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Brahms: Cello Sonatas 1 & 2 - Pöntinen, Thedéen

Brahms: Cello Sonatas 1 & 2 - Pöntinen, Thedéen

BIS  BIS-SACD-1606

Stereo/Multichannel Hybrid

Classical - Chamber


Brahms: Cello Sonata No. 1 in E minor, Cello Sonata No. 2 in F major, Sonata in D major

Torleif Thedéen (cello)
Roland Pöntinen (piano)


Torleif Thedéen and Roland Pöntinen made their first recording together almost 25 years ago and have continued to play together ever since, in recital and on disc. They have recorded works by Prokofiev and Anton Webern, by Shostakovich and Hindemith, by Chopin and Schumann. Now the turn has come to Johannes Brahms' two cello sonatas, central works in the repertoire of all cellists and often on the programme when this particular team gives a recital. Brahms himself was an excellent pianist, and among the string instruments he felt a particular affinity with the cello.

Both of these facts are obvious from the sonatas that he wrote for the combination - the two most important works in the genre after Beethoven. Included on this amply filled disc (more than 80 minutes of music!) is also a version for cello of Brahm's Violin Sonata in G major Op.78. For a long time it was considered to be the composer's own arrangement, but it is now known to have been made in 1897 by Paul Klengel, an acquaintance of Brahms' and brother of the famous cellist Julius Klengel.

The previous disc by Thedéen and Pöntinen was an all-Schnittke programme, released in 2007 to great acclaim: 'Thedéen's playing is wonderfully expressive - focused, clean, beautifully voiced.' wrote the reviewer in International Record Review. Naming the disc a 'benchmark recording', his colleague in BBC Music Magazine described the performers as a partnership 'in a class of its own', which the reviewer in the German magazine Fono Forum thoroughly agreed with, calling them 'a duo of unusual expressive powers.'

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Review by Mark Novak - April 20, 2010

Torleif Thedeen and Roland Pontinen have been recording for BIS for 24 years and counting. I have their original releases from BIS (The Russian Cello, Volumes 1 & 2 on RBCD) and got a kick out of looking at their photos then and now (ahh, the ravages of time!). Both are consummate musicians of the highest calibre who have now turned their sights to Brahms. In addition to the two authentic Brahms cello sonatas, this extremely well-filled SACD (82:26!) contains a performance of the Paul Klengal transcription of the Brahms violin sonata in G, Op.78 (the cello version is in D major). We are treated with dramatic and highly effective performances of all three pieces. The years of recording together have created a tightly-knit ensemble and a finely-honed common vision for these repertoire staples. These peformances jump to the top of my list for their ability to communicate the music without obvious pretensions or idiosyncracies. (FWIW, my second favorite performances are on BIS RBCD by Henkel and Westenholz)

Sonically, the BIS is very good if not the last word in cello/piano recordings. Thedeen's breathing is audible throughout much of the program. The duo are captured by veteran BIS producer and sound engineer Hans Kipfer in the former Academy of Music, Stockholm. The acoustic space is appropriately represented giving the performances room to breathe without being overly resonant. The Steinway D is rich and full-sounding and the cello is satisfying if lacking a little low-end bloom. Overall, a very nice job.

There is competition on SACD. Wispelwey and Lazic on Channel Classics has the e-minor sonata No.1 along with the violin sonata transcription but not the second sonata (in its place they include yet another transcription - of the clarinet sonata in f-minor, Op.120/1). In the two common works, Wispelwey/Lazic are even more dramatic than Thedeen/Pontinen but at the expense of some of the more pensive music contained in these works. Also, be aware that W/L make some cuts in the first movement of the 1st sonata which annoys me to no end. There would have been plenty of room on their SACD to hold the extra music - why make cuts? The sound of the Channel SACD is excellent with a full-bodied cello and wide-ranging piano sound. For sound alone, W/L take the prize. But, I prefer T/P for performances. The Audite SACD from Wick & Devoyan is a non-starter for me - a little too bland and boring for my tastes. Recommended.

Copyright © 2010 Mark Novak and HRAudio.net

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