Catherine Hewgill, From Darkness to Light

I’m not sure about the title of this CD – From Darkness to Light. None of it is exactly what you’d call sun-kissed and much of it is too emotionally and tonally ambiguous for such a glib and somewhat clichéd strap line. That said, the playing and the recording are both comprehensively excellent!

The only recording of either work I’ve heard is the 1957 LP of Rostropovich and Shostakovich himself at the piano, in remarkably good sound. Catherine Hewgill sees more lyricism than Rostropovich in the expansive opening movement, especially in the ravishing second subject which reminded me of Fauré (of all people). But she also catches the trademark sardonic lip-curling in the Scherzo, the usual lugubriousness in the Largo...