‘Among all the possible distinctions that can be made
between musicians, one might suggest one between the impetuous and the
reflective. Between those who, seized by carefree enthusiasm for a
piece, programme it all over the world as fast as they can, and those
who, conscious of their responsibility towards a composer’s works,
hesitate at length before granting themselves the right to try it out
for the first time. Our two contrasting temperaments nonetheless both
tend towards the reflective side of this divide. So why are we
presenting here, at the ripe old age of twenty-eight, our recording of
these three Beethoven sonatas, which might seem the most blithely
impetuous of undertakings?
In 2012, Gilles Ledure, director of Flagey (Brussels),
surprised us by suggesting we should give a complete cycle of the Beethoven violin sonatas there. The kind of offer you can’t refuse.
The music of Beethoven fashioned our culture: this
spiritual child of the French Revolution is perhaps the first composer
in our history to have embodied, in both his music and his life, the
values of the Enlightenment. Which can only make him all the more
appealing in these troubled and uncertain times. The opportunity to
explore a cycle of this stature promised to be a transformative
experience in many respects.
Since then, these sonatas have travelled with us.
Naturally – and fortunately – both of us have done other things too. But
these ten monuments of musical architecture and expression are always
somewhere in the back of our minds.
It’s been three years now since our reunion around these
sonatas began to structure our lives as musicians. And what started as a
one-off project has turned into a major journey. A fixed period of time
has been transformed into something long-term. Our awareness of this
stimulated the urge to keep a sort of log. To mark the stages we go
through, and to let the public listen.
So that’s what this recording is, no more, no less. A
snapshot rather than an absolute statement. A logbook rather than a
thesis. We hope that makes it all the more sincere.’ (Lorenzo Gatto & Julien Libeer)
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