EMI
has given this disc the title "The Romantic Cello". This
is the kind of description that encourages the potential
purchaser to expect a selection of charming miniatures. In
fact Natalie Clein and her accomplished pianist Charles Owen
perform two of the great sonatas of the duo literature, works
that gain in strength and reward with each new hearing. And
these artists will certainly offer substantial rewards to
those who choose to acquire this appealing recording, which
provides excellent sound and technical assurance in equal
measure.
In
fact the weakness of this release lies in the packaging rather
than the performances, and not just because of the inappropriate
title. For it is one of those CDs that suffers at the hands
of an over-zealous designer, since the movement headings
and other details can only be read in tiny print against
a florid and unsympathetic background. This dark Green
'Victorian wallpaper' design was no doubt chosen with the imagery of
"The
Romantic Cello" in mind. To make matters worse, the otherwise
excellent notes by John Warrack fail to mention the Chopin Polonaise
Brillante, which is a pity. It is unlike EMI to fall
prey to such poor editorial judgement, the design aspect
of which serves no sensible purpose.
Rant
over - on to the music. The sound perspective seems ideal
for duo performances, since the pleasing cello tone and the
piano detail are beautifully balanced. Charles Owen is a
skilful pianist who is experienced in this repertoire, and
it shows. For he has already recorded both sonatas for Somm
(SOMMCD026 - see review) with Jamie Walton, giving performances
which more than hold their own in distinguished recorded company.
The
Rachmaninov Sonata has for some years been generously served
in the recorded music catalogue, for example through the
outstanding performance by Yo-Yo Ma and Emmanuel Ax (Sony
SK46486). It is a substantial work lasting more than 35 minutes
across four movements, so performers need a secure structural
awareness and a long-term vision in addition to a strong
technique. Clein and Owen possess these talents and the range
of colour they bring to the extended opening movement sets
the standard for the whole. As the music progresses so too
does its sense of purpose and direction, as Rachmaninov surely
intended.
The
Scherzo which follows has the drive and passion to suggest
the dark forces that could preoccupy the composer, while
the slow movement and finale have that special eloquence
that lies at the heart of Rachmaninov's style. The more straightforward
approach of the beautiful Vocalise, the composer's
transcription of his own song without words, does merit
the description "the romantic cello".
Chopin's
opus numbers are not the most logical in the repertory; his Polonaise for
cello and piano was written in 1829. It is an appealing piece,
and at nine minutes not insubstantial, although the emotional
voltage is not like that of the later Sonata. It was composed
for the young Princess Wanda Radziwill and her father, and
is a brilliant salon showpiece, deserving association with
the description "the romantic cello".
The
Cello Sonata of 1845, however, is quite another matter. This
is one of Chopin's greatest works from the wonderful final
phase of his tragically short career. Clein and Owen start
out almost tentatively, but there is method in their restraint,
since it allows for the eloquence and emotional range of
the music to expand and explore its many shadings of mood.
The phrasing is beautifully sensitive to the special nature
of the music, as it is in the other movements too. The rhythms
of the Scherzo are delivered with much sensitivity and shading,
thanks to the recorded sound as much as the performance,
while the opening theme of the slow movement has a wonderfully
tender restraint of dynamic from both players. There have
been some famous recordings of this piece, for example by
Pierre Fournier and Jean Fonda (DGG 477 5939, from 1971)
and by Mstislav Rostropovich (also DGG, 419 860 2, from 1980).
While these rightly remain benchmarks, and project strong
musical personalities to admirable effect, Clein and Owen
prove themselves to be worthy interpreters of all this wonderful
music.
Terry
Barfoot
Natalie Clein (cello); Charles
Owen (piano) 
