Search - Sergei Rachmaninov, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Lynn Harrell :: Piano, Op. 19; Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14

Stunning and passionate

JMB1014 | USA | 06/09/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you are looking for gorgeous Rachmaninoff, this CD will take your breath away. The effect of these pieces for cello and piano is astounding. Harrell and Ashkenazy have a powerful working relationship: the intensity of the performances is like nothing I have ever heard. One wonders how a cello can tolerate the way Harrell digs into the strings with his bow.



I also own the version by Yo-Yo Ma with Emanuel Ax, which also features the Prokofiev cello sonata but none of the other pieces by Rachmaninoff that make this CD so exquisite. Yo-Yo Ma's version is nice but so very restrained by comparison. (I also prefer the Rostropovich recording of the Prokofiev sonata, for the same reason.) Ax is pretty much able to hold his own but Yo-Yo Ma disappoints. Comparing the two, one might say it's as though Yo-Yo Ma leaves the girl on her doorstep with a nice kiss, where Harrell grabs her, carries her inside, and devours her with kisses (etc.). I am less familiar with the Moray Welsh recording: while it is very lyrical and well-executed, with truly polished playing and good sound, it lacks the grip and the almost carnal quality of the Harrell.



This CD sizzles. Rachmaninoff's pieces for cello and piano alternately smolder, brood, yearn, serenade, gallop and burst forth into extraordinary emotional climaxes. Some of the works have an exotic coloration as well, which is not unusual for Rachmaninoff. The sound is also very good.



If you are looking for something to accompany a tryst on an October afternoon alive with colored leaves and an electric blue sky, with a bottle of sumptuous red wine, this is the thing to play as mood music. If you don't achieve ecstasy, it won't be the fault of the composer or these performers."