Czech-born Michaela Fukacova studied with, among others, Andre Navarra, Paul Tortelier and Mstislav Rostropovich. She performs in duet with Josef Suk (they have played the Brahms Double Concerto on tour) and in 1994 was awarded the Czech Grammy Classic for “the best soloist performance of the year”. As to the present offering, I was pleased to encounter performances that are, in the main, temperate, warm-toned and sensitively phrased.
The wistful second set in the first movement of Shostakovich’s sonata (1'41'') is a good place to sample, and if the Scherzo is less propulsive than some, Fukacova makes amends with an appealingly inward account of the Largo (her opening phrases are very well judged). In short, she offers a good, ‘central’ reading, the sort that many teachers would prize as ideal but that hardly dislodges the best recorded competition – certainly not Rostropovich with the composer himself.
The Prokofiev sonata harbours less competition (it’s a somewhat less imposing piece) and Fukacova’s blandly appealing performance will likely prove useful for those who are as yet unfamiliar with the work. The Stravinsky is fairly spirited, with some well-calculated slides (specifically in the “Aria”, track 10), though there’s a hint of tonal discoloration in the closing “Menuetto e Finale”. The pianist is very good, and the recording a mite dry but otherwise perfectly adequate.'