Customer Reviews

Schubert: Music for Violin and Piano

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This one alas loses a star to the arpeggione (performed by Gendron and Francais) which, compared to the magnificent and shimmering Britten/Rostrapovic version, sounds rather rushed and hollow. That is not to say the playing is poor - if hearing this for the first time the listener will be every bit as enthralled as with the rest of the CD.

The Lupu/Goldburg recordings on the other hand are sublime. Radu Lupu has a profound understanding of and affinity with the poetic soul of Schubert's music. Goldberg's violin never strains or hurries but pitches itself perfectly against Lupu's accompaniment. Together they penetrate the melancholy and darkness that runs under the delicate surface of Schubert's music. The beautiful and mysterious Fantasie is the musical equivalent to standing in a shower of transluscent, multi-coloured crystals and, unless you are really not the romantic type, will hold you utterly transfixed.

This is an absolutlely first class interpretation of some of Schubert's loveliest music.

You won't go wrong with anything by Schubert, so says a famous musicologist. Quite right. Even though his composition may not always be as well thought-out as Beethoven, Schubert's music is always beautiful and interesting. So are the pieces here.

On the whole, these pieces are light weighted, somewhat like light classical music, very charming and easy listening. But the players here are not light weighted at all. For those who are not so familiar with Goldberg, he had been concert master first of Dresden and then of Berlin Philharmonic for years before the Nazi rule. His mentor was the famous German pedagogue Carl Flesch, who also taught Ida Haendel, Szeryng, Menuhin... Lupu needs no introduction, he is probably one of the best 5 living pianists who can let the music speak for itself. The more go to him, the more he reminds you of Lipatti.

The Arpeggione Sonata that I refer to the most being Feuermann (EMI). So, in this album we also have Gendron playing the same piece. The playing is equally good, but the recorded sound is so much better. And, in case the name of Gendron doesn't ring a bell, he was one of best cellists of the French school of the same stature as Tortelier and Fournier: the three were colleagues in Paris Conservatory. He was also Menuhin's chosen partner. It is likely that after listening to Gendron, the audience will start to check him out.

Schubert's music for violin and piano includes four violin sonatas (the first three being called "sonatinas" originally), the D 934 Fantasy, and the amazing Arpeggione Sonata D 821.

The first three violin sonatas are considered to be "light weight" but they are quite charming. The fourth (D 574) and the Fantasy are excellent, substantial pieces. The entire performance by Goldberg and Lupu is above reproach.

The arpeggione was a strange 6-string fretted instrument, bowed like a cello. In this performance, Maurice Gendron uses a modern cello (and this piece is supposed to be a monster to play on the cello). The recording was done in 1954 and is mono (has no one dared to tackle it since?), but it is still quite outstanding.

A "must buy" for Schubert and chamber music fans.

During decades, this music expected to be divulgated entirely: despite the undeniable efforts of Alexander Schneider during Prades and Puerto Rico Festivals, really it was not possible to record integrally these majestic and sublime works, with such level of interpretative solvency.

Fortunately for us, the long wait was over. And this remarkable double album, not only presents us his four admirable sonatas for violin, but besides and admirable performance of the lovely Arpegione Sonata, so beloved and appreciated by the most hard Schubertians all over the world.

This priceless album has been a treasured finding not only for previous generations but mostly for the next to come.

An admirable and heartfelt artistic effort.