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Now we move across the pond and down to Mexico to hear [Carlos Prieto] and [Doris Stevenson] play the two sonatas, with Op. 147 in Prieto's own transcription. Under his fingers, Op. 40 seems rather arbitrary, with tempos just a little too slow for expression in parts of the first movement. I'm not happy with some of the notes in the helter-skelter segments of the finale, also. The first movement of Op. 147 also feels lacking in expression, for the sake of maintaining a steady tempo.
SHOSTAKOVICH: Cello Concertos; Cello Sonata; Viola Sonata; Adagio
Raphael Wallfisch, vc; John York, p; BBC Symphony/ Martyn Brabbins
Nimbus 5764 (2CD] 128 minutes
Cello Concertos
Kyril Rodin; Russian Philharmonic/Konstantin Krimets-Arte Nova 49688-72 minutes
Cello Sonata; Viola Sonata
Carlos Prieto; Doris Stevenson, p
Urtext 123-57 minutes
Cello Sonata; 8 Pieces; SCHNITTKE: Cello Sonata 1; Oleg Kagan Madrigal; Klingende Buchstaben
Alban Gerhardt; Steven Osborne, p
Hyperion 67534-79 minutes
It is 100 years since Dmitri Shostakovich was born, and the musical world is celebrating it. This year the Emerson Quartet played all 15 of his quartets in Alice Tully Hall in New York, and many other performances were given here as well. Raphael Wallfisch brings us a two-disc collection of all his cello music plus a transcription of his last work, the Viola Sonata. Three other collections appeared this month as well. And that's just the cello music!
Rodin recorded both concertos in 1996. He is a young prizewinner with a fine technique, if not a completely reliable one. He plays the first movement of Concerto 1 in a rapid tempo that works well until he hits the spots where Rostropovich lets up a bit for expressivity. Rodin plows right on. He takes two minutes longer than Rostropovich for the cadenza between the last two movements, making it a little less hectic but also less of a nervous build-up to the finale. In Concerto 2, he takes such a slow tempo for the finale that it takes a full six minutes longer than almost anyone. It is quite a concept, but to my mind it leaves the middle of the movement sounding less "eventful" than it should. The orchestra is beautifully Russian-sounding, with wind players making those strange sonorities that we used to get from Russian orchestras before they lost their personalities and joined the rest of the world. Still, I don't think we're in the best of hands here.
Wallfisch, on the other hand, seems completely aware of the emotional direction of both of these unsettling concertos. His performances are full of insight, and he works closely with his colleagues to bring out balances and ensemble. So these are some of the best readings I have heard, up with Torleif Thedeen (BIS 626, July/Aug 1994) and Ivan Monighetti (Chant du Monde 1993, Jan/Feb 1994), not to mention Rostropovich (EMI 72016, Nov/Dec 1997) and Gutman (Live Classics 202, Jan/Feb, 2002). As you may see, competition is fierce, and these concertos have clearly taken their place in the repertory.
When we come to the sonata(s), things get sneaky. There are tons of good readings of the Opus 40 sonata, but Opus 147 is a transcription of the Viola Sonata. It is a very moving work, with a finale that takes the opening of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and runs with it as only Shostakovich can do. Cellists have picked this piece up almost as fast as violists have. Wallfisch plays the Op. 40 with broad phrases and a determinedly slow tempo for the slow movement, which works well. His partner, York, also likes long phrases; and the composer's kooky voice-leading gets a workout, also to the piece's benefit. This is not the smoothest-sounding performance, but it has a depth to it that moves the listener. The same goes for Op. 147, played in Daniel Shafran's arrangement. Two pieces are added to this program, a little piece that was found with the manuscript of Op. 40 and is in that style, and a transcription from one of the composer's many ballet scores. That always takes me back, since we used to play it at Radio City in the old days. Wallfisch seems to enjoy it, and so did I.
Now we move across the pond and down to Mexico to hear Prieto and Stevenson play the two sonatas, with Op. 147 in Prieto's own transcription. Under his fingers, Op. 40 seems rather arbitrary, with tempos just a little too slow for expression in parts of the first movement. I'm not happy with some of the notes in the helter-skelter segments of the finale, also. The first movement of Op. 147 also feels lacking in expression, for the sake of maintaining a steady tempo. It ends up a minute and a half longer than Wallfisch's performance. The rest of the sonata comes off better. Without the music I can only imagine what the nature of the alterations from the viola original are, but my guess is that Prieto's transcription tends to write the cello line down an octave from Shafran, who seems to be trying to maintain the viola notes as written. I think 1 prefer Prieto's version, in general. It seems more atmospheric and truer to the mood of the instrument. Still, I don't like the idea of transcribing a viola sonata for cello.
Gerhardt and Osborne take on the Op. 40 as if they have never heard anyone else play it, taking the metronome markings as gospel and playing the dynamics for all they are worth. It is done with tremendous drama and conviction and a dynamic range thai will challenge your ears and speakers. The same is true of the Schnittke pieces, played with tremendous changes in volume. The Kagan memorial is 8 minutes long, a dramatic elegy for solo cello, full of pain. Klingende Bitchstaben is half as long and half as harrowing. The Sonata is a major work with a violent Il surrounded by lyricism and mystery. As you may imagine, these two players make the most of the contrasts. This is the scariest performance of all of this material I have ever heard. The program ends with a curiosity, 8 transcriptions of pieces from Shostakovich's many incidental scores, all done by colleagues of his. It brings us back to earth, in a way. You will recognize some of these tunes from the three ballet suites, but others will be less familiar. And here again is that little Moderato that turned up in Wallfisch's collection and elsewhere this month, played faster than most.
To sum up, I found Wallfisch's collection very effective, though I preferred the concertos to the sonatas. I also was impressed by Gerhardt and Osborne. The other two were interesting, Rodin's for the sound of the Russian orchestra and Prieto's for his transcription of the viola sonata, but they were not performances that I expect to seek out again.
D MOORE
Copyright Record Guide Publications Nov/Dec 2006