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Then there's the Lalo Sonata to contend with. This is a rare piece written in the early 1850s; there are only two previous recordings that I know. The one by Andrei Demin and Yuri Slesarev (Vista Vera 96011) is more lyrical than [Raphael Chretien] and [Olivier Peyrebrune] and comes with a program of Russian works, the Schnittke and Denisov sonatas and Prokofieff s Ballade, Opus 15. It is not quite as alert and precise as Chretien but warmer in tone.
SAINT-SAENS: Cello Concerto 1; Cello Sonata 1; Romance, op 36; Serenade from op 16; Carnival of the Animals
Henri Demarquette, vc; Boris Berezovsky, Brigitte Engerer, p; Ensemble Orchestral de Paris/ Joseph Swensen - Mirare 108 - 67 minutes
SAINT-SAENS: Cello Sonatas 1+2;
LALO: Cello Sonata
Raphael Chretien; Olivier Peyrebrune, p
Ligia 302191- 74 minutes
Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921) is one of the most intelligent and sensitive French composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I don't need to tell you that, but it strikes me whenever I hear a collection of his music for cello played well. He wrote two concertos, two sonatas, several short pieces, the Suite for cello and piano, Opus 16, and a fascinating late tone poem, The Muse and the Poet, for violin, cello, and orchestra. I mention all of this because Demarquette gives us most of the earlier works (I wish he had seen fit to give us the entire Suite, not just the Serenade) and he does so with such conviction that I hope he plans to give us the rest soon.
The program begins with Concerto 1, played with passion and sensitivity. Recently we discovered that the composer was inspired to compose this work by a rainstorm. Demarquette' s close balance with the orchestral voices and the subtle way he and Swensen relate to each other in the development of the first movement and elsewhere sound like falling raindrops. The dramatic Cello Sonata 1 continues the trend. Something about Demarquette' s playing and his relationship to his colleagues gives the impression of an adventure out of doors. He and Berezovsky play with passion and accuracy, bringing out the contrasted moods of this sonata with poetry and enjoyment.
Among the composer's numerous Romances are one for cello, Opus 51, and one for horn and orchestra. It is the latter that is played here with piano and it is a lovely piece. His first work for cello and piano was the Suite, Opus 16, from which the Serenade is taken. These works are accompanied by Engerer, also with sensitivity. Then we go to perhaps the nuttiest piece Saint-Saens ever penned, the Carnival of the Animals, played to the hilt by the Ensemble. The liner notes keep us in touch with all of the quotations the composer included from Berlioz, Offenbach, Mendelssohn, Rameau, and, of course, himself. The performance is an effective combination of solos and tuttis, the lion roaring effectively, the birds individual, etc. It is as attractive a reading as the one I recently heard from Yo -y o Ma and company, and the use of a larger band here is an advantage. I wish those damn pianists would practice their scales, though. We know they can play better than that! We've heard them!
The Ligia release includes both of SaintSaens cello sonatas as well as the little- known one by Edouard Lalo (1823-92). These are competent and enthusiastic performances, but they are clumsy- sounding next to Demarquette and Berezovsky. The recorded sound is blockier and less clear in balance, mostly owing to the players less subtle interpretations. If it's the Saint-Saens sonatas you like, you might go for Mats Lindstrom and Bengt Forsberg (Hyperion 67095; March/ April 2000) who play them with great sensitivity. Or you might get the Mirare disc for Sonata 1 and pick up Steven Isserlis with Pascal Devoyon (RCA 63518; May/June 2001) for Sonata 2. He also plays Concerto 2 and The Muse & the Poet with Joshua Bell on violin and the North German Radio Symphony under Christoph Eschenbach.
But then there's the Lalo Sonata to contend with. This is a rare piece written in the early 1850s; there are only two previous recordings that I know. The one by Andrei Demin and Yuri Slesarev (Vista Vera 96011) is more lyrical than Chretien and Peyrebrune and comes with a program of Russian works, the Schnittke and Denisov sonatas and Prokofieff s Ballade, Opus 15. It is not quite as alert and precise as Chretien but warmer in tone. Maurice Gendron's 1985 recording with Keiko Toyama (Camerata 366; Nov/ Dec 1996) is likewise lyrical, coupled with all of Chopin's music for cello and piano. I was distressed by the technical inaccuracies, but musically it is memorable. Chretien is the best overall. His big sound is better suited to Lalo than to SaintSaens, and he holds the music together well. As a piece of music I find the Lalo hard to remember, but I think he's had a rather bad deal from us listeners.
D MOORE
Copyright Record Guide Publications Jul/Aug 2011