BRIDGE. Elegy, Scherzetto.
IRELAND. Sonata for Cello and Piano in G minor.
STANFORD. Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 2 in D minor, Op. 391'.
Julian Lloyd Webber (vc); John McCabe (pf).

It's almost an understatement to say that Stanford's sonata is influenced by Brahms, for the Irishman's piano writing in particular copies the German master's keyboard style in a remarkably faithful fashion. In fact I can detect no trace of native Irish or adopted English accent here, but it has many positive qualities. The first movement is very strongly written, with plenty of fire and passion; the reflective slow one is intriguingly interrupted by two faster episodes, and if the third has less personality than its predecessors, it lacks nothing in vigour. The work as a whole is most skilfully put together, and the cello writing in particular highly sympathetic.

Lloyd Webber and McCabe give what seems to me an ideal performance, for they pursue it with great flair, imagination and strength. Indeed, such is their artistry and boldness of vision that one almost overlooks the sonata's one weakness: in common with so much of Stanford it really lacks distinctive melodic invention. This work and the skittish Bridge Scherzetto were recorded in 1992, while the other little Bridge item and the Ireland were recorded 13 years ago. The sound in all the pieces is very good. (ASV claim that both Bridge works are "world premiere recordings", but each has appeared on record before, though in orchestral guise.)

From the early years of his career Lloyd Webber has been a distinguished interpreter of the Ireland Cello Sonata. This dark, troubled work cannot be easy to bring off successfully, but both players explore its tortured, sometimes turbulent nature with great sensitivity and sympathy, and bring much poetic insight to their performance. I recommend this disc unreservedly.
A.S.

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