Józef Elsner (1769-1854) is mainly known for being one of Chopin’s teachers, but he was a prolific composer in his own right. His small, three-movement F major sonata may lack memorable tunes, yet there are subtle touches of harmonic spice to hold our interest. A period-instrument aesthetic governs how violinist Barbara Trojanowska and pianist Elzbieta Tyszecka pare down their respective sonorities, with sparse pedaling and minimum vibrato. Conversely, the duo makes heavy weather of Paderewski’s sprawling A minor sonata. In the outer movements, for example, long stretches of emphatic, loud playing cry out for more dynamic textural variety, as we hear in violinist Wanda Wilkomirska’s far more colorful recording on the Ambitus label. Sonically speaking, I find this release relatively strident and lacking in body in comparison to several gorgeously engineered solo piano discs I’ve heard on this label. At any rate, 39 minutes of music on a single full-priced disc hardly constitutes a bargain in a nervous marketplace.
