Beethoven: Complete Music for Piano and Cello

Disc 1
1	Sonata for cello & piano
2	Sonata for cello & piano
3	Sonata for cello & piano
4	Variations for cello & pi
5	Sonata for cello & piano
6	Sonata for cello & piano
7	Sonata for cello & piano
8	Sonata for horn & piano i
9	Sonata for horn & piano i
10	Sonata for horn & piano i
Disc 2
1	Variations for cello & pi
2	Sonata for cello & piano
3	Sonata for cello & piano
4	Sonata for cello & piano
5	Sonata for cello & piano
6	Variations for cello & pi
7	Sonata for cello & piano
8	Sonata for cello & piano
9	Sonata for cello & piano
10	Sonata for cello & piano
11	Sonata for cello & piano
12	Sonata for cello & piano
13	Sonata for cello & piano
Beethoven: Complete Music for Piano and Cello
1.	Sonata for cello & piano No. 1 in F major, Op. 5/1 24:45
	Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
	Performed by Miklós Perényi and András Schiff
2.	Variations for cello & piano in G major on Handel's "See, the Conqu'ring Hero comes," WoO 45 11:09
	Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
	Performed by Miklós Perényi and András Schiff
3.	Sonata for cello & piano No. 2 in G minor, Op. 5/2 26:42
	Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
	Performed by Miklós Perényi and András Schiff
4.	Sonata for horn & piano in F major, Op. 17 13:54
	Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
	Performed by Miklós Perényi and András Schiff
	Additional Notes: transcribed for cello & piano~transcribed by Beethoven, Ludwig van
5.	Variations for cello & piano in F major on Mozart's "Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen," Op. 66 9:10
	Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
	Performed by Miklós Perényi and András Schiff
6.	Sonata for cello & piano No. 3 in A major, Op. 69 25:04
	Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
	Performed by Miklós Perényi and András Schiff
7.	Variations for cello & piano in E flat major on Mozart's "Bei Männern," WoO 46 8:19
	Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
	Performed by Miklós Perényi and András Schiff
8.	Sonata for cello & piano No. 4 in C major, Op. 102/1 14:47
	Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
	Performed by Miklós Perényi and András Schiff
9.	Sonata for cello & piano No. 5 in D major, Op. 102/2 17:16
	Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
	Performed by Miklós Perényi and András Schiff

Barnes & Noble

Beethoven's music for cello forms a small but rich body of work. Like his piano sonatas or string quartets, it spans the composer's career and charts a fascinating progression from Classical to Romantic, from the amiable to the sublime. Beethoven practically invented the modern cello sonata in his two Op. 5 sonatas, and his grounding in the Viennese Classical style -- and even in Baroque music -- is literally apparent in the three variation sets (also included here) based on themes from Handel's Judas Maccabeus and Mozart's Magic Flute. The distance from the latter, with the cello as a jovial Papageno, to the eloquence of the two Op. 102 sonatas is a perfect illustration of Beethoven's nearly infinite range as a composer. You can easily find recordings of this music by cellists more famous than Miklós Perényi, but it is hard to imagine a more compelling set of performances -- or a more congenial partnership than Perényi's with pianist András Schiff. The two musicians share not only a birthplace (Budapest), but also a remarkable insight into Beethoven's music, and Schiff's many fans will know in advance that his contributions to chamber music are just as finely etched as are his stellar solo discs. Piano and cello are virtual equals here, but Perényi, for his part, can float the lyrical moments with an effortlessly singing tone and then attack the more dramatic passages with an intensely aggressive spirit -- both of which are essential in these many-sided scores. With ECM's recorded sound as intimate and natural as one could wish, this release is an all-around treasure. Scott Paulin

All Music Guide

There have been many other great sets of Beethoven's works for cello and piano. How could it be otherwise with such central repertoire, the core works of any cellist's concert programs, and along with Bach's "Cello Suites," the apex and crown of any cellist's recording career? But no matter how many other great sets of Beethoven's works for cello crowd the shelves, this great set of Beethoven's works for cello and piano by Miklos Perenyi and Andras Schiff belongs on every shelf for two reasons. The first reason is that Perenyi and Schiff's set is the only great set that also has Beethoven's own transcription for cello of his "Horn Sonata," and while the suave transcription cannot match the bumptious original, it is still an interesting gloss on the original. The second reason is that Perenyi and Schiff's set is one of the warmest and most deeply human of all the great sets of Beethoven's works for cello and piano. From the emotional and eccentric pair of early "Sonatas, Op. 5," through the witty and whimsical pair of Mozart "Variations" and the heroic Handel "Variations" and the virtuosic "Sonata, Op. 69," to the emotional and eccentric pair of mature "Sonatas, Op. 102," Perenyi and Schiff's performances are obviously affectionate and profoundly affecting, performances that touch the heart. ECM's sound is clear and vivid, but perhaps just a tad dry. James Leonard

New York Times

Both born in Hungary, [Perenyi and Schiff] work together often and productively, but seldom to better advantage than here.... The performances are articulate, vigorous, elegant and free of agendas. Anthony Tommasini

Gramophone

This is indeed distinguished; a marvel of musical energy and finesse. Bryce Morrison

Dallas Morning News

Miklós Perényi is Hungary's leading cellist. His woody, rather slender tone doesn't resemble the lush sounds many cellists go for, but it is unfailingly beautiful -- almost like a viola's. His more famous collaborator, András Schiff, doesn't know how to play a note that isn't luminous. [A-] Lawson Taitte