Publicity surrounding this release by violist Tabea Zimmermann and pianist Javier Perianes has focused on the question of transcribing vocal music for the viola (it works great!) and on the variety of sounds Zimmermann can produce with her instrument. These are certainly attractive points. Most of the music consists of song cycles that lie nicely in the viola's range, with a pair of instrumental tangos as bookends, with the old William Primrose transcription of the Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 giving the album its title, but ...
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Publicity surrounding this release by violist Tabea Zimmermann and pianist Javier Perianes has focused on the question of transcribing vocal music for the viola (it works great!) and on the variety of sounds Zimmermann can produce with her instrument. These are certainly attractive points. Most of the music consists of song cycles that lie nicely in the viola's range, with a pair of instrumental tangos as bookends, with the old William Primrose transcription of the Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 giving the album its title, but the genius of Cantilena lies more in programming than in instrumental virtuosity. The collection of Spanish and Latin American pieces heard here has some familiar items (Falla's Siete canciones populares españolas) and some less familiar, like the Cinco canciones negras of Xavier Montsalvatge. The latter are wonderful pieces that draw on Cuban rhythms without being obvious about it. Another nice find is the set of limpid songs by Pablo Casals, who certainly wouldn't have objected to...
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