COMPOSERS: Shostakovich/Prokofiev
LABELS: Unicorn-Kanchana Souvenir
WORKS: Cello Sonata; Two Pieces from the Ballet Suite No. 2; Cello Sonata; Adagio from Cinderella; Waltz from Music for Children
PERFORMER: Alexander Baillie (cello), Piers Lane (piano)
CATALOGUE NO: UKCD 2083 (1988)
The intensely warm glow of Prokofiev’s sonata gives Baillie and Lane’s recital its high point in a radiant performance that revels in a sumptuous acoustic. Their Shostakovich is lyrical and fluent, tracking with elegance the sonata’s characteristic shift from innocence to pain, a bit understated by Russian standards though the gleefully sarcastic finale comes off with just enough edge to make its mark. An ingeniously collected assortment of tuneful ballet arrangements enters each composer’s irony-free zone with panache. Robert Maycock
Shostakovich/Prokofiev: Cello Sonata; Two Pieces from the Ballet Suite No. 2; Cello Sonata; Adagio from Cinderella; Waltz from Music for Children
The intensely warm glow of Prokofiev’s sonata gives Baillie and Lane’s recital its high point in a radiant performance that revels in a sumptuous acoustic. Their Shostakovich is lyrical and fluent, tracking with elegance the sonata’s characteristic shift from innocence to pain, a bit understated by Russian standards though the gleefully sarcastic finale comes off with just enough edge to make its mark. An ingeniously collected assortment of tuneful ballet arrangements enters each composer’s irony-free zone with panache. Robert Maycock
Our rating
4
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:38 pm