Mozart: Violin Sonata No. 19 in E flat major, K302

“The refreshingly different 'period' string / keyboard balance makes this CD collectable, and if the sometimes gauche early works are unglamorised, these forceful players steer an ideal course between gravity and joyousness in the virtuosic final sonata.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2009 ****

“"This young British duo are natural Mozartians, phrasing discerningly, summoning plenty of temperament when required, yet never over-egging the pudding when the composer is in guileless vein... the players responding creatively to each other’s phrasing.” BBC Music Magazine

“The most poignant music here is the two-movement E minor Sonata (K304) that Mozart wrote in Paris not long after his mother died, a piece much beloved of Arthur Grumiaux and Clara Haskil, who recorded and played the work in recital. Rachel Podger and Gary Cooper also make a fine job of it, a more expansive one than we usually hear. Not that their tempi are anything less than well chosen: the extra length originates in their choice to repeat both halves of the first movement. Cooper's playing at the start of the Minuet second movement is both delicate and elegant whereas the muted, ethereal sound both players conjure for the centre of K9's finale is remarkable. The galant early D major Sonata (K29) shows JC Bach's influence and the vividly orchestrated colouring of this Podger-Cooper rendition seems to underline that influence. Cooper's tendency to expressively desynchronise chords, in parts of K302's Rondeau, for example, is very appealing.
The really big event musically speaking is the magnificent A major work (K526), the last but one of Mozart's violin sonatas; the first movement is as extrovert as it is inventive (especially in terms of its varied rhythmic emphases), the slow movement one of Mozart's finest – a justified prompt for both players to favour an almost operatic approach. Podger in particular adjusts and alters her tone projection more effectively and expressively than most period players do.
Most attractive is the duo's relative freedom, their refusal to be bound by bar-lines: there's an appealing fluidity about their playing. Add excellent sound, and the recommendation is clinched.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Podger in particular adjusts and alters her tone projection more effectively and expressively than most period players do. I also like the duo's relative freedom, their refusal to be bound by bar-lines: there's an appealing fluidity about their playing. Add excellent sound, and the recommendation is clinched.” Gramophone Magazine, August 2007

“For Catherine Mackintosh and Geoffrey Govier the "rules" of historically informed performance have become second nature; we get the impression they're playing for sheer enjoyment of the music.” Gramophone Magazine, January 2009

“For Catherine Mackintosh and Geoffrey Govier the 'rules' of historically informed performance have become second nature; we get the impression they're playing for sheer enjoyment of the music. All the distinctive moments are appreciated and given due emphasis but in a spontaneous way, the interpretative points never going beyond what musicians with good rapport might do on the spur of the moment. Yet it's obvious that Govier and Mackintosh are careful, as well as spirited, interpreters. The recorded sound and balance are excellent, and they artfully control their dynamics so that principal and subsidiary lines are clearly distinguished.
The concluding Rondo of K302 contains many octave passages shared by piano and violin; here, with precise matching of tone colour, articulation and volume, Govier and Mackintosh turn what might seem like a rare lapse of Mozartian imagination into a delightful colouristic device. In the first movement of this sonata they make the most of the quasi-orchestral writing, with its pulsating crescendi, horn imitations and tremolando effects. Colourful in a different way is the minor section in K301's finale, where the con sordino piano's soft quality perfectly supports the poised violin melody.
You may wonder whether to favour Duo Amadève; or the impressive Podger/Cooper team (see aobe). The latter mix into their programmes the juvenile works from the 1760s, but if you are most interested in the great series of works starting with K301, Duo Amadève; may suit you better.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Gil and Orli Shaham give warm and ardent performances of these pieces, bringing the music vividly to life.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2007 ****

“The performances are good enough, never less than technically proficient, respectful of the dynamic and structural limits of the music, and professionally polished.” Fanfare