Todd A
pfm Member
Christian Ferras and Pierre Barbizet. From new school French chamber music-making to old school French chamber music-making. Ferras opens with more vibrato and a richer sound. Barbizet jumps right in offers perfectly judged support. One hears less tidiness than with Capuçon and Braley, and some others, but the music-making élan cannot be faulted. What can be faulted is the exclusion of the repeat. Boo! Somehow, and I'm not sure how, the duo up their game in the Andante, which retains a light touch from both almost throughout. In the faster music, Ferras displays a springy style and sound, and Barbizet plinks along with him. They opt not to let the slower music get bogged down, and the whole fifteen minutes glides by. The Presto has ample energy and boogie, and a certain cohesiveness and classical-meets-romantic, serious-meets-light approach that just captivates. The mono sound fully satisfies. Still one of the greats.