Act 3 of François-Frédéric Guy's Beethoven Project. On the programme: Beethoven's complete music for cello and piano with cellist Xavier Phillips, recorded by Nicolas Bartholomée at the Arsenal in Metz in January 2015.

In 2008 Guy embarked on a major Beethoven project that has included recording and performing in concert all 32 Beethoven Sonatas and the 5 Piano Concertos. Guy is a dedicated chamber musician and he regularly performs Beethoven’s chamber music for strings and piano as well, with Tedi Papavrami and Xavier Phillips. As part of the Beethoven project, Guy has performed the complete cycle of 32 Sonatas in Washington, Paris, Monaco and recently at the Festival Berlioz in La Côte-Saint-André (August 2013).

Born in Paris, Xavier Phillips started playing the cello at the age of 6. His encounter with Mstislav Rostropovitch proved especially fruitful since it marked the beginning of a long collaboration during which Xavier Phillips received the guidance and encouragement of the master cellist. His eclectic and varied discography has been warmly welcomed by the critics. His last recording – dedicated to Dutilleux 'Tout un monde lointain' – received tremendous reviews and was nominated three times for the Grammy Awards 2015.

Xavier Phillips plays on a Matteo Gofriller cello from 1710.

'François-Frédéric Guy's talent shines forth in the absolute mastery of the Beethovenian corpus, borne by a visionary, overall conception.' - Le Monde

'Xavier Phillips is an artist very much in the Rostropovich vein: rapt, patrician, with a technique that knows no difficulties.' - The Washington Post