Beethoven and his Colleagues VI

Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra Solo Cello Mats Lidström is joined by Sholto Kynoch to resume our series of Beethoven’s cello sonatas, beginning with a genuine rarity: the composer’s own cello arrangement of his perky Horn Sonata in F major. As well as works by the composer’s contemporaries Wölfl and Romberg, we hear two more of Beethoven’s five cello sonatas. No. 3 is a work born amid tears and sorrow, its poignancy lined with sweetness. By the time of the fourth, the sonatas were embracing ever more variety and breadth – this example alternating tenderness and force, explosive energy and wistful contemplation.