Search - Pierre Fournier :: Beethoven: Sonatas for Cello and Piano Opus 69; Opus 102, Nos. 1 and 2; Brahms: Rhapsody No.2, Op. 79, etc.

Artur Schnabel's postwar collaborations with cellist Pierre Fournier yielded compelling performances of Beethoven's three greatest cello sonatas. Matching Fournier's warm sound and elegant style with Schnabel's austere command of Beethoven's idiom was inspired. The result is momentum in the outer movements, soulfulness in the adagios. They're almost on par with the classic Emanuel Feuermann-Myra Hess recording of Op. 69 (also on Pearl) and their Opus 102 Sonatas are unbeatable, with the great Adagio of the second of the pair a moving high point, perfectly capturing one of Beethoven's finest single movements. The following fugue is exciting in its forward movement and the relaxed, natural way the two instruments exchange phrases. The Beethoven works alone would make for an indispensable disc, but the Brahms fillers are just as mouth-watering. Schnabel's Rhapsody and Intermezzos are a lesson in great Brahms playing, the Rhapsody with its transparent textures and the Intermezzos melting without a trace of sentimentality. Fine transfers by Seth Winner. --Dan Davis