One wonders if Robert Schumann drew inspiration from Beethoven's violin sonatas while writing his own works in the genre (CD 3); surely the parallels between Schumann's Op. 105 in A minor and Beethoven's Op. 23 in A minor and the similar breadth and seriousness of purpose uniting Schumann's Op. 121 in D minor with Beethoven's Op. 30 no. 2 in C minor are more than coincidental. Although there are commercial recordings from concerts that feature Argerich partnering different violinists in Schumann's two sonatas (Dora Schwarzberg, Renaud CapuÃ§on and GÃ©za Hosszu-Legocky), a genuine "live in the studio" ambience informs her 1986 DG versions with Kremer; they achieve an ideal synthesis of abandon and rectitude, to paraphrase American critic Harris Goldsmith. The same can be said regarding the fervent dramatic contrasts and expressive inflections with which Argerich and Kremer shape the BartÃ³k, Prokofiev and JanÃ¡ček sonatas, as well as Messiaen's Theme and Variations (CDs 5 & 7).Argerich's recorded collaborations with Mischa Maisky date back even further than those with Kremer, to 1981, when the pair set down highly acclaimed studio versions of the Debussy Sonata and Franck's A major Violin Sonata arranged for cello. Argerich and Maisky first met in 1975 at the Vence Festival in the south of France. "We weren't playing on that occasion, just visiting," Maisky recalled in an interview with Jeremy Nicholas. "The next year we met again and played together. That's when we became friends - almost instantly. We tried to play a little bit at home. It went unbelievably naturally." It was also the first time that Argerich had played with a cellist. The pair's first official concert occurred on 17 April 1978 in Berlin, playing sonatas by Brahms, Debussy and Chopin. Either by coincidence or divine intervention, the date coincided with the 75th birthday of Maisky's beloved teacher, the late Gregor Piatigorsky.A few years after recording highly acclaimed versions of the Debussy and Franck, Argerich and Maisky began their relationship with Deutsche Grammophon in the three Bach sonatas (CD 2). "What appeals to me in these performances," wrote musicologist Richard Taruskin in Opus magazine, "is the unabashed exploitation of the modern instrumental medium to make points (`structural' points at that) about the music in a way historical instruments cannot do." This can be heard through Argerich's subtle changes in tonal heft and articulation on the repeats, without recourse to tempo-distorting agogics, and in Maisky's vibrant yet tasteful string slides. Their Beethoven cycle similarly abounds in insights and camaraderie (CDs 6 & 8). Notice, for example, the sparkle and lightness they generate in both Rondos (op. 5), the galvanic thrust and syncopated accentuations in the A major Sonata's Scherzo (op. 69), and, arguably, the most fervent, ecstatic rendition on disc of the D major Sonata's fugal finale (op. 102 no. 2).Given Schumann's lifelong affinity for the cello (he had played the instrument as a youth), it is surprising that he wrote relatively little solo music for it (CD 11). Only the Five Pieces in Folk Style op. 102 were originally conceived for cello, while the Op. 73 triptych, originally titled "SoirÃ©e Pieces," were designated "for clarinet or violin or cello and piano". The Adagio and Allegro op. 70 was designed to showcase the valved horn, which had begun to turn up in orchestras in the 1830s, and intended for amateurs to play at home, although the music's technical demands are enough to give skilled professionals pause. However, with the marketplace in mind, Schumann sanctioned alternative violin and cello arrangements. Perhaps the Allegro's persistent triplet figurations carry a stronger "hunting horn" impact in the original scoring, yet they have the potential to soar with additional lightness and agility via bow and string. Had Schumann heard his Cello Concerto performed by the conductorless Orpheus Chamber Orchestra instead of a traditional larger orchestra, he would no doubt have appreciated the newfound clarity of the second violin and viola parts, not to mention a cello soloist who could project without having to push. Indeed, the scaled-back forces allow Maisky more expressive headroom.The "Live in Japan" release (CD 12) captures Argerich and Maisky revisiting and rethinking their earlier Franck, Debussy and Chopin triumphs. The Franck's second movement has intensified over time, while the finale's thematic exchanges are both freer yet more refined. Similarly, Maisky's control of harmonics and his nimble pizzicato passages in the Debussy have grown more characterful and supple. In contrast to the songful, tonally ripe interplay that Argerich and cellist Mstislav Rostropovich brought to their classic DG recording of Chopin's Cello Sonata, the Argerich/Maisky team takes more chances in their leaner, harder-hitting traversal (what fast tempi in the finale!)."The concept of a Russian programme we must have been talking about it for ten years, probably more," Maisky told Nicholas. "Just for one performance! Even then, I only succeeded in arranging this at the last minute in conjunction with a children's charity for young musicians that I am involved with." Their all-Russian recital, recorded live in Brussels in April 2003 (CD 13), shows how the presence of an audience energizes their already symbiotic ensemble. They relish the Prokofiev Sonata's acerbic language in the form of volatile tempo adjustments, petulant accents and spontaneous dynamic shadings. The Shostakovich Sonata's first movement also unfolds with marvelous narrative sparkle and sensitive conversational fancy. The finale contains extraordinary, ear-catching felicities such as Argerich's cascading unison octaves and Maisky's willfully colored restatements of the main theme. The arrangement of the waltz from the Act II Divertimento of Prokofiev's ballet The Tale of the Stone Flower was a last-minute, unrehearsed program addition. According to Maisky, the pair practically sight-read it as an encore, then played it again for a second encore, this time fixing up tiny errors. "It's not as completely perfect as it would be in a studio recording," said the cellist, "but so what?"Jed Distler