The performances here were recorded in 1971 at the Schwetzingen Festival. They stand the test of time remarkably well not only in the quality of the recording but also in the authenticity of the playing, which predates our assumptions about original instrument approaches to style, yet remains alive and convincing throughout.
Cello Sonatas
Steven Isserlis, cello; Stephen Hough, piano
HYPERION CDA 68079 71’41
The cd includes two fairly familiar works by Grieg and Mendelssohn – even if they are not heard very often in live performance. Grieg’s Cello Sonata Op36 has had a chequered history though I am pleased to note that the critic writing in Musical Opinion in 1889 thoroughly approved of the piece. What connects the three is the fact that all the composers were also professional pianists, which may account for the often fearsomely difficult writing. The real value of this recording, however, is the inclusion of Stephen Hough’s Sonata for cello and piano left hand les adieux. Romantically cast, it is a fitting companion piece to the other two and deserves to be more widely known.
There is a real value in hearing Finnish music from Finnish players, as I discovered some years ago when visiting Finland for the Lahti Organ Festivals. This new recording is no exception having the bite and austerity, almost at times the pain which underpins so much of the writing. Where others might stress Sibelius’ more romantic side, here we are at odds with the wilderness. I doubt if The Swan of Tuonela has ever sounded so convincingly bleak.
Folke Grasbeck plays Sibelius on the Ainola Piano
BIS 2132 80’54
The generous length of the cd and the liveliness of the recordings make it a bonus in its own right before one considers that we are hearing Sibelius’ own works performed on the piano at which many of them were written. Many of the pieces are very short but none the less give an excellent impression of the range of works which the composer produced, with many unfamiliar pieces alongside the more popular.
Haydn & Mozart
Arcangelo, Jonathan Cohen
HYPERION CDA 68090 57’44
This new release combines three familiar works. Haydn’s Sinfonia Concertante in B flat, with Mozart’s Oboe and Bassoon concerti. All are given clean, pleasing performances.
Richard Strauss: Feuersnot
Orchestra chorus and youth chorus of the Teatro Massimo, Gabriele Ferro
ARTHAUS 109065
This is very much a festival performance. Strauss’ early work was a failure in 1902 and even here it has nothing like the command of operas which were to follow very soon afterwards. There are hints of Meistersinger and also of Humperdinck in the scoring, which is for large orchestra and chorus with a wide range of soloists. The stage direction under Emma Dante keeps the stage alive if at times it seems over busy. Gabriele Ferro marshals his forces with some skill and while it makes for a pleasant experience it is not a work one would wish to return to regularly.
