Great
Cellists - Casals
Beethoven; the Five
Cello Sonatas; Minuet in G major
Brahms; Cello Sonata no 2 in F
major Op 102 no 2
Pablo Casals, Cello
Mieczyslaw Horszowski,
Piano CD 1 tracks 1-6; CD 2
Otto Schulhof, Piano CD 1 tracks
7-10
CD 1 TPT: 67’39”
Beethoven; Cello Sonata no 1 in
F major Op 5 no 1 21’51”
1. Adagio sostenuto -
2.
Allegro
3. Allegro Vivace
Beethoven; Cello Sonata no 2 in g
minor Op 5 no 2 23’06”
4. Adagio sostenuto ed espressivo -
5. Allegro molto piuttosto presto
6. Rondo: Allegro
Beethoven; Cello Sonata no 3 in A major Op 69 20’06”
7.
Allegro ma non tanto
8. Scherzo: Allegro molto
9. Adagio
cantabile - Allegro vivace
Beethoven; Minuet in G major
2’34”CD 2 TPT: 67’14”
Beethoven; Cello Sonata no
4 in C major Op 102 no 1 16’13”
1. Andante - Allegro
vivace
2. Adagio - Tempo d’andante - Allegro vivace
Beethoven; Cello Sonata no 5 in D major Op 102 no 2 21’37”
3. Allegro con brio
4. Adagio con molto sentimento d’affeto
5. Allegro - Allegro fugato
Brahms; Cello Sonata no 2 in f major Op
99 29’24
6. Allegro vivace
7. Adagio affetuoso
8.
Allegro passionato
9. Allegro moltoCD 1 tracks 1-6 recorded in
Paris; 19-21 June 1939
CD 1 tracks 7-10 recorded in Queens Small
Hall studio C London;
6 & 7 March 1930
CD 2 tracks 1-2
& tracks 6-9 recorded in Abbey Road studio 3, London;
26-28
November 1936
CD 2 tracks 3-5 recorded in Paris; 21-22 June 1939
Producer and Audio Restoration Engineer - Mark Obert-Thorn
Naxos
Historical 8.110949-50 Naxos
Very few figures in musical history of the
recording age have been able to acquire such a reputation as the Catalan
cellist Pablo Casals. Maybe only Enrico Caruso came close to such all
pervading dominance of his field. Given this significance, and the fact
that the Beethoven cello sonatas were popularised in the early twentieth
century by Casals, this transfer of recordings made in the 1930s proves
a fascinating historical document. Of course it also poses its own
problems. Essentially there is the dilemma as to how listeners today
should approach these historic recordings. On the one hand, we have here
some of the finest interpretations of these works ever, performed by
musicians of the first rank at the height of their creative and
interpretative powers. On the other hand we have technology of the 1930s
with which even the cleverest of restorations can only do so much, and a
performance style quite different from that of our own times.
This dichotomy leads to a situation where the
listener is called upon to contribute more than usual to the process of
absorbing the recording. For starters, although Mark Obert-Thorn has
done a commendable job in transferring from 78s to CD without
compromising the quality of the instrumental sound (particularly noting
the avoidance of a ‘tinny’ bass) there is still a fair degree
of surface noise that is invariably distracting. The listener must
listen through that surface to get at the true sound. Similarly, the
technology of the time favoured the cello as a soloist at the expense of
the piano part. In both Beethoven and Brahms this was not what the
composer intended and there are places here where the balance is
certainly less than satisfactory. Furthermore, in personal opinion (and
it may be considered something approaching heresy to say so) this writer
does not much care for the sound Casals makes in the upper register.
This is particularly the case in the Beethovens, where, although never
lacking in the fire and passion for which Casals was famous, the nasal
quality of some of the upper register playing is not as enjoyable as
many more modern performers achieve.
As a
document recording the work of the early 20th century’s undoubted
giant of the cello, this is a commendable disc. As a recording of the
Beethoven cello sonatas it is not as recommendable as more modern
recordings. Of interest to note however, is that the recording of the
Brahms second sonata, which appears at the end of CD 2, is a ravishing
performance by any definition and would be hard to better even in the
finest modern recordings. A hugely intense reading it gives the
impression of an immediacy that defies its creation in the recording
studio of the late 1930s. Throughout the discs, the piano playing of
Mieczyslaw Horszowski is an exemplary partner to Casals’ drama. The
balance problems mentioned above (only a matter of engineering fashion
at the time) are unfortunate indeed but Horszowski was himself such a
consummate artist that he all but overcomes the forced demotion to mere
‘accompanist’. Again, it is the piano playing in the Brahms
that provides the highlight for this writer. A fascinating document,
possibly worth the price for the Brahms alone, but for the Beethovens,
probably only for enthusiasts.
(Peter Wells)
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