Multifaceted Nature Beethoven and Romberg explored - heard by ANDREW SCHARTMANN '... stellar performance ...'

Peter Sheppard Skærved and Aaron Shorr's new recording for the Métier label furthers their acclaimed 'Beethoven Explored' series, which features the composer's complete sonatas for violin and piano, in addition to several duos by his contemporaries (eg Romberg and Ries). This particular disc (volume 5 in the series) includes Beethoven's first published essays in the genre.

As the well-researched liner notes point out, the composer's Op 12 sonatas were unusually difficult works in their day — so difficult, in fact, that one reviewer described them as 'a piling of difficulty upon difficulty so that one loses all patience and enjoyment'. Part of the difficulty arises from the fact that neither instrument's role is relegated to that of mere accompaniment; both piano and violin engage in an opus-long conversation...

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN

ANDREAS ROMBERG

DIVINE ART LTD

VIOLIN MUSIC

PIANO MUSIC