Cellist Mischa Maisky and pianist Martha Argerich possess instrumental techniques that allow them to execute whatever they intuit, whether individually or as a team. Their all-Russian recital, recorded live in Brussels in April 2003, shows how the presence of an audience inspires their symbiotic ensemble rapport to daring heights as well as to vulgar lows. Classical poise and rhythmic regularity are necessary to convey the cool elegance of Stravinsky’s Suite Italienne from Pulcinella, yet the players’ frequent gearshifts, petulant accents, and gratuitous dynamic tinkerings overload the music. These fanciful gestures prove more convincing in Prokofiev’s Cello Sonata, especially in the pliably phrased central movement. However, I do miss some of the delicacy and articulate lyricism that distinguish Yo-Yo Ma’s utterly different, equally absorbing version with pianist Emanuel Ax.
Shostakovich’s Sonata exemplifies the Maisky/Argerich chemistry at its best and worst. The first movement unfolds with marvelous narrative sparkle and sensitive give and take. While the Scherzo arguably is overdriven and vehement to a fault, vis-à-vis Argerich’s pounded-out marcato octaves and Maisky plowing through the arpeggiated harmonics, you can’t deny the surface excitement. They embellish the Largo with a few more espressivo phrasings than Shostakovich indicates, but the music’s stark simplicity still comes through. The finale contains extraordinary felicities (Argerich’s cascading unison octaves at measure 163 on) alongside cheap effects (Maisky’s blatantly pulled about statement of the main theme at measure 158). No doubt that these live-wire, heavily personalized performances beckon your attention, but I’d seek out Pieter Wispelwey on Channel Classics for truly characterful versions of these sonatas that serve the composer first and foremost, along with Tatjana Vassilieva’s drier, stylistically superior Stravinsky on Naxos.
