Beethoven

Over the past week we’ve been posting videos of some of the finest performances of the Beethoven Cello Sonatas on YouTube. The playlist begins with Rostropovich and Richter performing – for the first and only time in concert – the complete set at the Edinburgh Festival in 1964, and continues in order of each sonata to Li-Wei Qin's performance with pianist Jeremy Young. 

By special request we have added a recording of the Sonata no.4 performed by Pierre Fournier and the pianist Wilhelm Kempff. 

Which is your favourite, and why?

What would you add to the list?

Pierre Fournier and Wilhelm Kempff perform Sonata no.4 in C major

Mstislav Rostropovich and Sviatoslav Richter perform the complete Beethoven Cello Sonatas 

Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Emanuel Ax perform Sonata no.2 in G minor

Leonard Rose and pianist Glenn Gould perform Sonata no.3 In A major op.69

Miklós Perényi and pianist András Schiff perform Sonata no.3 in A major op.69

Jean-Guihen Queyras and pianist Ichiro Nodaira perform Sonata no.3 in A major op.69, third movement

Natalia Gutman and pianist Viacheslav Poprugin perform Sonata no.4 in C op.102

Li-Wei Qin and pianist Jeremy Young perform Beethoven's Sonata no.5 in D major op.102 no.2, third movement

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Read about the legendary violin players in our Violin Heroes bookazine.