Schubert: Violin Sonatas (Sonatinas) No. 1-3, Rondo brilliant
Mihaela Martin (violin), Elena Bashkirova (piano) (CAvi-Music)
(scroll down for English review)
上次聽過Bashkirova的德伏扎克《詩意音畫》，所以聽她這張舒伯特小提琴奏鳴曲／小奏鳴曲集。有奏鳴曲及小奏鳴曲兩個名字，是因為當年出版商迪亞貝利把名字從舒伯特原來的奏鳴曲，改成可能較易賣的小奏鳴曲，就這樣誤傳了百多年。
一直都想談舒伯特這套作品，但一直都未遇到令我滿意的錄音，Martin及Bashkirova之所以令我開竅，是因為她們把時鐘從浪漫派撥回古典派，尤其是莫扎特小提琴奏鳴曲中，小提琴較輕、鋼琴較重的關係。Bashkirova彈得非常用心，別人會輕聲彈的音符，她就鏗鏘的彈，所以彈出旋律的形狀。
至於Martin的小提琴，我開頭有點不習慣，但聽着聽着，逐漸發覺她較為短促的造句，其實最適合這套樂曲，也和浪漫派奏法崇尚綿延造句、用盡琴弓不同。值得留意Martin的句子雖然短，但揉弦用得很多，令一個音都有很強的歌唱感。
舒伯特的小提琴作品，可以再錄多一張CD，希望這對組合可以都錄完，不過舒伯特最重要的小提琴作品D934《幻想曲》可能需要另一套演奏技巧。此外，即使我很想突出Bashkirova自己的本事，但也不得不提，她的丈夫巴倫邦在幾十年前跟史頓錄過舒伯特小提琴作品全集。
Bashkirova was the reason I picked up this recording and her influence was huge on it. She and Martin put the clock back to Mozart, instead of interpreting these Schubert violin works as Romantic pieces. Compared to most recordings, the balance was significantly tilted towards the piano, very much like Mozart’s sonatas for “piano and violin”, and I was convinced this was why this performance never sounded bland.
Bashkirova was very attentive in her phrasing; she knew when to play marcato when most pianists were afraid to turn in an ugly sound. Thus the piano was now an equal partner to the violin.
Martin’s violin sounded a bit weird to me at first. But then I realized her preference for shorter bow strokes match the phrases very well. Despite the short bowings her vibrato was unusually intense, milking every note of its feelings.
I wish this duo can complete a second disc of Schubert, thus finishing a cycle, but I’m not sure if their approach would work equally well on the D934 Fantasy. I know I should judge Bashkirova by her own worth but I can’t help but notice that her husband Barenboim recorded a Schubert violin cycle with Isaac Stern some thirty years ago.