Terrific performances; no longer my favorite composer.

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	• Cello & Piano Sonatas Volume 1 Beethoven, Zuill Bailey, ... Delos Records, 2006 average customer review:based on 4 reviews view larger image
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Big, Bold Beethoven Playing

A challenge - perhaps an unfair one - for new generations of performers playing long-recorded pieces such as these is to bring a something of a deeper enlightenment that captures our attention and imagination - all without losing the original musical intent of the composer. Yet, it seems Bailey and Dinnerstein do just that - especially in the scintillating final Op. 69 sonata - to give us quite an interesting recording worth hearing. Where Ms. Dinnerstein's Bach Goldbergs gave us a more softhearted approach, she gives us here with Zuill Bailey something of the polar opposite - with bold, big-boned Beethoven playing that gets your attention.

The first thing one notices is the bright, vivid sound quality - which really brings out this performance. It made my previous recordings of Ma/Ax and Rostro/Richter sound pale in direct comparison. Additionally, and sometimes lacking in other recordings, is the fine balance between piano and cello here. One is not subservient to the other. Also notable is the really wide dynamic range the musicians employ. When they play "forte" you really know it as the sound bursts out of the speakers with a sense of true Beethoven thunder.

The early Op. 5 pieces brims with youthful vigour, dramatic contrasts and consumate virtuosity. I greatly enjoyed the playful, skillful partnership of these two fine musicians (who I did not know well prior to hearing this recording). There is much to admire in their fresh-faced readings that are equally compelling as the more famous later work.

But, the dramatic highlight is clearly the edgy Op. 69 sonata - particularly the final allegro vivace which is a perfect cresendo to a compelling recording. The spontaneous passion and partnership here is really unique and - like another said - truly sets apart this pair's reading of Op. 69. I was really, really impressed. They effortlessly throw off cascades of notes and toss the melody back in forth with real spunk and finesse. It almost made other recordings I've heard sound by comparison ... well, overly galante and poised if that's fair to say. You get a feel for their brand of spice on the last sound clip. This is a reading that will most resonate with listeners who seek high drama in Beethoven recordings.

The tempos often are quick - giving an exciting forward progression that anticipates drama to come - yet clarity and an overall architecture are not compromised. Accents have some real snap to them and often border on the "fittingly quirky" - yet not outside the scope of Beethoven's moods. Mr. Bailey's passagework is lightning fast and impressively clear, especially in the finale. The equally dramatic Op. 5 allegro-presto and Op. 69 scherzo does not disappoint and is also exciting and engaging for similar reasons. Bravo!

In the quieter adagios, Bailey's beautiful 1693 Goffriller cello sings wonderously; but not in a sugary, vibrato-saturated way but with an intriguing darker-hued, oft grovely edge he commands from this 17th century instrument. Importantly, both musicians know how to whisper as well as thunder with some very attractive pianissimo dynamics that keep the listener on the hook. Ms. Dinnerstein's 1903 Hamburg Steinway sounds superb as well.

Fans of Zuill Bailey will likely be attracted to this disc while listeners who may have felt Ms. Dinnerstein's Bach Goldberg recording were something on the 'light' side may want to hear another side of her in this 'big-n-bold' Beethoven recording. I was very happy I acquired this recording which has vaulted to my favorite list. The sound quality is really terrific - among the best in my collection. It seems the smaller labels like this often outshine the big guys in state-of-art sound. Overall, a very compelling CD worth hearing. Compositions - 5 stars; Performance - 5 stars; Sound quality and balance - 5 stars.

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Terrific performances; no longer my favorite composer.

We prefer the piano sonatas of Haydn to the similar, heavier, less melodic music of Beethoven.

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A young duo takes on Beethoven's early sonatas

Here, cellist Zuill Bailey and pianist Simone Dinnerstein take on the first half of Beethoven's cello sonatas, performing the youthful Op. 5 pair along with the more mature Op. 69 sonata. Both players are Julliard graduates and Bailey also attended Peabody and is artistic director of the El Paso (Texas) Pro-Musica, an outfit the does chamber music. The pair are scheduled to release the second half of the sonatas on another Denon release later this year or next.

Perhaps befitting their relative youth, the pair launch into Beethoven's earliest creation in the genre, the Op. 5, No. 1 sonata, with a lot of vigor and forward thrust after tiptoeing through the opening adagio. I like their approach but found it a bit soft-grained compared to my favorite version of this sonata by Kartuunen & Haikkala, a couple Fins using period instruments whose set of all five sonatas was once available in USA.

Bailey and Dinnerstein playing is a bit more possessed by clangor in the seocnd youthful sonata and they really break out in the mature Op. 69 sonata. In particular, their collaboration in the Scherzo and Adagio are more clearly defined and individual, setting them apart from other performers, with a powerfully virtuosic finale that really tears it up.

Anyone seeking a new voice in this music will probably be drawn to these young players, who seem to have a natural affinity for Beethoven's mature masterpieces. Another set of these sonatas I've always liked, again on period instruments, is by the Dutch pair Anner Bylsma and Jos von Immerseel. But, compared to this duo, the Hollanders seem pretty vanilla while Bailey and Dinnerstein appear on task to mimic the more fiery and virtuosic work of Martha Argerich and Mischa Maisky.

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Can't stop listening

Beyond the genius of Beethoven, this CD combines the rich, mellow tones of a masterfully played cello with the crisp, precise finger work of Simone Dinnerstein's piano.

Beethoven Cello & Piano Sonatas: Nos. 1,2,3,

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Tracks
Sonata No.1 in F Major, Op.5 No.1: Adagio | Sonata No.1 in F Major, Op.5 No.1: Allegro | Sonata No.1 in F Major, Op.5 No.1: Rondo: Allegro vivace | Sonata No.2 in G Minor, Op.5 No.2: Adagio sostenuto e espressivo | Sonata No.2 in G Minor, Op.5 No.2: Allegro molto piu tosto presto | Sonata No.2 in G Minor, Op.5 No.2: Rondo: Allegro | Sonata No.3 in A Major, Op.69: Allegro ma non tanto | Sonata No.3 in A Major, Op.69: Scherzo: Allegro molto | Sonata No.3 in A Major, Op.69: Adagio cantabile | Sonata No.3 in A Major, Op.69: Allegro vivace

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