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Beethoven - Violin Sonatas 2 & 10

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Label: Signum

Cat No: SIGCD920

Barcode: 0635212092026

Format: CD

Number of Discs: 1

Genre: Chamber

Release Date: 12th September 2025

Works

Beethoven, Ludwig van

Violin Sonata no.2 in A major, op.12 no.2
Violin Sonata no.10 in G major, op.96

Artists

Viktoria Mullova (violin)
Alasdair Beatson (fortepiano)

Works

Beethoven, Ludwig van

Violin Sonata no.2 in A major, op.12 no.2
Violin Sonata no.10 in G major, op.96

Artists

Viktoria Mullova (violin)
Alasdair Beatson (fortepiano)

About

On their third duo album on Signum Classics, Viktoria Mullova and Alasdair Beatson perform Beethoven’s Sonatas 2 and 10. Uniquely for the A major Sonata, op.12 no.2, they use a copy of an 1805 Walter (a Viennese fortepiano), and for Sonata no.10, op.96, they use a copy of an 1819 Graf, both by Paul McNulty. Together with violin strung with gut, these instruments are what Beethoven’s music craves, giving a rich texture and distinct colours between the registers.

Sound/Video

Paused

1

Violin Sonata No.2 in A, op.12 no.2: 1. Allegro vivace
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Violin Sonata No.2 in A, op.12 no.2: 2. Andante, più tosto Allegretto
3

Violin Sonata No.2 in A, op.12 no.2: 3. Allegro piacevole
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Violin Sonata No.10 in G, op.96: 1. Allegro moderato
5

Violin Sonata No.10 in G, op.96: 2. Adagio espressivo
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Violin Sonata No.10 in G, op.96: 3. Scherzo. Allegro
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Violin Sonata No.10 in G, op.96: 4. Poco allegretto

Europadisc Review

Fifteen years separate Beethoven’s Violin Sonata no.2, op.12 no.2 (1797–98), from the G major Violin Sonata, op.96 (1812), his final work in the genre. And it’s also a decade and a half since violinist Viktoria Mullova started her cycle of the sonatas, now completed with these two works. Released in 2010 on the Onyx label, the first disc in the series coupled the Third and Ninth Sonatas (the latter, the famous ‘Kreutzer’ Sonata) in partnership with fortepianist Kristian Bezuidenhout. The second disc in the series (Sonata 4, 5 and 7) brought a change of pianist, with Alasdair Beatson stepping into Bezuidenhout’s shoes, while the third album (Sonatas 1, 6 and 8) saw a switch of label to Signum Records. The wait, however, has been worth it: Mullova’s superb musicianship is coupled with the historically-informed sensibilities she has brought to her performances in recent years, all in a close-knit partnership with Beatson’s playing.

This final release pairs two of Beethoven’s loveliest violin sonatas. The earlier work, in A major, has a wonderful freshness, its perky Allegro vivace full of Mozartian joie de vivre, mercurial runs inflected by Beethovenian explosiveness, and a lightly haunting concluding theme. Mullova and Beatson go hand-in-glove through the music’s quick-fire progress, combining excitement with subtle control. The middle movement, marked Andante, più tosto Allegretto and cast in A minor, introduces a melancholy mood, enhanced by the finely-etched clarity of the fortepiano (a Paul McNulty copy of an 1805 Walter). Mullova’s deployment of soulful but sensitive vibrato will upset only the most diehard of purists: the music’s deeply personal tone more than justifies such expressive engagement.

Seemingly coloured by the interaction between capricious first movement and introspective second, the concluding Allegro piacevole is characterised by a benign playfulness, with wonderfully poised moments of lyricism and reflection. The way in which Mullova and Beatson gently swell as the phrasing rises and falls seems entirely natural, and the minor-key inflections are wonderfully telling. Here, as in the slow movement, the tonal qualities brought by the players and their instruments are exquisitely judged to match the musical figuration.

The Sonata no.10 in G major brings a change in scale (four movements rather than three) and also in expressive ambit. While again an outwardly sunny work, hidden depths lie not so far beneath the surface, and the music’s frequent gravitation towards the flattened submediant (E flat major) brings Schubert to mind. The inventiveness, however, is pure Beethoven at his most unexpectedly benevolent. Here Beatson uses a McNulty copy of an 1819 Graf fortepiano, and its marvellously transparent, haunting tones are heard to remarkable effect in the expansive first movement. With its telling use of trills and glassy scalic progressions, this music brings out some remarkable facets in Mullova’s playing, as does the glorious, hymn-like Adagio, which progresses from the low-lying figuration of its opening to a magical central climax of near-operatic intensity.

The brief Scherzo bursts in with biting accents, relieved by a bucolic trio: at under two minutes, this is a masterpiece of concision, right down to the foreshortened close. Balancing this brevity is the finale, a set of variations whose theme must count among Beethoven’s most genial. Mullova and Beatson perfectly capture the warmth of this music without ever tipping into indulgence, and the explosions along the way and the surprise ending are splendidly incisive. This work inevitably gets overshadowed by its predecessor, the ‘Kreutzer’ Sonata, but this performance had us revelling in every twist and turn of an underrated masterpiece.

Ultimately, it’s the inviting mood of benevolence that characterises this performance and the disc as a whole. It makes a formidable conclusion to this beautifully conceived and realised cycle, and Beethovenians out there need not hesitate. Commendably minimalist packaging (just a gatefold cardboard sleeve, with succinct notes by Beatson) is complemented by an exceptionally vivid but warm recording that brings out all the character of the playing and the instruments.

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Condition	Description
New	Brand new item, only ever sourced from the official UK distributor. Usually seal-wrapped, although a minority of labels do not use seal-wrap.
Used - Mint	Used item in excellent condition. Not usually seal-wrapped.
Used - Good	Used item with some minor signs of wear and tear. Never seal-wrapped.
Used - Acceptable	Used item with obvious scuffs or cosmetic damage to the case or booklet. Never seal-wrapped.

Condition	Description
New	Brand new item, only ever sourced from the official UK distributor. Usually seal-wrapped, although a minority of labels do not use seal-wrap.
Used - Mint	Used item in excellent condition. Not usually seal-wrapped.
Used - Good	Used item with some minor signs of wear and tear. Never seal-wrapped.
Used - Acceptable	Used item with obvious scuffs or cosmetic damage to the case or booklet. Never seal-wrapped.

Beethoven - Violin Sonatas 2 & 10

In stock - available for despatch within 1 working day

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Contents

Works

Artists

Works

Artists

About

Sound/Video

Paused

Europadisc Review

Also Available

£13.34

£14.26

£13.75

£13.75

£772.75

Condition Information

Condition Information