Brahms: Cello Sonatas, 7 Lieder, 2 Hungarian Dances
Emmanuelle Bertrand (cello), Pascal Amoyel (piano) (Harmonia Mundi)
(scroll down for English review)
本來是聽Nina Kotova的新碟，開碟的布拉姆斯《第一大提琴奏鳴曲》連第一樂章我都聽不完，不是因為差，而是太一般，不是獨奏家應有的級數。於是記起七月有這麼一張布拉姆斯兩首大提琴奏鳴曲的錄音，外加七首藝術歌曲以及兩首匈牙利舞曲，都是用大提琴演奏。
貝特朗在第一奏鳴曲（軌一至三）的第一樂章用了頗沉（但不是深沉）的拉法，覺得她有含蓄的意圖，在較小的音量範圍下活動，聲音是純及滑的，不過在這個第一樂章她就是愈拉愈沉，十幾分鐘聽來有點沒完沒了。第二樂章的頓奏太過誇張，還好第三樂章她終於放開束縛，可見之前的壓抑是故意為之，不是技術所限。（Kotova就是技術不足。）
但那張Kotova新碟，彈奏的José Feghali其實很搶耳，既能爆發也能溫文，相比之下，這張的Pascal Amoyel就比較平凡，彈不出鋼琴部分的層次。至於《第二大提琴奏鳴曲》（軌11至14），貝特朗也是在第一樂章將韁繩索得太緊，不讓奔放的旋律盡情歌唱，但至少她在第二樂章的慢板是可以不造作的發揮旋律的歌唱感。
兩首奏鳴曲之間是七首用大提琴演奏的藝術歌曲，大抵是最著名的布拉姆斯歌曲，例如《森林孤寂》（軌四）及《搖籃曲》（軌七），演奏也是以高雅作主調，貝特朗平穩綿延的發音，不去亂扮唱腔，令人聽得舒服放鬆。
I was going to listen to Nina Kotova’s new album which opened with Brahms’ First Sonata, but I couldn’t sit through the first movement. I won’t say it’s bad but it’s just too ordinary and not really up to the big game. Then I remembered this Emmanuelle Bertrand new album which covered both Brahms sonatas, with seven lieder and two Hungarian Dances, played on the cello, as fillers.
In the first movement of the First Sonata (tracks 1-3) Bertrand took a subdued approach, but that didn’t really mean deep. I know she’s after subtlety but the movement just sank lower and lower, with no end in sight. Her staccato was too crisp in the second movement menuet. She cranked things up in the third movement so her previous feebleness was just by choice, not by necessity.
In the only track that I heard the Kotova album did have something good: the accompanist José Feghali who can be explosive and melancholic. On the other hand, Pascal Amoyel on this album didn’t quite deliver the layers of the piano part as effectively. As for the Second Sonata (tracks 11-14) Bertrand again held back in the first movement, restricting the impulsiveness of the melody. Yet in the second movement Bertrand maintained its songfulness without resorting to antics.
In between the sonatas are seven lieder, mostly the best-known Brahms lieder, such as Feldeinsamkeit (track 4) or Wiegenlied (track 7). Bertrand’s steady and well-held tone preserved the elegance of the originals.