Cellist Sol Gabetta possesses a beautifully singing tone, an evenly warm sound across the range of her instrument, precise intonation, and a large array of colors and techniques at her disposal.
Yet her debut album fails to make a tremendous impact on its listeners.
While sheer technique and virtuosity shouldn't win out over considerations of musical artistry, works like the Rococo Variations still require at least a little bit of sparkle and dazzle to maintain the excitement.
Despite her amply beautiful sound, Gabetta's interpretation comes across as cautious and lackluster.
The seven variations lack adequate distinction in tempo and character, with the third, fourth, and sixth variations being interminably slow.
The Saint-Saëns concerto is slightly more vigorous in the first theme, but by the second theme the tempo once again comes almost to a standstill.
Ginastera's Pampeana No.
2, heard here in a version for cello and string orchestra, is the most interesting and vivacious piece on the disc, but is still not as fiery as it should be.
The orchestra accompaniment is similarly sluggish and the playing in the string section is often imprecise.
While listeners will most likely enjoy Gabetta's rich sound, they may wish to look elsewhere for a more lively and varied performance of all the works heard here.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andante cantabile, for cello and string orchestra in D major (arr. of 2nd mvt. from String Quartet No.1)Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky | Sol Gabetta | Play | 06:33 | 15 MB | 25 MB |
| 2 | Variations On A Rococo Theme, For Cello & Orchestra (Or Cello & Piano) In A Major, Op. 33: Moderato Quasi Andante | Sol Gabetta | Play | 00:57 | 2 MB | 3 MB |
| 3 | Variations On A Rococo Theme, For Cello & Orchestra (Or Cello & Piano) In A Major, Op. 33: Thema: Moderato Semplice | Sol Gabetta | Play | 01:38 | 3 MB | 6 MB |
| 4 | Variations On A Rococo Theme, For Cello & Orchestra (Or Cello & Piano) In A Major, Op. 33: Variation 1. Tempo Della Thema | Sol Gabetta | Play | 00:53 | 2 MB | 3 MB |
| 5 | Variations On A Rococo Theme, For Cello & Orchestra (Or Cello & Piano) In A Major, Op. 33: Variation 2. Tempo Della Thema | Sol Gabetta | Play | 01:18 | 3 MB | 5 MB |
| 6 | Variations On A Rococo Theme, For Cello & Orchestra (Or Cello & Piano) In A Major, Op. 33: Variation 3. Andante Sostenuto | Sol Gabetta | Play | 03:51 | 8 MB | 16 MB |
| 7 | Variations On A Rococo Theme, For Cello & Orchestra (Or Cello & Piano) In A Major, Op. 33: Variation 4. Andante Grazioso | Sol Gabetta | Play | 01:55 | 4 MB | 7 MB |
| 8 | Variations On A Rococo Theme, For Cello & Orchestra (Or Cello & Piano) In A Major, Op. 33: Variation 5. Allegro Moderato | Sol Gabetta | Play | 03:17 | 7 MB | 12 MB |
| 9 | Variations On A Rococo Theme, For Cello & Orchestra (Or Cello & Piano) In A Major, Op. 33: Variation 6. Andante | Sol Gabetta | Play | 02:26 | 5 MB | 9 MB |
| 10 | Variations On A Rococo Theme, For Cello & Orchestra (Or Cello & Piano) In A Major, Op. 33: Variation 7 E Coda: Allegro Vivo | Sol Gabetta | Play | 02:16 | 5 MB | 10 MB |
| 11 | Pezzo Capriccioso, For Cello & Orchestra (Or Cello & Piano) In B Minor, Op. 62 | Sol Gabetta | Play | 07:05 | 16 MB | 28 MB |
| 12 | Nocturne, For Cello & Small Orchestra (Or Piano) In D Minor, Op. 19/4 | Sol Gabetta | Play | 04:23 | 10 MB | 17 MB |
| 13 | Cello Concerto No. 1 In A Minor, Op. 33: Allegro Non Troppo | Sol Gabetta | Play | 05:50 | 13 MB | 26 MB |
| 14 | Cello Concerto No. 1 In A Minor, Op. 33: Allegretto Con Moto | Sol Gabetta | Play | 05:03 | 11 MB | 18 MB |
| 15 | Cello Concerto No. 1 In A Minor, Op. 33: Tempo Primo | Sol Gabetta | Play | 09:13 | 21 MB | 42 MB |
| 16 | Pampeana No. 2, Rhapsody For Cello & Piano, Op. 21 | Sol Gabetta | Play | 07:54 | 18 MB | 33 MB |
| 64 mins | 148 MB | |||||
| 64 mins | 269 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uwe Arens | Photography |
| 2 | Virginie Bauzou | Liner Note Translation |
| 3 | Dagmar Birwe | Editing, Recording |
| 4 | Sol Gabetta | Cello, Primary Artist |
| 5 | Gitta Jäger | Executive Producer |
| 6 | Reinhard Lemelle | Liner Notes |
| 7 | Daniela Majer | Executive Producer |
| 8 | Munich Radio Orchestra | Orchestra |
| 9 | Kerstin Papert | Artwork |
| 10 | Ari Rasilainen | Conductor |
| 11 | Stewart Spencer | Liner Note Translation |
| 12 | Peter Urban | Balance Engineer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |