Their third duo album on Signum Classics, Viktoria Mullova and Alasdair Beatson perform Beethoven’s Sonatas 2 and 10. Uniquely for the A Major sonata Op 12 No 2 they use a copy of an 1805 Walter (a Viennese fortepiano), and for Sonata No 10 op. 96 they use a copy of an 1819 graf, both by Paul McNulty. Together with violin strung with gut, these instruments are what Beethoven’s music craves, giving a rich texture and distinct colours between the registers. ★★★★ “‘Optimistic, ebullient and inexhaustibly inventive’ is how the pianist Alasdair Beatson describes the three Beethoven sonatas on this disc – and that is exactly how they come across in these performances with the violinist Viktoria Mullova. The sense of rustic abandon they create in this work is infectiously gleeful.” – The Guardian ★★★★★ Recording ★★★ Performance “Their dazzling playing captures all the music’s wit and brilliance” – BBC Music Magazine