It’s always amazed me how Grieg, who was not the world’s best
when it came to a grasp of form, could create his large-scale
pieces and make them work, musically. This gorgeous Cello Sonata
is a case in point. There are times when you feel Grieg’s going
through the motions, trying hard to make the music fit the form,
and the tunes, he has chosen. The tunes are lovely, but perhaps
the piece outstays its welcome by some five minutes or so. Hardy
and Orkis give a very persuasive performance – Hardy’s full tone,
in particular, is very well caught by the recording – full-blooded
and as romantic as one could wish, with a special tenderness in
the winsome slow movement.
I have always loved
this particular Hindemith Sonata, partly because it’s
a wonderfully out of control bit of expressionism and partly
because for years it never featured in Hindemith’s work-list
so it was a kind of poor relation. Despite its short playing
time, it’s a big work, and it’s full of fun; oh yes, Hindemith
did have a sense of humour. The best joke is that the second
movement is a set of variations which moves effortlessly into
the last movement which contains further variations on the same
theme. If you don’t know this it’s quite disorientating because
at the end you feel there’s still another movement to go, but
deep down you know that this is the real end of the piece. Daniel
Foster really gets to the heart of the work and he isn’t afraid
to play an accompanying role to the piano when necessary, or
to make a vehement, hard sound, as at the very end. A marvellous
performance.
Poulenc’s Flute
Sonata needs no introduction as it is firmly rooted in the
repertoire. It’s a wistful work with a blazing finale. I really
enjoyed Kohno’s nonchalant approach, making the first movement
much more café society and music hall than usual. The slow movement
is typical Poulenc; for the most part there’s not too many lines
of music, sheer beautiful simplicity. Both performers really
held back, making the music truly heart-breaking in its loneliness.
Even the big climax was subdued. The finale burst out and was
filled with hilarity. Because of the nature of this music it’s
the one piece in this collection which is difficult to get to
grips with – the other pieces being quite extrovert – but Kohno
puts up a most persuasive case for the music, and plays beautifully.
Martinů never
seemed to stop writing music. Looking at his catalogue it’s
hard to see when he had time to eat, let alone get one work
off the table and another one started. There are three Sonatas
for cello, the third being the lightest in texture and substance.
It’s full of the usual Martinů harmonies and strong, folksong-like,
melodies, laid out well for the two instruments, but that’s
not to say that this music is a five finger exercise! It’s incredibly
difficult to bring off due to the thick piano part but here,
with David Hardy and Lambert Orkis, Martinů has found his
ideal interpreters.
This is a really enjoyable
disk. The performances are all first rate, the recorded sound
is bright and clear with superb balance between the players, the
notes are very good and the whole presentation is excellent. It’s
a slightly quirky programme, which makes it all the more interesting,
and one which should not be missed – hopefully, it will encourage
more people to investigate Hindemith and Martinů.
Bob Briggs
The Kennedy
Center Chamber Players (Toshiko Kohno (flute), Daniel Foster (viola),
David Hardy (cello), Lambert Orkis (piano)) 
