The fact that this new record plays for 57'43'' as against the Talich/Bogunia's 39'28'' on Calliope is not just because of the two songs with viola obbligato included. When reviewing the two viola sonatas from the Czechs in July, I mentioned their liking for ''flowing'' tempo, resulting in a younger, lither Brahms than we often meet. The Frenchmen present a more leisurely, corpulent composer, choosing slower tempos for every one of the seven sonata movements—sometimes very considerably slower. As by this time Brahms disliked the metronome enough not to use it, it's impossible to guess which approach he would have preferred. Maybe his ideal would lie somewhere between the two.
I certainly feel the Frenchmen are a little too slow in the First Sonata's opening Allegro appassionata and in the Second Sonata's concluding variation movement marked Andante con moto. I also wondered if they were wise to slow up as much as they do in the trio section of the Second Sonata's central Allegro appassionata; Brahms's own only indication at this point is sostenuto, ma dolce e ben cantando. Sometimes I thought the Czechs a little more responsive to subtler innuendos, such as the first suspicion of impending drama in the p ma ben marcato motif (bar 53) in the first movement of the First Sonata. The intimate sotto voce theme (bar 22) in the first movement of the second workalso finds them more ready to read between the lines. But both duos are splendidly musicianly in their different ways. Predictably, Duchable makes an uncommonly strong contribution—happily without often outweighing his partner's richly succulent viola, which as sound per se struck me as more truthfully reproduced than the keyboard.
The recording itself is certainly more full and forward than the rival Calliope LP version, though neither, I think, would qualify for five stars. The two well-known Op. 91 songs are of course a great bonus. Nathalie Stutzmann is ripetoned, and responds with great immediacy to mood change—as when restless voices disturb the peace of Gestillte Sehnsucht. And the ''Es schlummert mein Kind'' refrain always brings touchingly tender assuagement in Geistliches Wiegenlied. Yes, because of these songs and the more generous playing time this Erato disc has to be my first recommendation.'