|
Review by Arnaldo September 18, 2012 (5 of 6 found this review helpful)
|
Performance: Sonics (S): |
For fans of Prokofiev's violin sonatas, this new Caro Mitis SACD looks like a sure winner. You get the two masterful sonatas for violin and piano, plus less known works for violin duo and solo. You also get a superb family of musicians, led by violinist Mikhail Tsinman, with his daughter, pianist Nika Lundstrem, and his son Igor Tsinman as the second violinist. And finally, to top it off, there's the usual high-quality audio presentation from the Polyhymnia recording team, captured here from an intimate onstage perspective.
And indeed at first hearing, this talented combo does appear to work quite well. The problem though is that there are a few cracks here and there if one looks hard enough. The first minor issue is a certain politeness on part of the soloist, which seems misplaced against the intense emotional language contained in the main works here, the sonatas for violin and piano. Then there's the balance of the piano, which seems to have been spot-miked with the lid half-closed, robbing it of any sparkle in contrast to the violin upfront. And finally, while the program is all-encompassing, the fact is that apart from the presence of the violin, there's little in common between between the harrowing sonatas with piano and the lighter pieces for violin solo and duo. But I'll advise anyone against taking my criticism too strictly, specially so because of the extremely revealing presentation of the electrostatic headphones used to evaluate this recording. Overall, this is still a very satisfying release and my complaints are admittedly the result of nitpicking to the utmost degree.
A funny thing though is that while it took over ten years for SACD companies to remember these neglected Prokofiev works, this is the second one to show up in less than a year. The first was Prokofiev: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2 - Fumiaki Miura, Itamar Golan from Sony Japan, albeit with just the two sonatas for violin and piano. Personally, I prefer the Sony for it's more natural piano presentation, and as I wrote in its review, for "Fumiaki Miura, a fearless young violinist who doesn't mind leaving a little blood on the the strings." Of the competition on RBCD, my favorite was Shlomo Mintz with Yefim Bronfman, a surprising choice over the more seasoned pairing of Gidon Kremer with Martha Argerich, which felt a bit too forced on Kremer's part. Regardless, their rough DG red-book sound is no match for the pristine DSD recordings presented on either SACD. And in the end, because the Sony disc lacks distribution outside Japan, this Caro Mitis reigns by default as the best option for these works.
|
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
