Baroque CD, 2 others superb

ANDRAS SCHIFF, PIANO, MIKLOS PERENYI, CELLO; Ludwig van Beethoven, Complete Music for Piano and Cello (ECM New Series)*** 1/2

THOMAS ZEHETMAIR, VIOLIN; Eugene Ysaye, Sonatas for Violin Solo, op. 27 (ECM New Series)*** 1/2

Martin Pearlman is one of this country's foremost interpreters of baroque music. With his ensemble Boston Baroque, Pearlman has recorded some remarkable performances on CD, and the interpretations are articulate and engaging.

The group plays on period instruments, yet their sound is never dry. There is a liveliness and freshness to their performances that not many early-music ensembles can emulate.

Boston Baroque's newest album contains the four orchestral suites of J.S. Bach. Instead of presenting them on the CD in numerical order, Pearlman has arranged them in accordance to apparent composition dates (Nos. 4, 1, 3 and 2).

These performances are fluid and clean with a spontaneity that is both alive and delightfully exuberant. The performers exhibit a keen sense of musicality. Their execution is flawless, and the ensemble playing is cohesive and seamless.

THE FIVE CELLO SONATAS Beethoven wrote over a 20-year period have become major representatives of the cello-piano repertoire. Cellists have been drawn to performing them in cycles, even though they pose as many challenges as do the cycle of violin sonatas. Yet bunching them together in a group has become an irresistible goal of most cellists.

In a concert setting, this craves the utmost from the performers. The undertaking is no less daunting in the recording studio, although the performers have the luxury of finessing their performances.

ECM's studio recording of Beethoven's complete cello and piano music has the feel and spontaneity of a live performance, thanks to the luminous playing of cellist Miklos Perenyi and pianist Andras Schiff. They play with a radiance that captures the character of each work in stunning fashion — from the classically structured pair in op. 5 to the warmth of op. 69 to the mellowness and reflection of the op. 102 pair.