Steven Isserlis and Robert Levin

Ludwig Van Beethoven: 7 Variations on `Bei Männern welche Liebe fühlen' (from The Magic Flute), WoO.46 for cello & piano
Ludwig Van Beethoven: Cello Sonata No.2 in G minor, Op.5 No.2
Interval
Ludwig Van Beethoven: Cello Sonata No.4 in C, Op.102 No.1
Ludwig Van Beethoven: Cello Sonata No.5 in D, Op.102 No.2

Beethoven was the first great composer of sonatas for cello and piano. His five pieces for the combination have been described by Steven Isserlis, one of the world's pre-eminent cellists, as 'central' to the instrument's repertoire. For this project, Isserlis teams up with American fortepiano wizard, Robert Levin, who delighted International Chamber Music Season audiences in 2009 with his spectacular, historically-informed Haydn project.

Following a concert on Friday 27 April 2012, the project's second concert opens with a set of variations on a graceful theme from Mozart's Magic Flute, before moving on to the Cello Sonata No.2 which, though written early in Beethoven's career, displays an astonishing emotional maturity. The Op.102 Sonata No.1 opens with music of exceptional tenderness, anticipating the lyrical style of Brahms, while Op.102 No.2 is full of melodic flair. Written towards the end of Beethoven's life, long after the onset of his deafness, this pair of works reveals Beethoven at his most vulnerable.

Steven Isserlis cello
Robert Levin fortepiano