Although Auguste Franchomme and Frédéric Chopin may have premiered sections of the latter’s cello sonata in an intimate-sized hall, cellist Ben Capps and pianist Vassily Primakov clearly have today’s bigger venues in mind in regard to their epic dynamic and expressive dimensions. You hear this in the first movement’s tumultuous climaxes and frequent ritards at the ends of sections. The recording’s resonant acoustic possibly exaggerates this impression, and contrasts to more transparently engineered editions, yet the musicians’ inner rhythm and fluid momentum hold everything together.
Conversely, their Scherzo is a trifle heavy and square; Capps and Primakov enact the Trio section’s lyrical points that Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax make more directly. However, the finale’s galloping lilt can absorb more than a few affetuoso touches from the pianist, while Capps’ beautifully rounded, almost viola-like tone beckons your attention in the Largo.
The duo’s alternately expansive and exuberant temperament better suits Rachmaninov’s sonata, especially in the discursive outer movements. Capps and Primakov tap into the dark qualities of the Allegro scherzando’s tarantella-like episodes, although the Ma/Ax team’s drier and crisper ensemble sharpens the murky textures. The Andante sings out with organic give and take between the players. However, the cello’s squeezed-out accented B-flats at the central fortissimo A tempo climax are a little tough on the ears, as are the slightly out-of-tune high B-flats that persist in the piano’s subsequent right-hand chords. Not a flawless disc, to be sure, but there’s no question that Capps and Primakov are a committed and often compelling cello/piano duo.
