Alkan & Chopin: Cello Sonatas

Album review

What could be better than a well-performed CD? How about one whose programming is equally as intelligent and insightful as the actual playing? If that thought appeals to you, then this album is one for you. Cellist Alban Gerhardt and pianist Steve Osborne join forces for the cello sonatas of Frédéric Chopin (who is no stranger to listeners) and Charles-Valentin Alkan (who few, if any, listeners have ever heard of). The two were not only contemporaries, but good friends who even consulted with the same cellist (Franchomme) in the composition of their sonatas, who eventually gave their premieres. Alkan, like Chopin, was known almost exclusively for piano compositions. As such, his sonata also relies heavily on the piano part while still giving the cello plenty of opportunities to come to the fore. While not quite in the same league as Chopin's sonata, it's still a mystery why this sonata would be almost completely unknown. It is filled with catchy tunes, dynamic interaction between the two instruments, and a good deal of drama for a work scored in E major. Gerhardt and Osborne deliver passionate, robust performances of both. Osborne's playing is pristine, lucid, and filled with sensitive dynamic variations. Gerhardt's playing is no less detailed and robust, and he seems to have some difficulty projecting in the lower end of his instrument. This results in the cello's sound either being partially obscured by the piano, or the piano seeming to have to unduly hold back to prevent being overbearing.

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