Pierre Fournier and Artur Schnabel recorded Beethoven’s five cello sonatas in 1947 and 1948, although only the last three were issued at that time. The other two first appeared in the late 1970s when EMI released the cycle on LP. In 1997 EMI brought all five sonatas out on CD as part of the four-disc collection Les Introuvables de Pierre Fournier. Working from excellent commercial shellac pressings, Seth Winner’s transfers of Sonatas Three, Four, and Five duly capture the relaxed mastery and supple interplay both musicians bring to these works. Fournier’s sweet tone and sustained phrasing in the slow movements stand out to the same extent exhibited in his DG remakes with Gulda a decade later, but less so than his live 1965 Beethoven collaborations with Kempff, also on DG. Schnabel’s pearl-shaped embellishments and exquisitely timed runs highlight Op. 69’s finale, together with an effortless transition from the Adagio cantabile’s last breath to the uplifting Allegro Vivace. The great fugue closing Op. 102 No. 2 moves with impressive, unpressured drive as Schnabel and Fournier toss the knotty counterpoint back and forth like two old friends engaged in meaningful conversation. EMI’s brighter transfers, however, convey more room ambience and dynamic contrast, suggesting more vehemence and angularity to the performances than Winner’s warmer restorations do.
A/B comparisons reveal APR’s transfers of the three solo Brahms selections to be more open and detailed than Winner’s mellower ones here, particularly in regard to Schnabel’s evocative pedaling in the two Intermezzos). If your primary interest lies with the Brahms, APR 5526 contains all of Schnabel’s 1946/47 HMV solo recordings, including his incomparable Mozart A minor Rondo, F major Sonata, an intense Schumann Kinderszenen, and a genial, lilting Weber Invitation to the Dance. Still, three-fifths of the Fournier/Schnabel/Beethoven cycle is nothing to carp about. That is, until EMI reissues it as a 2-CD set. [5/14/2001]
