Search - Sol Gabetta :: Cantabile

SOL GABETTA's CELLO 'SINGS' MARVELOUS ARIAS & CHANSONS.

RBSProds | Deep in the heart of Texas | 02/03/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Five HUGE Stars! Marvelous, often overpoweringly beautiful music using a successful conceptual approach!! Grammy-nominated classical cellist Sol Gabetta presents haunting performances with the Prague Philharmonic under maestro Charles Olivieri-Munroe's baton. These are orchestral arrangements by Manfred Grafe of arias and chansons by Russian, Spanish, and French composers, all representing the cosmopolitan ethnicity of this 27 year old Argentina-born cellist with Franco-Russian genes who resides in Switzerland. Ostensibly taken from music written for the human voice in three ranges (soprano, mezzo-soprano, and tenor) and 'freed' from the confines of the contextual words within an opera, Ms Gabetta's florid, blazing cello and the orchestra make these musical 'set pieces' soar beautifully on their own. Much of the music is in a similar vein although it crosses from waltz to pavanne to swirling boleros and beyond, allowing the music to flow from piece to piece, while avoiding a 'greatest classical hits' atmosphere.



The "pieces de resistance" begin with Charles Gounod's waltz "Je Veux Vivre" (I Want To Live) from 'Romeo et Juliette' that demonstrates the ''singing" quallity that is a trademark of Ms Gabetta's cello artistry. Peter Tchaikovsky's "Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt, Op. 6/6" is a thing of overpowering beauty that went straight to my iPod. "Promptes À Servir (La Périchole)" is a great example of how Gabetta adds understated technical flourishes that enhance this work and others. "L'amour Est un Bouquet de Violettes", a favorite of the likes of Maurice Chevalier, takes on a different character through Gabetta's cello and the orchestra. "Les Filles de Cadix" (The Maids of Cadiz) is a well-know soprano diva piece from Canson Espagnol and gets a fine mid-register reading from the cellist. Sol Gabetta and RCA Red Label (which mikes her perfectly) have conjured up a wonderfully recorded CD of operatic and show songs that is one of the musical highlights of 2009 and deserves award considerations. Ms Gabetta is clearly one of the most brilliant cellists of our time. My Highest Recommendation. Five ENJOYABLE Stars!!

(This review is based on an iTunes Plus download. She is simultaneously releasing Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 2; Cello Sonata)"