With so many works written in the last century for solo cello, choosing just an hour or so of music for a CD would seem to be a daunting task. Even narrowing the choices down to pieces written in the 1920s and 1950s, as cellist Karen Buranskas has done for this Centaur album, leaves the artist with an abundance of possibilities. Her final four selections, however, yield a pleasing assortment of easily accessible works that exemplify the cello's range. From the 1920s, Buranskas performs two highly contrasting works: the ...
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With so many works written in the last century for solo cello, choosing just an hour or so of music for a CD would seem to be a daunting task. Even narrowing the choices down to pieces written in the 1920s and 1950s, as cellist Karen Buranskas has done for this Centaur album, leaves the artist with an abundance of possibilities. Her final four selections, however, yield a pleasing assortment of easily accessible works that exemplify the cello's range. From the 1920s, Buranskas performs two highly contrasting works: the Sonata Op. 25/3 of Paul Hindemith -- an overt display of technical skill -- and the Suite for Solo Cello of Gaspar Cassadò -- by far the most lyrical, sensual work on the program. From the 1950s, we hear George Crumb's Solo Sonata -- a student work that appeared long before the composer's more familiar use of prepared instruments and extended techniques, and Halsey Stevens' Solo Sonata. With the exception of the Cassadò suite, Buranskas delivers thoroughly convincing performances of the...
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