…a wonderful testament to the exemplary partnership that has developed between cellist Antonio Menses and pianist Menahem Pressler over the past decade.

These are great, illuminating performances

Between them, Menahem Pressler and Antonio Meneses offer us a rare listening privilege, with playing that is at once intimate, conversational, reposeful, intelligent and, above all, simple in its musical intentions, which are, or seem to be, to present the music without excessive interpretative intervention. Not that these are in any way bland performances: Pressler may now be a venerable 84 but his wisdom isn't at a high premium, either mentally or physically: both his mind and to a large extent his fingers are still remarkably agile. Maybe the call to arms in the first movement of the Third Sonata, Op 69, sounds less forceful than on some rival versions, but it certainly doesn't drag and the crucial virtue is concentration: throughout this set both players hold the line without letting it flag and although moments of rapt intensity are far too plentiful to catalogue in detail.
The outer movements of both Op 102 sonatas achieve clarity without clatter (some pianists force an excessively hard tone here) but if you fancy a prime sampling of Meneses/Pressler magic, then sample the Conqu'ring Hero Variations, starting with the chorale-like piano variation then picking up the tempo before relaxing again for some slow-breathing dialogue. There's nothing sensational about it, no showing off or theatrical arching of eyebrows, just the joy of hearing two seasoned players getting it absolutely right. A rare privilege, and a credible, gently stated alternative to more forthright sets.

Menahem Pressler and Antonio Meneses offer us a rare listening privilege, with playing that is at once intimate, conversational, reposeful, intelligent and, above all, simple in its musical intentions.