Cello Sonata in D minor, op. 40; Moderato for piano & cello in A minor; Prokofiev: Cello Sonata in C Major, op. 119; Adagio, op. 97b (transcription after the ballet Cinderella); Ballade in C minor, op. 15.
Gary Hoffman (cello), Philippe Bianconi (piano).
Le Chant du Monde LDC 2781112. DDD. TT 60:09.
Recorded Salle Olivier Messiaen, Grenoble, 13 - 16 December 1998.

This release differs from the many available recordings of the Shostakovich and Prokofiev cello sonatas in that it includes the more rarely performed works that make up the complete oeuvre for cello and piano for both composers.

Immediately apparent to the listener is the overly reverberant recording setting, at times completely obscuring the pianistic detail and not doing the cello any favours either. If the overall disc had to be summed up in one word that word would be "luscious". Luscious, however, seems somewhat incongruous in the context of op. 40. There is no doubt about the technical skills of either player but from an interpretive point of view this performance leaves the listener feeling more perplexed than satisfied.

The opening Allegro is pleasing enough but the romantic approach that these players adopt may be better suited to Brahms. A problem that crops up in this movement and elsewhere on the disc is the dubious tuning of the lower register of the piano.

The second movement Allegro is taken at a cracking pace - in excess of 200 crotchet beats per minute! Given that much detail is lost in the cello part and dynamic contrasts are often ignored, it is difficult to understand why this tempo was adopted. The third and fourth movements are more satisfying musically than the earlier ones, though the third movement Largo doesn't reveal the hoped-for emotional depth. The final Allegro movement is of the sunny variety, pleasant to listen to but not suggestive of any great insight into the work.

In summary, whilst the technical abilities displayed by the players in this work are of a high standard, their musical conception of it as a whole is disappointing.

In the same year as he composed the Cello Sonata (1934), Shostakovich also wrote his brief Moderato for cello and piano. This work languished until it was premièred posthumously by the cellist David Geringas and the pianist Yevgeny Koroyov in Hamburg in 1986. Only two and a half minutes in length, this work merely provides an interlude in the context of this disc. Chances to hear it may be rare, however, and it is thus of interest for the sake of Shostakovich completeness.

It is immediately obvious that this duo is much more at home with the Prokofiev Sonata. The romantic approach that the players adopt at almost all times sits more comfortably with this work and the ensemble playing is of the highest order. Hoffman and Bianconi seem more sympathetic to the music and to each other here. Similarly in the crowd-pleasing transcription from the Cinderella ballet, these die-hard romantics milk the piece for all it's worth.

Prokofiev's Ballade in C minor was premièred by its composer and the amateur cellist (and dedicatee), Nikolay Ruzsky, in 1914. Since that time, however, it has been largely neglected. It may well be a worthy piece in its own right but so uniform is the approach of Hoffman and Bianconi to all the works on the disc that interest tends to wane by the final bars. That may sound like an indictment but is not intended so. If your taste in cello playing tends toward the "luscious", then this is the disc for you.

Rosemary Cordy
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DSCH No. 13.
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