Complete Works for Piano & Cello

Album Description

This 2-disc set includes Sonata No. 1 in F major, Op. 5 No. 1; Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 5 No. 2; Sonata No. 3 in A major, Op. 69; and Variations for Piano and Cello in G major, F major, and Eb major. Grammy Award-winning engineer Adam Abeshouse is the producer for the recording. Ms. Dinnerstein and Mr. Bailey have performed together regularly for more than a decade, and together they received the Classical Recording Foundation Award in 2006 and 2007. Both are known as highly accomplished musicians with a flair for arresting interpretations. They have performed the Beethoven Sonatas for capacity audiences at The Metropolitan Museum in New York and the National Gallery in Washington, DC.

Of the new recording, Ms. Dinnerstein says, "Learning Beethoven's complete works for piano and cello was the first major project that Zuill and I undertook when we first began working together as a duo. It is music we've lived with, mulled over, considered and reconsidered. Committing our interpretation to disc is a milestone in our ongoing journey together." Mr. Bailey adds, "Beethoven's masterpieces for piano and cello represent arguably the greatest evolution of musical composition by one of the world's most remarkable and creative minds. The five sonatas and variations chronicle refined points in the early, middle and late stages of his compositions. The works continue to parallel Simone's and my own musical journey. This recording of Beethoven's complete works is a true celebration of the first decade of our own personal musical evolution."

Noted in the press as a "one of the most exciting cellists to come along in years" (The Kansas City Star) and "enormously gifted and splendid . . . heartstopping" (Toronto Globe), Zuill Bailey's recent appearances include performances in Minnesota, Nashville, Chicago and Toronto. Pianist Simone Dinnerstein released her debut solo CD, a recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations on Telarc, in August 2007. The disc met with critical acclaim and earned the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Classical Chart in its first week of sales. Her second release on Telarc, The Berlin Concert, is a live recording of Ms. Dinnerstein's recital debut at the Berlin Philharmonie. It too has been met with critical praise and also rose to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Classical Chart.