If
Igor Tchetuev were able to communicate only by means of his playing he would be considered very well-spoken. In these
Chopin sonatas there is great consistency and fluidity in his sound and expression. He plays the Sonata in C minor, Op. 4, with gracefulness, even in the final Presto, where there is a greater sense of urgency and storminess. He isn't forcing the music along in any of these, no matter how theatrical they get. In the Scherzo of the Sonata No. 2,
Tchetuev's control allows him to build tension in those upward chord figures without sounding tense, and lets each one build on the last for a more coherent shaping, as is found in every one of the movements of these sonatas. That control and naturally flowing phrasing make the quiet middle of the Funeral March of Sonata No. 2 and the Larghetto of the Sonata No. 3 tender, eloquent, and lovely. The Funeral March as a whole is mournful rather than sternly martial, while the following movement is smoothly swirling throughout, regardless of any changes in dynamics, until the final two sturdy chords. His Sonata No. 3 as a whole is more muscular, but still very lithe and full of constant motion. The recording's sound lets all of
Tchetuev's sensitive, assured performance speak clearly and warmly.