5.0 out of 5 stars
A rich and varied feast, January 29, 2012
This review is from: The British Cello Phenomenon: A Survey of 29 Great Performers (Audio CD)
This is a simply marvellous issue, of excellent transfers of English cellists, some now legendary, playing a fascinating range of music, with something for all tastes. If one's a little disappointed to get only a single movement from the Fauré and Rubbra cello sonatas, this is only because the playing is so good. Some of the items are arrangements of works for other combinations, which may irritate purists, but those of Debussy's Prelude à l'après-midi d'un faune and Grieg's To the Spring are both remarkably successful, and add to one's appreciation of the originals. For me there is a particular fascination in hearing William Pleeth play a movement of the cello sonata Rubbra wrote for him, while the longest item in the collection is his pupil Jacqueline Du Pré playing the Rubbra Soliloquy for Cello and Strings in a live performance, in precisely the manner in which I remember Pleeth himself playing it fifty years ago, that is, with stunning intensity and warmth of tone, a real revelation of the power of Rubbra's music when in the right hands; this item alone is worth the price of the whole collection.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
