Fortunately, the players don’t seem in the least bit fazed by the accumulated layers of musical history, and they give admirably dramatic performances, with all the urgency and passion Beethoven’s two minor-key violin sonatas demand.

The novel feature here is that Daniel Sepec's violin is one of a set presented to Beethoven in 1800 by Prince Lichnowsky. Made in Salzburg around 1700 and restored to its original condition, its whereabouts were unknown until 10 years ago, when it was presented to the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn. In Sepec's hands it has a sweet, expressive tone, an important element in these remarkably imaginative, stimulating performances. Andreas Staier plays a Graf pianoforte from the 1820s, of a type Beethoven was familiar with, though not at the time he wrote these sonatas. But if it has a smoother sound and wider dynamic range than earlier instruments, it's still able to present Beethoven's keyboard textures with perfect clarity. Staier's enthusiastic approach occasionally swamps the violin – but one can easily imagine the young Beethoven doing the same.
Staier and Sepec take us a long way beyond the concept of historically informed playing as simply avoiding anachronism. In the first movement of Sonata No 7, Sepec introduces expressive portamenti, as well as the kind of rubato where he momentarily lags behind the piano's rhythm. In the following Adagio, Staier makes highly expressive use of spread chords, and throughout the CD there are instances of subtle tempo variation and added dynamics, for example the beautiful shaping of the main theme in No 4's second movement. In the Variations, Staier makes full use of the Graf's range of sonorities, including a remarkable percussive surprise! Yet these 'authentic' features all stem from a clear view of the music's expressive qualities and result in performances of unusual verve and spontaneity.

…performances of unusual verve and spontaneity.

Sepec and Staier have also attempted to recapture the style of the early 19th century, playing with wide dynamic contrasts and extravagant expressive rubato, so that performances have a free-wheeling, improvisatory feel. While these may not be accounts of Beethoven violin sonatas you want to hear every day, they are certainly fascinating attempts at historical re-creation.

Beethoven’s fiery dramatics sound more audacious than ever…Fantastic playing, and a fascinating release.