Saturday 4 June 2011

The final volume in the traversal of Beethoven's ten sonatas for violin and piano is another triumph for Alina Ibragimova and Cédric Tiberghien. In their hands the music really comes alive; the Kreutzer sonata, which is not one of my favourites, is a magnificent tour de force. Violin and piano here form a true duo partnership, and Ibragimova and Tiberghien really listen intently to each other. This set now vies with the best of breed (including the recent excellent set from Isabelle Faust and Alexander Melnikov). Ibragimova and Tiberghien make these sonatas sound like young people's music, which is no bad thing.

I still think Ibragimova's admirable pianissimo playing probably comes off better in the concert hall rather than as recorded here (she becomes almost inaudible on occasions). And I do hope that the current fad of eschewing vibrato soon runs its course; there are excellent reasons why, over 100 years ago, string instrument vibrato swept all before it. Without vibrato, expensive violins can often sound rasping and unlovely.

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