Reviewed by Dave Massey

For fans of melody (there's not a lot of it about these days) this recording is one to get - especially so if you like the vocal qualities of the cello, expressively played on this recording by Yuan Chiffoleau, whose list of credits and competition prizes would wallpaper the Louvre. The Frenchman milks every ounce of expression from the Rachmaninov sonata, which oozes expression anyway, and leaves you gasping for breath at the end! Pierre Reach provides able support on the piano but was a little heavy-handed for my liking - no doubt a result of his association with Rubenstein. The Strauss sonate melodically is a little too twee for me but warms up and after the first movement is a half decent work made much better by the skills of Chiffoleau and Reach.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.