Beethoven: Complete Cello Sonatas and Variations
Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Emmanuel Ax (piano) (Sony)
(scroll down for English review)
馬友友終於再錄貝多芬大提琴奏鳴曲全集，找回舊錄音的艾斯於去年暑假灌錄，原來舊錄音已接近四十年，而且還欠了一套變奏曲，今次就全部奏足。我雖然聽完全套新錄音、以及略略聽舊錄音，要說的話其實不多。
我覺得馬友友很着意追求「少即是美」，大幅限制自己的框架，例如音量及揉弦，話盡量說一半，而從之找到最大的表達力。這種手法尤其在兩首作品五奏鳴曲（軌一至四）做得最為徹底，另一個值得留意的例子是《第五大提琴奏鳴曲》的慢板（軌11），我覺得馬友友甚至是故意違反這樂章的表情指示的「帶很多感情」，或者就是以少博大。如果以悶不悶來界定的話，我認為三首變奏曲（軌13至15）會比較易聽。
反而我更為喜歡艾斯的鋼琴部分，以音量或表情來說，他這裏比舊錄音更克制，但我覺得這只是表象，他這裏將更多的細節更細緻的表達，用現代鋼琴可以既輕盈又清楚地彈到這套樂曲的鋼琴部分，其實不常見。
After almost 40 years Yo-Yo Ma finally re-recorded the Beethoven cello sonatas, and also with Emmanuel Ax. And this time the Judas Maccabaeus Variations were included. I listened to this set in full, and skimmed through the old set, yet found myself with not much to say.
I guess Ma was intentionally trying “less for more”. He constricted himself with a smaller dynamic range and vibrato, and avoided milking the music. I can’t really say his approach did result in greater expressivity but the op.5 sonatas (tracks 1-4) were probably the most significant examples of such approach. And in the Adagio of the Fifth Sonata (track 11), I think Ma deliberately went against the “with lots of affection” tempo marking, in order to deliver a deeper kind of affection. If you think you might be bored, the three sets of variations (tracks 13-15) might be an easier listen.
On the other hand, I find Ax immensely delightful. In terms of volume and emotions, he was apparently more restrained here than the old set. But actually he toned down the hard edges and delivered more details. Ax’s playing was light but articulate throughout, this is indeed a rare feat in this repertoire made on a modern piano.