Celebrating the bicentenary of Chopin's birth, cellist Raphael Wallfisch and pianist John York present this Nimbus Records album featuring Polish works for cello and piano. In addition to the well-known Chopin sonata, Wallfisch and York program the sonata of Szymon Laks -- a little-known but interesting work by an equally little-known 20th century composer -- and a transcription of Szymanowski's Op. 9 Violin Sonata -- a soaring, Romantic work transcribed for cello within the composer's lifetime with some adjustments by Wallfisch. The entire program is one of rich, sweeping sonorities, exploitation of the cello's melodic ability, and lush piano accompaniment. Wallfisch delivers many things that listeners would come to expect from such a seasoned artist: technical precision; long, connected lines; fluid right arm; and appropriately stylized interpretations. There are a couple of aspects to this album that might not be expected and certainly are not desirable. The first is tempo choice in the Chopin sonata; Wallfisch's choices in the three fast movements are decidedly bland and reserved, which also has the effect of diminishing the impact of the Largo third movement. Perhaps the biggest issue with the disc, though, is overall sound quality and balance. With dense piano parts much of the time, York's playing is simply too heavy and domineering. The recorded sound does little to help out with this problem, yielding a muddy, imprecise, chaotic wash of sound.