Ludwig van Beethoven Cello Sonatas 1, 3, 4

When Ludwig van Beethoven passed away on 26 March 1827 at the age of 56, he had altered the course of music forever.

200 years on, Matthew Barley and Stephen De Pledge pull back the curtain on Beethoven’s extraordinary Cello Sonatas to shine fresh light on the composer’s epoch-defining journey from the formal restraint of the Classical era to the heightened emotional expressiveness of the Romantic era.

Described by The Times as ‘the world’s most adventurous cellist’, Matthew Barley has created a uniquely eclectic international career that has included collaborations with leading classical, contemporary, jazz, and world-music artists in over 50 countries – including with Stephen De Pledge for over two decades, who himself has presented recitals with artists ranging from Dame Evelyn Glennie, Viktoria Mullova, and Raphael Wallfisch to the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet, and has made world premiere recordings for Arvo Pärt and Henryk Górecki.

ARTISTS

Matthew Barley Cello

Stephen De Pledge Piano

PROGRAMME

Ludwig van Beethoven Sonata No. 1 in F major, Op. 5, No. 1

Ludwig van Beethoven Sonata No. 3 in A major, Op. 69

Ludwig van Beethoven Sonata No. 4 in C major, Op. 102, No. 1

This concert is approximately 100 minutes including a 20-minute interval