An excellent disc of
two D minor sonatas sandwiching a sunny
G major. Tully Potter, as always, annotates
both faithfully and interestingly for
Naxos. He points out that this is the
only recording by this brother and sister
duo of the Schumann – we should be grateful
for what we have, for this is a strong
reading on a grand scale. The very opening
is assertiveness personified. Yehudi
emerges as rather wiry though, a sound
which perhaps suits the first movement
proper (‘Lebhaft’) better than its ‘Ziemlich
langsam’ introduction. Indeed, the main
body is concentratedly determined. Hephzibah
enchants the ear regularly in her imaginative
tonal variety – perhaps more than her
brother does.
Potter suggests the
second movement (‘Sehr lebhaft’) is
the finest. There is no denying the
liveliness from both protagonists, although
it is the third movement (‘Leise, einfach’)
that impressed me the most. Yehudi manages
to make his pizzicato melody give the
impression of legato, and in combination
with Hephzibah’s exquisitely shaded
accompaniment this approach plumbs the
depths of Schumann’s interior world
well. When the violin changes to arco
(bowed) playing at 1’07 it is a magical
moment – a pity a ‘squeak’ from Yehudi
later in the phrase detracts. The finale
is the weakest, for there is a sense
of this almost being caught on
the wing, of it almost being
playing of abandon, free from the recording
studio. The ‘almost’ does lead to a
certain frustration that they did not
quite get there. Ensemble threatens
to separate on occasion, although it
never really does.
Two of Brahms’ magnificent
sonatas make up the rest of the disc.
The G major hails from Australian sessions
in 1940, while the Menuhins were on
tour and there is much to admire. The
first movement begins well with Yehudi
at his subtle best. The music flows
well, and the end is little short of
magnificent. The Adagio needs a more
sonorous approach (and Yehudi is not
always 100% technically secure), yet
the finale is delicate and fresh as
a daisy, the ending full of peace. Hephzibah
accompanies with a great deal of finesse
throughout.
The very opening of
the more impassioned D minor Sonata,
Op. 108 is masterly – has anyone else
crept in as beautifully as this?. It
is in this piece that the Menuhins are
caught at their very best. Hephzibah
excels in particular in the third movement,
with much playful, skittish playing,
while both players contribute to a massively
exciting finale.
Ward Marston is again
the excellent ‘Audio Restoration Producer’.
It is lovely to hear these HMV DBs so
lovingly restored.
Colin Clarke
See also review
by Jonathan Woolf
Yehudi Menuhin (violin); Hephzibah Menuhin
(piano). 
