Hungarian Delight!
Hungarian music for the cello has its fair representation overall, but the Dohnanyi Sonata still is relatively unplayed. Amongst selections on the album this is probably the most noteworthy, receiving an authentic and exciting interpretation. I am also very fond of the version by cellist Lazslo Varga, recorded a few years earlier, and between that and Cooke/Watkins' performance the subject seems well covered.
Also very successful are Bartok's Roumanian Folk Dances from Hungary, which again strike appropriate Hungarian tone and flair, climaxing in a near frenzy. Perhaps less successful are the Chorale Preludes of Kodaly, in which the performers seems not as comfortable, although the show piece by Hubay, 'Waves of the Balaton' provides a virtuoso, gypsy-style conclusion to the program.
The recorded sound is extremely clear, and while I would have liked a little more depth to it, it is impossible to complain about lack of resolution in either instrument's part.
