On track: Adding more bows to their strings

By WILLIAM DART

Christian Tetzlaff has said the strength of his partnership with Leif Ove Andsnes comes from their differences. The German violinist and Norwegian pianist are a popular duo on the international concert circuit and their new Bartok CD shows why.

Bartok's two violin and piano sonatas allow both artists scope. Tetzlaff's tone ranges from the guttural to tender; Andsnes might introduce himself with Debussian rustling but, by the third track, he is throwing himself into the fray of what is an Allegro barbaro in all but name.

For newcomers, the second sonata is the best starting point, whether one is drawn in first by the sobbing phrases of its opening lament, or bowled over by some riotous pizzicato in the following Allegretto.

Tetzlaff's performance of Bartok's solo sonata could not be bettered for sureness of intonation and a deep feeling for the score's Bachian resonances.

One longs to hear Natalia Lomeiko in repertoire such as this, although the New Zealander's latest excursion into the French Quarter is a welcome change from her mainstream concertos.

The title of the disc may be French Violin Sonatas but there are only two on the bill, Debussy's and Ravel's. Olga Sitkovetsky is a genial and energetic partner, especially when the two relax in Ysaye's Poeme elegiaque and his arrangement of a Saint-Saens Valse-Caprice.

Russian violinist Ilya Gringolts peers coyly around his Kiesewetter Stradivarius on the cover of his new recording of Prokofiev and Sibelius concertos. The 22-year-old was a revelation in the Sibelius when he toured last year, and so he should have been, having come straight from recording this album.

In the Auckland Town Hall he offered us power with no sacrifice of refinement, although the disc does expose flaws. There are a few momentary lapses in intonation and the Finale is hardly the headlong storm that some make of it, although Gringolts' relaxed tempo does allow for some intriguing colourings.


The bonus for some will be the orchestral contribution of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra under Neeme Jarvi. For others it will be Sibelius' four Humoresques of Opus 89, underrated, bittersweet gems.

Christian Tetzlaff and Leif Ove Andsnes, Bartok Violin Sonatas (Virgin Classics 45668); Ilya Gringolts plays Prokofiev and Sibelius (Deutsche Grammophon 474 814); Natalia Lomeiko and Olga Sitkovetsky, French Violin Sonatas (Trust Records TRI 3003)