De Standaard
Anyone who finds the music of Shostakovich oppressive must listen to that of his eccentric student Ustvolskaya. Her notes are sometimes compared to laser beams and bullets. None of that harsh violence is in her violin sonata: this is where the tension from before the eruption sounds. You need all that drama as a performer, making something that is just not possible with this recording. Pianist Natalia Andreeva has researched and played the scores of Ustvolskaya for more than ten years. Every choice she makes here with violinist Evgeny Sorkin is well thought out, but lacks effect: the cool-tapping notes aren’t threatening. Until “Duet” where the music erupts with iron accents, heavy piano hammers and unpredictable, awkward silences, the duo builds a model of increasing urgency.
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