Melodiya's relatively extensive reissue programme fortunately takes in
sonata recordings made by Yuri Bashmet and Mikhail Muntian of both studio
and live material. The Schubert
Arpeggione Sonata was recorded in
the studio in 1977, whilst the two Brahms sonatas followed in 1984 in live
inscriptions made in the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory. They were works
to which the two men returned with some alacrity after their contract with
RCA was established. The Schubert can be found on RCA RD60112, whilst the
Brahms sonatas, coupled with the Two Songs with Viola, Op.91 are on 09026
63293-2.
There are few really noticeable interpretative differences. In the RCA
Schubert he takes the first movement repeat, which is an improvement on this
Melodiya where he jettisoned it. But not in doubt are his big, elegant and
subtle tonal gradations, the excellent legato, precise calibration of bow
weight and also - sometimes overlooked with him and Muntian, since they are
very focused artists, not given to showy gestures - the buoyancy and wit
they find, notably in the exchanges in the first movement. There's a huge
amount to admire here, not least in the light lyricism of the slow movement
and the life-affirming finale. Violists and cellists can vie for this sonata
as much as they like, but when Bashmet plays it there is always an extra
quotient of refined musicality to be heard.
That is the case, too, when it comes to the companion Brahms sonatas.
There's no doubting the appassionato element in the opening of the F minor,
played with sweeping grandeur and fine attention to detail, spurred on by
the sportive nature of a live recital. There's truly beautiful phrasing
here, and a warmer, richer tone to be encountered in the Adagio, a few tiny
imprecisions aside. With a confident and proportioned finale the
communicative and collaborative nature of the music-making is fully to be
relished. They really are a true duo, and merit the applause that has been
retained. The E flat major is similarly impressive and perhaps at its apex
in the central movement, where the vitality and sparks-flying drama to be
heard is more overt than one would have encountered in the studio. Yet there
is no want of
pliant and sensitive
phrasing either, nor does Muntian lack power in the finale where he matches
tonal reserves with Bashmet but never overparts him.
These strong readings are thoroughly persuasive and make excellent
alternatives to the studio Brahms recordings on RCA, especially if you
appreciate the frisson of live performances. Let's also, finally, take a
brief moment to salute Muntian, a true collaborative artist.
Jonathan Woolf
