I suppose Richard Strauss's Cello Sonata must have a number of devotees, but I was slightly frustrated to hear such an evidently talented instrumentalist as Anne Gastinel waste her time on it, especially since she could so easily have chosen another coupling for Rachmaninov's significant and sophisticated work. Not that one can level much fair criticism at the piece per se, only that it was written by a teenager, and Strauss was no Mendelssohn. Rich in a sub-Brahmsian romanticism, the Cello Sonata demonstrates little of the flair that one finds in the Serenade for 13 Wind Instruments, or the First Horn Concerto, both of which date from the same period. Admittedly, the finale is tuneful and appealing in a lightweight manner, but even this movement somewhat outstays its welcome.
The Rachmaninov is quite another matter. Gastinel and Aimard work so well together, are both such proficient and sympathetic players, that this emerges as a performance with real dramatic impact. Gastinel's phrasing is always natural-sounding. Her tone is very Gallic in being crystal-clear and a tiny bit nasal. In the Andante slow movement the duo hold the long, broad lines of the music with absolute assurance. Her intonation is faultless; he is incapable of making an ugly sound. One waits until the curious last movement—didn't Rachmaninov always seem to have trouble in writing finales of consistent quality with what had gone before?—to hear the darker side emerge, and yet here Aimard never resorts to melodrama for effect. Generally of a high standard regarding sound quality, I did think that in the development section of the first movement the piano had been relegated too much in the balance. I look forward to hearing many more CDs from this excellent duo.'