David Abel, Julie Steinberg – Beethoven: Violin Sonata Op. 96 (Ultra Tape)

Two instruments, one conversation

David Abel on violin and Julie Steinberg on piano play Beethoven. The music lives on the exchange between the two instruments: short thematic statements are handed back and forth, and the calm of the writing stays audible even in the faster movements.

Analogue Productions describes the work as Olympian in its elegance — a gentleness that runs through the whole piece rather than a display of force.

This edition: Ultra Tape, and what you need to play it

Analogue Productions issues this recording in its Ultra Tape series: a ¼-inch analogue tape running at 15 ips with IEC equalisation, in two-track (half-track) stereo. Each copy is made in real time from a copy of the original analogue master tape, transferred on an ATR-modified Ampex machine with flux magnetic heads, and it arrives in a custom slipcase.

Playing it needs a reel-to-reel machine that runs at 15 ips and reads two tracks. The format leaves out the steps a record takes between master tape and groove, which is the reason collectors reach for it.

Customer question: Buying Analogue Productions records in Europe