Review by JJ January 24, 2009 (6 of 6 found this review helpful)
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The Concerto for Cello and Orchestra N°2 Op.126 by Dimitri Shostokovitch was first performed in 1966 in Moscow with Mstislav Rostropovitch as solist. It is the last concerto written by a man in his sixties, and the score develops in three movements and profoundly influenced the cellist Pieter Wispelwey, who describes it as follows: "The solo concerto is a work which invites you to lose yourself in hallucinating moments of high altitude, like a Siberian mirage above a frozen plain where the temperatures affect your cerebral faculties. It also invites you to lose yourself in the beastial spectacle of the scherzo , with its Breughelian collection of imaginary and fantastic animals. It also invites you to observe the satisfying reactions of a heroic cellist above the hurling of an orchestra that is like a dragon with several heads, where by neccesity the soloist is obliged on four occasions, and at varying cadences, to roll up his sleeves." The third suite for cello solo Op.87 by Benjamin Britten was composed in 1971. In nine movements, the work reveals itself to be the personal and painful image of a being suddenly uncovering part of his innermost self. Pieter Wispelwey accompanied by the Sinfonietta Cracovia directed by Jurjen Hempel here offers a remarkable vision of Shostokovitch's concerto that is both inspired and conveyor of a depth of tone that numerous other version lack, both in their musical discours and in their way of grasping the score. Likewise, Britten's suite reveals his inner world thanks to Wispelwey's measured playing. A pure DSD SACD that will haunt the listener for a long time to come. Without hesitation, this disc is a reference.
Jean-Jacques Millo Translation Lawrence Schulman
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