Han-Na Chang, Antonio Pappano - Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No.1, Cello Sonata (2005) CD-Rip

This 2005 recording of Han-Na Chang performing Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1 and Cello Sonata is a follow-up to her 2003 recording of Prokofiev's Cello Concerto and Cello Sonata. In both cases, Chang is accompanied by Antonio Pappano either leading the London Symphony Orchestra or playing the piano. As on the earlier disc, Chang is primarily a soloist with a strong arm and a dazzling technique, and her performances sparkle with energy and twinkle with enthusiasm. As he was in his earlier Puccini recordings and his more recent Tristan und Isolde, Pappano is a clean and efficient accompanist who's much too considerate to do anything to upstage the soloists. Together with the supremely professional London Symphony Orchestra, Chang and Pappano turn in smart, stylish performances that, taken on their own merits, may impress listeners otherwise unfamiliar with the music. Taken in context of other performances, however, they may not. Compared with the premiere and all but definitive performances of Mstislav Rostropovich, Chang's may sound like small beer or weak tea. Compared with Heinrich Schiff's robustly lyrical performances or Mischa Maisky's acutely expressive performances, Chang's may seem too slight and too shallow. EMI's sound is very detailed, but perhaps too immediate for some tastes -- Chang's cello is painfully close to the ear in the opening movement of the concerto.