COMPOSERS: Britten
LABELS: Decca London
WORKS: Cello Suite No. 1; Cello Suite No. 2; Cello Suite No. 3
PERFORMER: Robert Cohen (cello)
CATALOGUE NO: 444 181-2 DDD
From the plaintive, unmistakably Brittenesque opening harmonies of the first suite, Cohen’s graceful performances compel. The Second dazzles, the Third, with its ghostly wisps of Russian melody, is profoundly haunting, and one can understand why Rostropovich has felt unable to perform it since the composer’s death. Cohen’s tone is soft-grained, his style introverted. But his overall vision of the three suites has the real maturity of a cellist who has been playing at the highest level since his teenage years. Helen Wallace
Britten: Cello Suite No. 1; Cello Suite No. 2; Cello Suite No. 3
From the plaintive, unmistakably Brittenesque opening harmonies of the first suite, Cohen’s graceful performances compel. The Second dazzles, the Third, with its ghostly wisps of Russian melody, is profoundly haunting, and one can understand why Rostropovich has felt unable to perform it since the composer’s death. Cohen’s tone is soft-grained, his style introverted. But his overall vision of the three suites has the real maturity of a cellist who has been playing at the highest level since his teenage years. Helen Wallace
Published: January 20, 2012 at 3:08 pm
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