The best recordings of Bartok's Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion have a way of vanishing from the catalogue-—we currently have no Argerich and Bishop (Philips, 1/87), no Labeque sisters (EMI, 9/87), no Kontarsky brothers (DG, 6/78). But here is a new version which has strong credentials, certainly stronger than the poorly co-ordinated Perahia and Solti (CBS/Sony, with the disastrous channel-swapping I mentioned in my review) or the more clean than exciting playing of Ashkenazy father and son (Decca, in a two-disc set with the three concertos).
Heisser and Pludermacher are an extremely well-matched duo, in temperament as well as technique. They and their percussionists enjoy almost total unanimity of rhythmic style, and they pace the structure beautifully, never substituting hysteria for verve. All three movements display marvels of textural blend and balance. Those may be sufficient grounds for a general recommendation. More demanding listeners may be disturbed by such details as the 9/8 section from bar 309 to 325 in the first movement (9'59'' to 10'33'') which emerges as a fairly regular 5/4, by the fact that the xylophone appears to lack a top D flat (at bar 46 in the second movement, 3'03'') and that the finale's last chord is held beyond its notated duration. Also the recording has the pianos in opposite positions from Bartok's recommendation (but at least they stay there).
The value of the disc is considerably enhanced by the coupling. Bartok himself rated the Suite in its original 1905-07 orchestral version as a turning-point in his output, in that it demonstrated ''the freshening up of art music with elements of peasant art''. Heisser and Pludermacher give a crisp, idiomatic account of the 1941 two-piano transcription, easily surpassing their sole rivals (Hungaroton). Recording quality in both works is close without being oppressive.'