Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
12 Variations on ‘Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen’, from Mozart’s ‘Magic Flute’, Op 66
Cello Sonata in F major, Op 5 No 1
Cello Sonata in C major, Op 102 No.1 (1815)
Cello Sonata in G minor, Op.5 No 2
Cello Sonata in A major, Op 69 (1707-08)
Cello Sonata in D major, Op 102 No 2 (1815)
12 Variations on a theme from Handel’s Judas Maccabeus, WoO 45 (1796)
7 Variations on ‘Bei Männern’, from Mozart’s ‘Magic Flute’, WoO 46 (1801)
Michel Strauss (cello)
Jean Claude vanden Eynden (piano)
rec. 2022, Amare Studio 2, The Hague, The Netherlands
Et’cetera KTC1813 [3 CDs: 145]
You know you are in the right place of work when colleagues randomly press copies of their newly released CDs into your hand when you pass in the corridor. I made a promise to review this set on receiving it in this manner lately. I have to admit being cautious in doing this with musicians who I am also likely to bump into in the same corridor, just in case any negative comments are required. I am however delighted to report that this set of Beethoven’s complete music for cello and piano is very good in every regard.
Released on the well-known Dutch Et’cetera label, this recording also carries the Royal Conservatoire Recordings logo, which it seems likely we will see more of in future. This recording has been made in one of the studios in the new Amare building in The Hague, which is a cultural centre that houses not only the Royal Conservatoire but also the Netherlands Dance Theatre and The Hague Philharmonic. These studios in the Royal Conservatoire have been designed very much with good acoustics in mind, and this combined with state-of-the-art recording technology and brand-new pianos all adds up to a promising prospect.
These works are a known quantity, so I’ll cover the package at hand without delving too much into individual pieces. I’m sure neither of these musicians will mind me pointing out that they are by no means of the youngest generation, but these are performances with plenty of freshness and energy. Cellist Michel Strauss can count Paul Tortelier, Maurice Gendron and Aldo Parisot among his teachers. His vast experience includes ten years as principal cello with the Nouvel Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France alongside an international career working with top musicians and teaching in Beijing, Paris and The Hague. Pianist Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden was one of the youngest laureates of the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition, winning it in 1964 at the age of 16. This launched a career that has taken him all over the world and seen him much in demand as a chamber musician and recording artist.
So, with a well-balanced recording set in a nicely spacious chamber-music acoustic and with two well-established musicians, what’s not to love? Nothing, indeed, unless Beethoven’s cello music is not your cup of tea. With its lack of pretension and ease of delivery, this is the kind of recording that might just change your mind if this is the case. The simplest of openings such as that of the Sonata in C major, Op 102 No 1 is allowed to state its case with expressive directness, inviting us in with unexpectedly disarming charm before getting into Beethoven’s more meaty contrasts. Similarly, the booklet to this release introduces us to writer Romain Rolland’s descriptive elaboration on Beethoven, summed up in that famous phrase “Joy through suffering”. This leads into an anecdote from Michel Strauss that took place in a bookshop in Vézelay, by chance, owned by an old bookseller who possessed a collection of correspondence between himself and Rolland and happened to be with him just before he died. The interweaving of Beethoven’s life and work as a kind of existential thread in both the past and the present is very much at the heart of these performances, “made in these times when the world is sinking further into violence and hatred every day.”
As previously indicated, these are by no means gloomy performances, indeed, quite the opposite. As you would expect, the fun-filled Variations are a delight, and played with all the technical virtuosity and joie de vivre you could hope for. By way of comparison, I brought out the much admired 2015 recording on Evidence Classics with Xavier Phillips and François-Frédéric Guy (review). In terms of recording quality there isn’t much to choose between these two. Phillips and Guy are given a similarly detailed recording but appear to have a slightly more resonant setting. Xavier Phillips is a bit more heart-one-sleeve in terms of his style, with a slightly more outspoken vibrato, and the duo is more keen to dive into Beethoven’s extremes of contrast with explosive emphasis. Michel Strauss, also no slouch when it comes to dynamic contrasts, has a slightly darker tone, which has its own eloquence in something like the opening to the Sonata Op 5 No 2, marked Adagio sostenuto e espressivo. Both duos are well tuned into Beethoven’s compelling musical narratives, but I often preferred Strauss’s depth of colour over Phillips’ more pretty lyricism.
One can go through each piece and weigh points of subjective preference until the cows come home, but in short, this set is highly enjoyable throughout. The main point is that this is a world-class recording that can stand its ground even against Gramophone Award shortlisted competitors.
Dominy Clements
Help us financially by purchasing from
