Moor: Cello Sonatas Nos. 1 and 3 / Cello Sonata in A Minor

Album review

Even with a repertoire as diverse and broad as the cello's, it can be rather exciting to see an album of previously unknown works for the instrument. Such is the case with this recording of three sonatas for cello and piano by Emanuel Moór performed by cellist Peter Szabo and pianist Adrienne Krausz. History has not been kind to Moór, who worked at various times as a pianist, inventor, and composer. His greatest musical claim to fame was his association with cellist Pablo Casals, who claimed that Moór's works were ingenious. While we all owe Casals a great debt of gratitude, his affinity for various pieces was somewhat erratic. After all, he declared the Grieg cello sonata -- not exactly the most magnificent piece in the repertoire -- to be his favorite. Moór's cello sonatas are in much the same category -- adequate works but hardly awe inspiring. The three sonatas are extensively repetitious, often employing long, drawn-out sequences. There's also nothing that really distinguishes either his harmonic or melodic language from any other composer from the same period, hence the slip into near oblivion. The performances given here by Szabo and Krausz are similarly bland. Szabo's sound in particular is quite weak and forced in the higher registers of his instrument. While he generally does a sufficient job of executing the technical demands of the sonatas, little is done to infuse the already lackluster compositions with any real vitality, passion, or direction. Cellists will still find the introduction of three new sonatas of great interest, but this CD is not likely to excite the casual listener.
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