FAURE, Cello Sonatas: No.1 in D minor, Op. 109; No.2 in G minor, op. 117. Elégie in C minor, op. 24. Mlklós Perényl (cello), Lorãnt SzUcs (piano(. Hungaroton SLPX11658 (fl75).

Cello Sonalas:

Tortelier, Hubeau (3/71) STU70560-4

These late cello sonatas—written when

Fauré was almost stone-deaf—are an old man's music; by which is implied not any falling-off in inspiration or technical inepti tude, but rather that they are essentially a product of that serenity and dignity which establishes itself when the time for experiencing any great pain—or any great joy—is past. Certainly the late songs and chamber works all begin a spiritual odyssey into regions where the utmost concentration and open-mindedness is necessary if they are to be followed. Yet for all Fauré's lack of interest in surface glamour, his old flair for sensuous refinement rarely deserts him, and it is above all this sensuousness which ensures the continued vitality of these works. It follows that a twenty-six-year-old cellist like Miklós Perényi might well experience some difficulty in penetrating the emotional core of such music. He deserves the warmest praise, but inevitably the rival performances by Tortelier and Hubeau on Erato (included in a four-disc set of Fauré's chamber music) are superior in almost every respect. First, the recording acoustic is richer and warmer, which suits the music better. Then, the players generate a better momentum in the Allegros (there is even a sense of drama in the first movement of No, 1) and Tortelier projects the wonderful plasticity of Fauré's spacious, benign lyrical lines with more meaning than Perényi; Hubeau's playing too is cleaner and more supple than Loránt Szucs's. (Of these qualities the First Sonata is the particular beneficiary, and it seems to me much the stronger piece: ideas more characterful, writing more fluent, and we feel that Fauré is still not afraid to spread his wings when he so desires.) Most important, the playing of Tortelier and Hubeau is instilled with that grave and seasoned spirit which is of the music's essence and which Perényi cannot yet hope to match (nor, perhaps, is it desirable that at his age he should). However, if you're unfamiliar with the music and would like to sample it, the Hungaraton is by far the more reasonably priced and includes as a bonus the earlier Eltgie which is ardently played. But for a completely fulfilled and committed account of the sonatas the Erato reigns supreme.

C.P.