By WH99400
13-Sep-2010

Enjoyable Poulenc, Dry Brahms…  

This recording turned out to be a bit of a mixed bag for me. It starts with Poulenc’s Sonata FP 119 which is delightfully played. Poorly played Poulenc is a painful thing to experience, but that is most certainly not the case here. Both Byol Kang (violin) and Boris Kusnezow (piano) are obviously having a great time and you can hear it. The Messiaen Theme et variations is also enjoyable, but doesn’t quite pack the same “punch” as the Poulenc. While the variations are certainly played in a technically correct manner, the piano seems rather distant at first and does not quite match the level of engagement of the violin until the last of the variations.

Beethoven’s Sonata No. 8, Op. 30/3 is next and this interpretation is interesting. I would not call it stand-offish, it is not totally engaging either. It is as if the truth of the piece was not quite felt the same way by both performers. The 3rd movement, however, is a great deal of fun to listen to.

The final piece is Brahms Sonata No. 2, Op. 100. This performance comes off a bit dry to my ears. It is strange in that it is not displeasing enough to skip past it and want it to end, but there is so much more depth to be mined and it’s just not there. By the same token, those listeners that find much of Brahms music to be played in an overly emotional manner may very well find great value here in this interpretation.
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