Felix Mendelssohn

MENDELSSOHN - Cello Sonatas 1 & 2.  Beethoven Project

Live  Classical

Beyond Beethoven

On September 17, 2012, cellist Benjamin Capps and pianist David Kaplan arrived at VPR's studio in Colchester to begin a recording odyssey: all five of Beethoven's monumental sonatas for cello and piano.  These works represent all parts of Beethoven's life as a composer, from his early days trying to make a name for himself in Vienna, to the avant-garde works he wrote late in his life that challenged listeners at the time and still challenge our musical ideals to this day.

Ben and David will perform all five works on Saturday, January 5th, at 7:30 pm at College Street Congregational Church in Burlington, under the auspices of Burlington Ensemble.  This week, we'll hear all five of these recordings in the 3 pm hour on VPR Classical, and Ben and David have graciously offered these recordings, made in VPR's own performance studio in September, October, and November of 2012, as a gift to the community for free download through January 31, 2013.  VPR Classical is proud to present this project in collaboration with Burlington Ensemble. 

The Beethoven Project

Live Performances on VPR and VPR Classical.

VPR Live Performances

Benjamin Capps, cello
David Kaplan, piano

Recorded December 7, 2013 at Vermont Public Radio in Colchester, Vermont, as part of Vermont Public Radio and Burlington Ensemble's Beyond Beethoven collaboration.

Recording engineer: John Billingsley

Johannes Brahms:  Cello Sonata No. 2 in F major, Op. 99

Benjamin Capps, cello
David Kaplan, piano

Recorded May 30, 2013 at Vermont Public Radio in Colchester, Vermont, as part of Vermont Public Radio and Burlington Ensemble's Beyond Beethoven collaboration.

Recording engineer: John Billingsley


Johannes Brahms: Cello Sonata No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 38

Benjamin Capps, cello
David Kaplan, piano

Recorded May 31, 2013 at Vermont Public Radio in Colchester, Vermont, as part of Vermont Public Radio and Burlington Ensemble's Beyond Beethoven collaboration.

Recording engineer: John Billingsley


Felix Mendelssohn:  Cello Sonata No. 1 in B-flat Major, Op. 45

Benjamin Capps, cello
David Kaplan, piano

Recorded December 7, 2013 at Vermont Public Radio in Colchester, Vermont, as part of Vermont Public Radio and Burlington Ensemble's Beyond Beethoven collaboration.

Recording engineer: John Billingsley


Felix Mendelssohn: Cello Sonata No. 2 in D Major, Op. 58

Felix Mendelssohn passed on a bark through  dense fog the lagoon of Venice - while Bastian Lee Jones  waited for him in a palazzo  at his concert grand, playing his composition, taken out of his song cycle LIEDER OHNE WORTE, called  VENITIAN BARK SONG. The sound of his Kawai grand seemed to show magically Mendelssohn's gondoliere the way through the canals. The maestro entered the palazzo with a bright smile and said: record this song - you exactly got what I tried to express  with it.  A sudden  noise woke me up! What a dream !
EARMErecords LC 29347  ISRC DE-QB2-14-00073

Venitian Bark Song

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Felix Mendelssohn  - Venitian Bark Song Op.30 No.6 (Lieder ohne Worte)

Anunciação + Marcha Nupcial (Felix Mendelssohn)

Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata No. 2 for Cello and Piano in G Minor, Op. 5/2
Benjamin Capps, cello; David Kaplan, piano

Recorded at Vermont Public Radio, Colchester, VT
Producer: Joe Goetz
Audio Engineer: John Billingsley

Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 5 No. 2

Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata No. 4 for Cello and Piano in C Major, Op. 102/1
Benjamin Capps, cello; David Kaplan, piano

Recorded at Vermont Public Radio, Colchester, VT
Producer: Joe Goetz
Audio Engineer: John Billingsley

Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 4 in C Major, Op. 102 No. 1

Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata No. 3 for Cello and Piano in A Major, Op. 69
Benjamin Capps, cello; David Kaplan, piano

Recorded at Vermont Public Radio, Colchester, VT
Producer: Joe Goetz
Audio Engineers: Sam Sanders, John Billingsley

Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 3 in A Major, Op. 69

Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata No. 5 for Cello and Piano in D Major, Op. 102/2
Benjamin Capps, cello; David Kaplan, piano

Recorded at Vermont Public Radio, Colchester, VT
Producer: Joe Goetz
Audio Engineer: John Billingsley

Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 5 in D Major, Op. 102 No. 2

Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata No. 1 for Cello and Piano in F Major, Op. 5/1
Benjamin Capps, cello; David Kaplan, piano

Recorded at Vermont Public Radio, Colchester, VT
Producer: Joe Goetz
Audio Engineer: John Billingsley

Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 1 in F Major, Op. 5 No. 1

The Talich String Quartet stopped by the VPR Performance Studio on 2/21/2013 to preview their upcoming performance at Chandler Music Hall in Randolph.

0:42 - Beethoven: String Quartet Op. 18, No. 2 in G Major: 2nd and 4th movements
12:14 - Dvorak: String Quartet Op. 61 in C Major, 2nd movement
23:33 - Ravel: String Quartet, 1st movement
32:18 - Debussy: String Quartet, 2nd movement
40:56 - Villa-Lobos: String Quartet No. 1, 5th movement "Melancolia"

Live Performance: Talich String Quartet

Wedding March - Felix Mendelssohn

The Heliand Consort will tour northern Vermont May 8-11, 2013 with music of Telemann, Dvorak and others for flute, clarinet, bassoon and piano. They join Walter Parker in the VPR Performance Studio for a live preview on VPR Classical.

Heliand Consort Performs Live

The band 3 Trees performs live in the VPR Performance Studio. The group's song "That Was Sameness With People" was recently nominated for the best 2013 World Beat Song by the Independent Music Awards.

3 Trees Perform Live

The Opera Company of Middlebury provides a live preview of their 10th anniversary production of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin. 

Opera Company Of Middlebury Live

David Kaplan and Timo Andres play the piano, four hands arrangement of Igor Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring."

Recorded live in the VPR Performance Studio May 28, 2013.

Live Performance: David Kaplan and Timo Andres play "Rite of Spring"

Vermont Public Radio, VPR, and VPR Classical.

Felix Mendelssohn: Cello Sonata No. 2 in D Major, Op. 58

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