Franck, Boulanger, Debussy & Vermeulen: Works for Cello and Piano

Review: Cello works by Franck, Boulanger, Debussy et al
BBC Music Magazine (classical-music.com) — Rating: 5 stars
By Jo Talbot, published 7 April 2026

Franck • Boulanger • Debussy • Vermeulen
Works for Cello and Piano
Lidy Blijdorp (cello); Tobias Borsboom (piano)
Channel Classics CCS47726 — 65:29 mins

Using the recording genre creatively is an art in itself. What can it offer that perhaps a live concert cannot? I think it allows more extreme portrayal of dynamics and timbre to be effective, as it can catch the merest whisper of bow stroke, which in a larger auditorium may not speak so effectively.

Lidy Blijdorp and Tobias Borsboom maximise these aspects in this recording, and timbres generated by different bow speeds and vibrato really make every note breathe. By turns dramatic and ethereal, Blijdorp insists you listen.

The programme focuses on late-Romantic and early 20th-century French chamber music, but with a few nuggets of newness – Dutch composer Matthijs Vermeulen's Cello Sonata is a real find. He heard an early performance of the Debussy Cello Sonata in Amsterdam and this proved a catalyst for his creative ideas.

Without a doubt, he takes Debussy as a springboard – even the figuration is similar. But it's a more hard-edged dissonance, yet, particularly in the first movement, perfumed harmonically as only the French can do. And this pioneering duo makes a really strong case for the composition, lacing it with nuance and expression, alongside aggressive percussive qualities.

It makes sense to include the Debussy Cello Sonata which proved so influential. Here, extreme dynamics are part of the invention, not least in the playful and also menacing Sérénade, one minute barely an audible breath, the next, strumming like a guitar with force.

The cello arrangement of Franck's Violin Sonata is tender, passionate and reflective. Adorned with consummate virtuosity, this performance is a triumph.