the teenage Beethoven in Bonn. With its sizable first movement, virtuoso piano part, and vigorous interchange among the instruments, it points toward the mature Beethoven more than the later, but essentially incidental, works on the rest of the album. The Variations on Là ci darem la mano, WoO 28, are also a transcription (by Fritz Stein), while the Duo in B flat for clarinet and bassoon, WoO 27, No. 3, is thought to be spurious and is full of infelicitous voice-leading, unlikely from the student of Albrechtsberger and Haydn. The Horn Sonata in F major, Op. 17, is genuine Beethoven, tossed off in a day, but intelligently written for the French horn. What keeps the miscellany afloat is the playing of Les Vents Français, which once again is surpassingly elegant, a model of Classical-style wind playing. They get a strong assist from Bavarian Radio engineers, working in the Bavarian Musikstudios in Munich. Recommended for Beethoven enthusiasts. ---James Manheim, AllMusic Review

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Side 1

1 Introduction
2 Recitative and Aria (Jesus)
3 Recitative and Aria (seraph and Chorus)
4 Recitative (Seraph and Jesus)

side 2

1 Duet (Seraph and Jesus)
2 Recitative (Jesus and Chorus)
3 Recitative (Jesus and chorus)
4 Recitative (Jesus and Peter)
5 Trio (Jesus, seraph and Peter)
6 Final Chorus

Jan Peerce - Jesus
Maria Stader - Seraph
Otto Wiener - Peter

Vienna Academy Chorus and State Opera Orchestra
Hermann Scherchen – conductor. (1962)

Beethoven's "Christ on a Mount of Olives" is an unusual composition for this composer. A dramatic, contemplative work, it does not, at face value, soar to the heights of excitement and inspiration of his symphonies, concertos or chamber music of the period. However, when removed from comparison to these works in question, Christ on the Mount of Olives tells the story of a moving moment in Christ's life as he was to journey from man to God in the final days of his mortal existence on earth.

I find it quite interesting that Scherchen provides a most satisfying recording of this complicated work as he presents it on its own terms. Though Scherchen was a socialist and believer in man's ability to shape the world in his image, it is quite amazing that he can relate and communicate these moments of reflection and change in Christ's life so vividly. A comparison to mind, well, in a different way, is Leonard's Bernstein's superior way with Haydn's masses, Catholic works, though Bernstein himself was a Jew. Fascinating, at least from where I sit. I'm sure that somone has written an anaylsis on the subject.

Scherchen has long been controversial in Beethoven, though I personally love his fresh approach, albeit with the characteristic orchestral sloppiness that he would gloss over because that was secondary to him. Scherchen has to be listened to on his own terms and accepted for what he is: a genius who had an exceptionally broad range of tastes, who believed that humanity held the key to its own survival. I suppose this is the underlying reason why his "Christ" works so well?

There are only 2 tracks for this performance, "sides 1 and 2" due to the very small breaks between scenes. --- Fred, Boston, MA, United States

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1. Christus am Ölberge No. 1. Introduction (Grave - Adagio) 	
2. Christus am Ölberge No. 1. Recit: Jehova, du mein Vater! 	
3. Christus am Ölberge No. 1. Aria: Meine Seele ist erschüttert 	
4. Christus am Ölberge No. 2. Recit: Erzittre, Erde, Jehova's Sohn liegt hier! 	
5. Christus am Ölberge No. 2. Aria: Preist, preist des Erlösers Güte 	
6. Christus am Ölberge No. 2. Chorus & Solo: O Heil euch, ihr Erlösten 
7. Christus am Ölberge No. 2. Doch weh! die frech entehren 	
8. Christus am Ölberge No. 3. Recit: Verkündet, Seraph, mir dein Mund... 	
9. Christus am Ölberge No. 3. Duet: So ruhe denn mit ganzer Schwere 
10. Christus am Ölberge No. 4. Recit: Wilkommen, Tod! 	
11. Christus am Ölberge No. 4. Chorus: Wir haben ihn gesehen 
12. Christus am Ölberge No. 5. Recit: Die mich zu fangen ausgezogen sind... 	
13. Christus am Ölberge No. 5. Chorus: Hier ist er, der Verbannte 	
14. Christus am Ölberge No. 6. Recit: Nicht ungestraft soll der Verwegnen Schar... 
15. Christus am Ölberge No. 6. Trio: Im meinen Adern wühlen gerechter Zorn und Wuth 	
16. Christus am Ölberge No. 6. Chorus & Solo: Auf! auf! ergreifet den Verräther 
17. Christus am Ölberge No. 6. Chorus: Welten singen Dank und Ehre... Preiset ihn, ihr

Cristina Deutekom - Seraph
Nicolai Gedda - Jesus
Hans Sotin - Peter

Philharmonischer Chor der Stadt Bonn
Chor des Theaters der Stadat Bonn
Orchester der Beethovenhalle, Bonn
Volker Wangenheim - conductor, 1969/70

Beethoven's Christ on the Mount of Olives is rarely performed or recorded, and is often criticized for its mixture of operatic and oratorio forms (which are not so different to begin with). However, it's a wonderful little piece that has more affinities with Mozart's Magic Flute than Bach's Passions. It includes a lovely duet (gorgeously sung here by Gedda and Deutekom), an even better trio, a neat little fugue, and an awesome choral number depicting the Roman soldiers capturing Jesus, which sounds like a German drinking song! Gedda sings a heroic Jesus with a voice that is both powerful and mellifluous. His performance is itself worth the price of the CD. Sotin and Deutekom (one of the most under-appreciated sopranos on record)are also excellent, and the orchestral playing conducted by Wangenheim is extremely spirited. Needless to say, I highly recommend this recording. --- Jason Siegel "El Rey de las Llantas" (Madison, WI)

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CD1
1. Sonata No. 1 in F Major, Op. 5, No. 1/I. Adagio sostenuto - Allegro-Adagio-Presto 19:02
2. Sonata No. 1 in F Major, Op. 5, No. 1/II. Rondo. Allegro vivace 7:22
3. Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 5, No. 2/I. Adagio sostenuto e espressivo/Allegro molto più tosto presto 21:19
4. Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 5, No. 2/II. Rondo. Allegro 10:02
5. Sonata No. 4 in C Major, Op. 102, No. 1/I. Andante - Allegro vivace 	8:53
6. Sonata No. 4 in C Major, Op. 102, No. 1/II. Adagio - Allegro vivace 8:32

CD2
1. Sonata No. 3 in A Major, Op. 69/I. Allegro ma non troppo 	13:29
2. Sonata No. 3 in A Major, Op. 69/II. Scherzo. Allegro molto 5:42
3. Sonata No. 3 in A Major, Op. 69/III. Adagio cantabile - Allegro vivace 9:30
4. Sonata No. 5 in D Major, Op. 102, No. 2/I. Allegro con brio 7:22	
5. Sonata No. 5 in D Major, Op. 102, No. 2/II. Adagio con molto sentimento d'affetto 	9:35
6. Sonata No. 5 in D Major, Op. 102, No. 2/III. Allegro - Allegro fugato 	4:52
7. 7 Variations on Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, WoO.46 	11:02
8. 12 Variations on Ein Mädchen oder Weibchnen from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, WoO.66  11:35

Pablo Casals – cello
Rudolf Serkin – piano

Pablo Casals was once the greatest living cellist. His technique was formidable, his tone was magisterial, and his interpretations were sovereign. In the '20s and '30s, Casals was a charismatic virtuoso on the same level as Kreisler and Horowitz. Those days were over by the time he recorded Beethoven's works for cello and piano with the superb Rudolf Serkin in 1954. His formidable technique had irrevocably decayed: in the fast passages and movements, Casals could barely keep up and he dropped notes like a tree drops leaves in a late autumn rain. His magisterial tone has deteriorated: in the slow passages and movements, Casals groaned and growled like boughs and branches in a hard autumn wind. From a technical point of view, there's not much left of Casals' the charismatic virtuoso. All that was left were his interpretive abilities and, incredibly, they are almost enough. In the deep Adagio sostenuto ed espressivo opening of Op. 5/2 and in the profound Adagio con molto sentimento d'affetto of Op. 102/2, Casals' magnificent interpretations more than compensate for his technical flaws. And in his interpretations of Beethoven's two sets of Die Zauberflöte Variations, Op. 66, and WoO 46, Casals affection for the music makes his performances sublime despite his obvious technical limitations. Although this should by no means be the only recording of Beethoven's cello works one hears, one should nevertheless hear these performances if only to hear how great a median Casals was even when he was no longer a virtuoso. Columbia's 1954 sound is antediluvian. --- James Leonard, Rovi

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CD1

Sonata in F major op.5 nr.2
Twelve Variations in F Major op.66
Sonata in g minor op.5 nr.2
Twelve Variations in G Major WoO

CD2

Sonata in A Major op.69
Sonata in C Major op.102 nr.1
Sonata in D Major op.102 nr.2
Seven Variations in E Flat Major WoO 46

Pieter Wispelwey, violoncello
Dejan Lazié, piano

How good is Pieter Wispelwey and Dejan Lazic's 2005 recording of Beethoven's complete works for cello and piano? Easily as good as it gets, as good as the Casals/Serkin, the Fournier/Kempff, and the Maisky/Argerich. Wispelwey has a subtle tone, a full sound, and a flawless technique coupled with a keen musical intelligence and a wonderfully soulful expressivity. Nothing in Beethoven's music is beyond him, not the technical difficulties, not the emotional depths, not the spiritual heights, not even the side-splitting humor. Wispelwey tears into the central Allegro molto piú tosto presto from the early G minor Sonata, rips into the Scherzo of the central A major Sonata, probes the depths of the Adagio con molto sentimento d'affeto in the late D major Sonata, and laughs all the way to the final double bar in the Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen Variations. With Dejan Lazic's virtuosic but circumspect accompaniment, Wispelwey's performances should be heard by anyone who loves Beethoven's cello works or simply brilliant and spirited playing. Channel Classics' sound is clear, warm, and real. --- James Leonard, All Music Guide

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The Creatures of Prometheus, Op 43

1. ACT I: Overture   00:05:05
2. Introduction 00:02:03
3. No. 1 Poco Adagio 00:03:19
4. No. 2 Adagio - allegro con brio 00:01:53
5. No. 3 Minuetto 00:02:34
6. ACT II: No. 4 Maestoso 00:01:19
7. No. 5 Adagio 00:07:01
8. No. 6 Un poco Adagio 00:01:31
9. No. 7 Grave 00:04:58
10. No. 8 Allegro con brio 00:07:09
11. No. 9 Adagio 00:04:09
12. No. 10 Pastorale 00:03:06
13. No. 11 Andante 00:00:24
14. No. 12 Maestoso 00:03:18
15. No. 13 Allegro 00:03:51
16. No. 14 Andante 00:05:05
17. No. 15 Andantino 00:04:33
18. No. 16 Finale 00:06:17

Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Sir Charles Mackerras – conductor

The Creatures of Prometheus (German: Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus, Op. 43, is a ballet composed in 1801 by Ludwig van Beethoven following the libretto of Salvatore Viganò. The overture to the ballet is part of the concert repertoire. Beethoven based the fourth movement of his Eroica Symphony and his Eroica Variations (piano) on the main theme of the last movement of the ballet.

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Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13, "Pathetique":
1. I. Grave - Allegro di molto e con brio	8:29	
2. II. Adagio cantabile	4:42	 
3. III. Rondo: Allegro	4:30	 

Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2, "Moonlight":
4. I. Adagio sostenuto	5:15	 
5. II. Allegretto	2:04	 
6. III. Presto agitato	7:21

Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57, "Appassionata":
7. I. Allegro assai	9:36		
8. II. Andante con moto		5:48
9. III. Allegro ma non troppo - Presto	8:10

Jeno Jando - piano

The first thing to know is that Pathétique; does not mean "pathetic," but rather "moody" or "dramatic." That's exactly what Beethoven's music is, and if you don't recognize the slow movement as a pop standard, then you haven't been conscious for the last 20 years or so. The second important fact is that this particular trio of sonatas has become the Beethoven pianist's calling card. Everyone plays them, and there are millions of versions to choose from. The third and final thing you should know is that even if this disc were not available at a budget price, the performances would all be strongly recommended. Jando is an excellent Beethoven pianist, and his sonata cycle stands among the best. ---David Hurwitz, Editorial Reviews

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Piano Concerto No.1 in C major, Op.15

1. 1. Allegro con brio 	17:32
2. 2. Largo	11:30
3. 3. Rondo (Allegro scherzando)	8:38

Maurizio Pollini, 
Wiener Philharmoniker, 
Eugen Jochum - conductor

Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt, Op.112

4. Meeresstille: Poco sostenuto 	5:21
5. Glückliche Fahrt: Allegro vivace	2:42

Wiener Philharmoniker, 
Claudio Abbado - conductor
Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor 
Walter Hagen-Groll – choir master

Fantasia for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra in C minor, Op.80

6. 1. Adagio	3:18

Maurizio Pollini

7. 2. Finale: 
a) Allegro - Meno allegro - Allegro molto - Adagio ma non troppo - Marcia, assai vivace 6:14
8. Adagio ma non troppo	2:41
9. Marcia, assai vivace – Allegro		2:12

Maurizio Pollini, 
Wiener Philharmoniker
Claudio Abbado - conductor

10. Allegretto, ma non troppo (quasi Andante)	2:15
11. Presto	1:39

Maurizio Pollini, 
Wiener Philharmoniker
Claudio Abbado - conductor 
Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor
Walter Hagen-Groll – choir master

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