CELLISSIMO - FAVOURITE ENCORES FOR CELLO AND PIANO Mischa Maisky - cello Daria Hovora - piano Deutsche Grammophon 459 136-2 Full Price

This is a new commercial CD by Mischa Maisky and Daria Hovora, who play an eclectic collection of salon pieces. Most have been arranged by Maisky himself to clearly demonstrate not only his own abilities, but also the cello's cantabile quality. Particularly enjoyable are the Romantic pieces, which seem undoubtedly best suited to Maisky's extrovert style. The arrangements are excellent; one could almost believe that the Chopin miniatures were originally written for the cello (of course Chopin did write for the cello before - the Polonaise Brillante and a set of variations - so the sound and character of the instrument were not alien to him).

As for the Baroque repertoire, Maisky clearly wants to bring out the expressive and lyrical side of the music, often at the expense of stylistic sensitivity. In particular, his intense sound and vibrato (features of which he's obviously proud) become a distracting feature and get in the way of the music. In the Bach pieces, the piano bass lines are often scored in old-fashioned Busoni-like octaves, played without exception far too slowly for my taste. However, although this approach to such music is an anathema to me, the playing is nevertheless executed well and with a sense of purpose and direction. The Schumann Romanze, originally for oboe and piano, is an interesting piece that is performed rarely, even though its intensity and wide range of musical characteristics make it irresistible. It complements another Schumann piece, the Adagio and Allegro, also played with a similarly moving commitment. Maisky comes into a style of his own with the two Debussy pieces: both are colourful and witty, with Hovora contributing much at the piano.

This CD has the added benefit of the Pluscore feature: it also works as a CD-ROM that brings up the score on screen. One can follow the music as it is played, listen to the instruments individually, edit and print out the score (for personal and study purposes only), and, with a MIDI facility, it is possible to play along with Maisky or Hovora accompanying.

Overall, this is a very attractive CD, with two unique musicians and some welcome additions to the lighter side of the cello repertoire.

Leandro Silvera