Anne-Sophie Mutter and Pablo Ferrández: Brahms: Double Concerto & C. Schumann: Piano Trio
Sony Classical

One couldn't ask for a better musical partner than violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, a statement with which her protégé, cellist Pablo Ferrández, would surely concur. On their first joint release, the two couple Brahms' “Double Concerto” in A minor (1887), recorded live in Prague with the Czech Philharmonic under Manfred Honeck's direction, with a reading of Clara Schumann's Piano Trio in G Minor (1846) featuring Mutter's long-time chamber collaborator, Lambert Orkis. Amazingly, it's been forty years since her first recording of the concerto, that one pairing her with cellist Antonio Meneses and the Herbert von Karajan-led Berlin Philharmonic.

Combining the two works proves particularly effective when the contrast between the epic symphonic character of the concerto and the chamber intimacy of the trio is pronounced. The decision to pair the composers also makes sense given their shared personal history. In February 1854, four months after the twenty-year-old Brahms met the Schumanns, Robert suffered his breakdown, which left a grieving Clara to cope and care for her children on her own. During this difficult time and after Robert's death, Brahms became a major practical and emotional support to Clara, and the bond they formed continued for the rest of their lives. Speaking of partners, it's not the first time Ferrández has worked with Mutter. He was a member of her handpicked ensemble Mutter's Virtuosi and since then has established himself with a well-received debut album on Sony Classical in 2021. As much as she is his mentor, he's clearly distinguishing himself as a solo artist deserving of individual attention.

The comfort level the two exhibit with the concerto was enhanced by earlier concert performances of it in Madrid, Ferrández's home town, and Oxford; the success of those performances augured well for the formal recording that took place in January 2022. It's an epic work that deals with confrontation but also romantic entanglement. Certainly it possesses no small amount of intensity in its towering open movement, an “Allegro” that follows a thoughtfully considered cadenza by Ferrández with an exquisite rejoinder from Mutter. The two entwine dazzlingly thereafter, with the orchestra functioning as a third critical partner in the conversation. As the movement's eighteen minutes advance, quiet yearning alternates with widescreen dynamism, the journey marked by Mutter's nuanced, vibrato-rich expressions and Ferrández's equally articulate presence; it hardly surprises that the bowing of both is marvelous, and it doesn't hurt either that the Czech Philharmonic's playing is so inspired. The gentler tone of the “Andante” isn't unwelcome after such intensity, especially when the soloists deliver their parts with sensitivity and affection for the material. The striking to-and-fro between Mutter and Ferrández carries over into the impishness with which the third movement begins, the soloists setting an enthusiastic tone for the orchestra to pick up on when it joins them. The instrumental forces animate the material with an urgency, energy, and momentum that propels the movement towards its well-earned resolution.

Schumann's four-part Piano Trio also ranges widely in the emotional ground it covers, and, as with the concerto, drama and longing are plentiful. The Romantic tone of the work is conveyed in the lyricism of the opening “Allegro moderato,” which, in featuring three players only, allows the singing quality of the violin and cello to be heard vividly. Whereas the subsequent scherzo charms with its air of child-like innocence, the slow third movement registers strongly when both soloists play with heartfelt expression and poise. The work fittingly concludes on a radiant note with the buoyant “Allegretto,” the oft-serene movement offering one final opportunity to appreciate the artistry of the instrumentalists. In fact, the release shows Mutter and Ferrández to be so simpatico, one suspects it won't be the only project the two collaborate on. It's tantalizing to contemplate what the two might tackle on some future recording.

January 2023