Review The Telegraph - September 2005 - Richard Wigmore
Beethoven virtually invented the cello sonata with the two exuberant Op 5 works. Two decades later, the craggily contrapuntal Op 102 sonatas prefigure the world of the late quartets. In between came the radiant A major Op 69, with its unforgettable opening for unaccompanied cello.
In Op 5, the young keyboard lion gave himself plenty of scope for virtuoso display. And Pieter Wispelwey, with his lean, resiny tone, is always ready to cede the limelight to the nimble-fingered Dejan Lazic. These are uncommonly bold, mercurial performances that delight in Beethoven's trademark explosiveness and subversive wit.
The A major also balances lyrical grace with an unusual vehemence. The syncopated scherzo is just about the fastest and fiercest on disc, and the finale quivers rather than smiles. In the late sonatas the players rightly eschew surface smoothness and relish the music's often bizarre contrasts. The brooding adagio of the D major has an austere, concentrated intensity, while the finale of the C major is almost zany in its caprice. There are more glowing versions of these sonatas to be had, but few charged with such physical and intellectual energy.