Search - Doris Stevenson Andres Cardenes :: Saint-Saëns: Sonatas for Violin and Piano

A SPLENDID SAINT-SAENS

Melvyn M. Sobel | Freeport (Long Island), New York | 02/07/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The chamber music of Saint-Saens has never garnered the popularity it deserves, not, certainly, like that of Debussy, Ravel or Faure. This is most peculiar, I think, because the composer is at his most vulnerable, appealing and intimate in this medium. The present recording should go a long way in championing the notion by bringing his lovely sonatas for violin and piano (Opp. 75 and 102) more persuasively before the classical public, especially in performances as dedicated, selflessly lyrical and expansive as these. Violinist Andres Cardenes captures the tuneful spirit of Saint-Saens with a full, sweet bow, opening each sonata with authority and panache, yet caressing to perfection the adagio and andante of both, and never hesitating to nimble-finger and tease out the delightful gypsy elements in the faster movements. Pianist Doris Stevenson keeps apace of Cardenes at every turn, though never feels the need to upstage him. Hers is a reading devoid of pretense and based on absolute partnership, as nuanced and sensitive as one could wish for. The sound is warm, spacious and exceptionally lifelike.



[Running time: 45:19]"