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Zoltan KODÁLY (1882-1967)
Sonata for solo cello, op. 8 (1915) [32:52]
Sonata for cello and piano, op. 4 (1910) [17:52]
Duo for violin and cello, op. 7 (1914) [25:31]
Lionel Handy (cello), Thelma Handy (violin), Nigel Clayton (piano)
rec. March 2010, PATS studio, University of Surrey (op. 4 and op.7);
May 2010, St. Andrews Church, Toddington (op. 8). DDD
CADENZA MUSIC CACD 0810 [76:45] ![](FullPrice.gif)
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Bach’s six Suites for unaccompanied cello form the basis of
the cello repertoire, the equivalent to the Old Testament for
cellists. The solo cello repertoire languished somewhat in the
nineteenth century, but in the century following quite a number
of composers wrote works for the instrument, including Ernest
Bloch, Benjamin Britten, Gaspar Cassadó, Paul Hindemith, Aram
Khachaturian, and Sergei Prokofiev. The work most likely to
be regarded as the New Testament, however, is the Sonata for
solo cello by Zoltan Kodály.
Kodály completed this work in early 1915, during a period of
intense research into Hungarian folk music, in which he collaborated
with Bela Bartók. Hungarian themes had been used in classical
compositions before, notably by Haydn, Brahms and Liszt. The
material they had used, however, was a pseudo-folk urban “gypsy”
style revolving around the alternately fiery and sentimental
czárdás. Kodály and Bartók discovered and recorded authentic
material that was a lot more raw and fiery. Kodály taught himself
the cello in his teens, so the solo Sonata also drew on his
inside knowledge of the instrument. The Sonata for solo cello
combines the volatile folk-based material with highly virtuosic
cello writing in a work that is a classic in the modern cello
repertoire.
Lionel Handy has studied with Janos Starker and Pierre Fournier,
and for ten years was principal cellist with the Academy of
St. Martin-in-the-Fields. This performance of Kodaly’s op. 8
Sonata shows him to be a well organised player who enters wholeheartedly
into the composer’s passionate idiom. From the declamatory opening
the first movement moves through many highly contrasted episodes.
Handy brings out the question-and-answer writing well, and lower
strings of his instrument have a rich resonance. The Adagio
has an impressive eloquence and the left hand pizzicato is very
well done, as was the alternation of pizzicato and arco in the
extremely difficult finale. Handy’s assurance, both technical
and interpretive, is most impressive.
Kodaly’s early Sonata for cello and piano dates from 1909, and
is a rather more accessible work than the solo sonata. The influence
of Debussy shows in the piano part, and in the use of short
motifs and rather elliptical phrasing, particularly in the second
movement. The sonata for cello and piano by Shostakovich also
comes to mind, although that was not composed until 1934. Handy
and pianist Nigel Clayton give an accomplished performance of
this sonata.
Handy is joined by his sister Thelma Handy in a performance
of the Duo for cello and piano, op. 7. Like the solo cello sonata
this employs a folk-inspired idiom, with quite an improvisatory
quality. There were some echoes also of the English folk music
school, particularly E. J. Moeran’s String Quartet. The Handys
are very well-matched tonally, Thelma’s rich, almost viola-like
sound making an excellent foil for her brother’s cello. Their
interplay is unselfish, each receding into the background when
the other has the melodic interest. This is a most enjoyable
performance that was the surprise package of the disc. The recording
is highly successful, achieving a vivid sound picture without
any feeling of artificiality.
Maria Kliegel’s 1994 recording of the Sonata for solo cello
and the Sonata for cello and piano easily surmounts the technical
demands of these works, and her playing is, as always, clean
and direct. She is well partnered in the Sonata for cello and
piano op. 4, and Kodaly’s arrangement of three chorale preludes
by Bach, by Jeno Jandó. The rather dull-sounding recording,
however, lets the performances down somewhat.
Guy Aron
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