For most cellists, the solo suites by Bach represent the equivalent of a daily constitutional, fixing the technique and orienting the mind. At the opening of his Snape Maltings recital, the great Heinrich Schiff made the Suite in G major seem like an evening jog, though it was anything but leisurely and occasionally even wayward in tempo and intonation. But Schiff voiced the music with great clarity and, even in its idiosyncratic moments, this was a deeply affectionate interpretation.
Schiff was joined by pianist Stefan Vladar for Lutoslawski's Grave: Metamorphosen, its single-movement structure forming a stark contrast to the Bach. Schiff and Vlader created a highly charged atmosphere but, after the strong rhetoric of the expected climax, it was the force of the evanescent ending that was altogether unexpected.
Brahms's Sonata in E minor Op 38 is the earlier of his two sonatas which, with the Bach suites, form another cornerstone of the cello repertoire and of this concert. The absence of a conventional slow movement mattered little when the players brought such tenderness and poignancy to the central Allegretto, while the highly contrapuntal finale had a fiery passion.
Brahms's three Klavierstücke Op 117 allowed Stefan Vladar to show his mellow tone, though the muddy pedalling must have made Britten, who disliked Brahms, turn in his grave. The inclusion of these solo intermezzos put the spotlight on a fine pianist, but it also produced a curious imbalance, detracting from the great masterpieces rather than supporting them. So it was ironic that, together with the Lutoslawski, the work that demonstrated the Schiff/ Vladar partnership at its most poetic was Beethoven's Seven Variations on The Magic Flute theme, Bei Männern welche Liebe. Schiff's sound was radiant and Vladar matched it, each capturing the elegant simplicity of the Mozartean phrases while underlining Beethoven's burgeoning romantic harmony. The encore from Schumann's Fantasy Pieces Op 73 echoed that unselfconscious lyricism and made the link with Brahms in retrospect. Finally, everything fell into place.
