BRAHMS: Violin Sonata No. 1 in G, op. 78; Horn Trio, op. 40; 7 Fantasien, op. 116 – Isabelle Faust, violin/ Teunis van der Zwart, natural horn/ Alexander Melnikov, piano – Harmonia mundi HMC 901981, 79:19 ***1/2:
This is an interesting pair of discs, both surprises in a way, both sort of daring, and of mixed success. I shall start with the complete set first. As is the normal standard these days, the Brahms violin sonatas usually come together in a trio package, and so we have here in the Macomber/Han set, the former the first violinist of the New World String Quartet, the latter a prolific recording artist known far and wide for his excellent recitals. But there are two unusual things about this release, both having to do with Macomber. One is that the leads of string quartets and symphony orchestras are usually such for a reason—they lack the last ounce of interpretative finesse that sets one apart for solo outings, despite the fact that their technical wizardry and abilities are often as good or better than some of the big names. But as we all know today it takes more than that to set one apart as a first rate solo artist. There have been a few exceptions (William Preucil comes to mind), but you will not normally find recordings of these people as competitive with the greatest names of the age. The second strange thing (tied into the first) is that Bridge Records felt that they would be able to enter this incredibly cutthroat fray with such an artist as Mr. Macomber.
I am happy to report that they succeed on all counts. This is, quite simply, one of the finest versions on the market now, and that in a field of incredible diversity and artistry, loaded with big names galore. I have only three left in my own collection, having gone through innumerable discs to pair it down to those (and no, I do not subscribe to the greatness of the Perlman/Ashkenazy recording). The Mutter/Weissenberg (EMI) retains an intimacy and playfulness that is still hard to pass, while the Kaler/Peskanov on Naxos has a richness and warmth that are hard to beat. My all time favorite, Isaac Stern and Alexander Zakin, are still unsurpassed for ease of execution and florid phrasing, despite the rather compressed sound (done in one session in 1960 on Columbia, currently Sony). But Macomber and Han play these works with authority, verve, nuance, and suavity that transfers across each sonata in just the right manner. These pieces are not cut from the same cloth; it takes a lot of concentration and change of mood to properly delve into the mysteries of each, and these fellows are able to find the right tone every time, featured in sound of great complexity and depth. I could recommend this as an only version and have a clean conscience.
The second disc is an attempt at “period” influence in that the horn piece is played on a natural horn (which Brahms greatly preferred, even though the initial autograph score was for valve horn!), the piano is an 1875 Bosendorfer, and Faust plays on a 1704 Strad with gut strings. So from the start this becomes a bit of an “experimental” disc that some will like more than others. I am a big fan of Isabelle Faust—she has provided me with many recordings of incomparable playing and musicality, but here it seems as if she is not quite comfortable with the older idiom, and a few parts of the violin sonata feel insecure to me; she also uses quite a lot of vibrato, which is anathema to true periodists, but which I find just fine. The tempos are rather quick though nowhere near outlandish, and I don’t think she quite locates the marrow in Brahms’s bones, though this is far from an unacceptable performance.
The horn trio is certainly once of the most colorful performances I have ever heard, and Mr. Van der Zwart has the chops to negotiate the difficulties inherent in the work, though there are a few glitches, if not quite clams – not unexpected – and also not absent from every other natural horn recording I have heard of this work. It will not supplant the recent recording by the Brahms Trio Prague (Artesmon 726) that I now consider the best available, but makes for a nice contrast. But Mr. Melnikov’s Op. 116, which he plays with much color and contrast, fails to move me; the phrasing seems disjointed and disconnected in many places, especially in the slower pieces, as if he is trying to play Brahms like Rachmaninoff.
I will keep the Harmonia mundi for it has some unique and interesting things to say about Brahms. But if your focus is on the violin sonatas, don’t miss the Bridge disc.
— Steven Ritter
