SCHUBERT Arpeggione Sonata, etc. ROSTROPOVICH/ESOTERIC SACD [2025]

Schubert Sonata for Arpeggione and Piano in A minor, D. 821
Schumann Fünf Stücke im Volkston, Op. 102
Debussy Sonata for Violoncello and Piano in D minor

Mstislav Rostropovich, Violoncello
Benjamin Britten, Piano
Product ID: ESSD-90303

This very famous Decca was recorded by Ken Wilkinson and Gordon Parry in The Maltings, Snape, UK, in 1968 and released on Decca and London in October 1970.

The Decca vinyl originals go for over $2000, the Londons less, but still over two hundred bucks.

It's rare, but if you can find it, it's available on a repress from the South Korean outfit Analogphonic for USD 40 (I think I got the last one from distributor The Elusive Disc.

ESOTERIC’s track record with digital SACD remasterings is exemplary, and also for cello and this particular work by Schubert, the Sonata for Arpeggione and Piano in A minor, D. 821. The ESOTERIC SA/CD of Mischa Maisky and Martha Argerich has long been one of my go-to CDs for glorious cello sound with equal qualities from the piano.

Unlike the original LP used for this release, where the companion piece is the Sonata for Cello and Piano by Frank Bridge (Britten’s teacher), the SA/CD version has two works: Schumann’s Fünf Stücke im Volkston, Op. 102 and the Debussy Sonata for Violoncello and Piano in D minor. Like other ESOTERIC remasters on SA/CD, the included works don’t always match the original record art used. So no Bridge Sonata, substituted with Schumann and Debussy.

Rostropovich, renowned as the world’s greatest cellist, recorded definitive performances of these works. He betters both Danil Shafran on an RCA Living Stereo Shaded Dog LP (from Analogue Productions) and the aforementioned Mischa Maisky on ESOTERIC. But not by much. Either one will suit many tastes, and both star cellists give superb performances. Recordings and accompanists are terrific, too. But the legendary Rostropovich has two aces up his sleeve, Ken Wilkinson and Ben Britten.

The recording, from the ample acoustic of The Maltings in the Suffolk town of Snape, near the seaside town of Aldeburgh, is a wonderful example of Ken Wilkinson’s magical placement of microphones, the warm sound of Rostropovich’s cello, and the deep tone of Britten’s grand piano. Also, the superb quality of instrumental layering and coherence typical of well-mastered SA/CDs is highlighted on this great ESOTERIC release. And these two audiophile tenets better the refulgence of the Analogphonic LP reissue.

The Sonata for Arpeggione and Piano in A minor, D. 821, was written by Franz Schubert in Vienna in 1824. The arpeggione (a bowed guitar) is rarely played in concert. The sonata is the only major work for it and is welcomed by cellists as their own. Schubert’s glorious melodies suit the cello perfectly. Under 30 minutes, in three movements, I wish the work were longer. It is poignant, elegiac and in perfect form. And from the opening arching melody, you know Rostropovich is a master of Schubert's style. Listen to his vibrato intensity at the apex of phrases. Also, the wide dynamic range of both Rostropovich and Britten and how Britten caresses the cello lines with almost perfectly imitative phrasing. Both Shafran and Maisky bring special qualities, as do their accompanists, but “Rosty” rules in this work.

Photo credit: Berne Luthier. “Having no endpin, unlike the cello, the arpeggione has to be played holding it between the knees. This instrument was invented by the instrument-maker Johann Georg Staufer in 1823, as a declined model of a guitar. In the “Arpeggione” sonata by Franz Schubert (D821), the arpeggione part is nowadays often played with arrangements for various instruments, like a cello.”

As for magical moments in Wilkinson’s recording, listen for soft pizzicato and arpeggiated chords at the end of sections. So soft, so beautiful, almost tactile.

The same quality of recording, though recorded on different dates, may be said of the Schumann and Debussy. Both receive incredibly good performances. But I do love the Bridge Sonata on the original record. I have the DG Boston Symphony Chamber Players LP of Jules Eskin playing the Debussy (with MTT on piano). It’s wonderful, but once again, Rosty’s tone and technique conquer all before him. And the DG cannot match the Decca recording.

The Analogphonic LP is better than the SACD in-depth of piano bass and air around the cello. But the SACD pips it for coherence and control. So, take your pick. The ESOTERIC is readily available, so your choice may be an easy one. No matter—whether the SA/CD, the vinyl, the Maisky SA/CD or Shafran Analogue Productions vinyl reissue, you’ll have a gem of a recording and performance of one of the most beautiful works in the repertoire. Enjoy.

ESOTERIC SA/CD provided by Canadian importer, American Sound. Please contact them for further details.