Artist : Gidon Kremer (violin), Martha Argerich (piano)
Title :  Beethoven - Violin Sonata No. 9 “Kreutzer” & No. 10
 
RELEASE DATE : 10. Oct. 2022
FORMAT : Vinyl
CAT NO : LP43188
DISC : 2 LP / Gatefold
BARCODE : 8808678161885
 
● From the original master of Universal Music.
● Audiophile analogue mastering by Sidney Claire Meyer at Emil Berliner Studios
● 180g audiophile virgin vinyl pressed by Optimal Media GmbH in Germany.
● First time ever on vinyl records.
 
RECORDING INFORMATION
Recording : Montreux, Auditorium Stravinski 3/1994
Producer  :  Wolfgang Stengel
Tonmeister : Gregor Zielinsky
Recording Enginner : Jürgen Bulgrin
Editing : Wolfgang Stengel
 
For unprepared listeners, the Argerich/Kremer duo should come with a blood pressure warning. For others this sequel to their Eighties recordings of Beethoven’s early sonatas is all they would hope for. The playing starts where others’ spontaneity leaves off — a matter of temperament, not wilfulness. You know where you are within seconds of the Kreutzer’s start. A massive thrust of the bow begins an intensely expressive line, a crashing piano chord adds grandeur of articulation and then the Presto is off on its unstoppable run. Accent and attack, elemental drama rather than pace, distinguish die duo’s way. In their extremes, she leads with the fiery precision, he with the soulful song. Rubato is generous, but does not cloy. In the G major Sonata, Op. 96, Kremer and Argerich have a very relaxed way with die opening theme, though the easing-in makes more sense given the moderation of eventual Allegro. In this sonata’s Adagios, Argerich finds inward but full-toned sonorities and Kremer’s line takes on a new, serene dimension. This is a very fine performance, while the Kreutzer is astonishing — a showpiece properly addressed. No comparisons: it has to be heard, but no mere room could contain this playing.  BBC Music Magazine