This is the last volume
in Kliegel’s Beethoven sonata series
for Naxos. I like the way in which she
catches the gruffness and suddenness
of the attacks in the Allegro vivace
section of the first movement of the
C major. Some cellists are inclined
to smooth over the startling eruptions
here but not Kliegel, for whom forte
attacks are just that. Her accenting
keeps the line quivering with expectation
and even her lower strings, which are
sometimes apt to be boomy, are gruffly
engaged. She is not afraid, either,
of sacrificing tone in the interests
of dramatic projection, which becomes
clear in the Adagio of the same sonata
where her serious and meditative approach
is accompanied by a slightly hoarse
colouristic sense. Throughout I found
her always alive to the pressing question
of characterisation in these works and
the most appropriate ways in which to
get across the array of moods and lyric
moments that lie embedded within the
sonatas.
This isn’t to imply
small scale playing; actually Kliegel
and Tichman take a big view of the D
major – strong but subtle - and aren’t
afraid to dig into the slow movement
(marked sentimento d’affetto
after all). The Judas Maccabeus
variations are wryly done and in the
Eyeglass duet Kliegel is joined by a
formidable colleague, Tabea Zimmermann.
Their tonal blend is rich and their
ensemble watertight without seeming
over stressed. Their control, rhythmic
and structural, in the tricky Allegro
(nearly nine minutes here) is never
threatened.
Purchasers of the previous
two volumes can add this to their collection
with confidence. Good sound and budget
price – sympathetically played and mature
music making.
Jonathan Woolf
see also review
by Patrick Waller
Link to review of Volume
1: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2003/May03/BEETHOVEN_sonatas_naxos.htm
Link to review of Volume 2:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2003/July03/Beethoven_Kliegel.htm
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2003/Aug03/Beethoven_cello2.htm
Link to review of Harrell/Ashkenazy
recording: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2000/sept00/beethovencello.htm
Maria Kliegel (cello) 
