Lebrecht Weekly | Krzysztof Meyer, Dmitri Shostakovich: Cello-piano sonatas (Kaleidos)

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When asked to review compositions by a living musicologist, my inclination would be to catch the night train out of town and not approach a window before daylight. Musicology has degenerated in the past two decades into factional wars, with one American sideshow even arguing that it’s not necessary to read music in order to obtain a musicology PhD.

Krzysztof Meyer is, however, no ordinary musicologist. The foremost authority in Eastern Europe on the life and works of Dmitri Shostakovich, he pulls no punches about Shostakovich’s oppression by the Communist state, an attitude that made him less than popular among Soviet diehards. Meyer taught for 20 years in Cologne and now lives in West Germany. He turns 80 this year.

This sonata for cello and piano is the first music of his that I have ever heard and I was drawn swiftly by its uncomment blend of lyricism, combativeness and an unmistakable Polishness in gesture and phrasing. He leads you down what seems to be an atonal thicket, only to clear it with an original turn of wrist and resolution.

The music is fascinating on many levels and, when paired with the Shostakovich cello sonata opus 40, irresisitible. On one and the same record, you can hear both composer and commentator. Who could ask for anything more?

The superb players and Joanna Sachryn and Paul Rivinius, passionate and immaculate.

NL

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About Author

Norman Lebrecht is a prolific writer on music and cultural affairs. His blog, Slipped Disc, is one of the most popular sites for cultural news. He presents The Lebrecht Interview on BBC Radio 3 and is a contributor to several publications, including the Wall Street Journal and The Standpoint. Visit every Friday for his weekly CD review // Norman Lebrecht est un rédacteur prolifique couvrant les événements musicaux et Slipped Disc, est un des plus populaires sites de nouvelles culturelles. Il anime The Lebrecht Interview sur la BBC Radio 3 et collabore à plusieurs publications, dont The Wall Street Journal et The Standpoint. Vous pouvez lire ses critiques de disques chaque vendredi.

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