GILLES APAP AND ERIC FERRAND-N'KAOUA

Enescu Sonata #3 for Violin and Piano
Debussy Sonata for Violin and Piano
Ravel Sonata for Violin and Piano

Gilles Apap makes a big point of being inspired by the sound and artistry of Yehudi Menuhin. Their styles are similar, and that can only help in the Enescu. Apap was even chosen to demonstrate the violin part of this sonata at a symposium conducted by Menuhin. This is one of the best recordings of the work. There is the necessary spontaneity in their playing, but it does not obscure a sure grasp of form in this almost overwhelmingly rhapsodic music. Apap and Ferrand-N'Kaoua also have at their command a wealth of tone colors. Listen to Apap's control of the natural and artificial harmonics, glissandos, and sul ponticello effects in II.

The duo's intelligence, imagination, and technical mastery are also evident in the other two selections. Like the Enesco, this Debussy is one of the best I've heard, with spontaneity the order of the day. The Ravel's delicate melodies in I soar. The "Blues" is grotesquely jazzy in a delightful way. III really flies.

Apap has a soloist's temperament. He seems incapable of playing a single note in a way that isn't fascinating. I am eager to hear more from these two. By the way, after the Ravel, don't turn off your CD player! There is a bonus mystery track at the end of the disc.

— Joseph Magil:
American Record Guide, March/April 2000