Incredible music / Powerful performances
D. Lai | El Cajon, CA United States | 03/15/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is BIG! powerful playing from soloist (Dmitry Yablonsky, cello) and orchestra (Moscow City Symphony Orchestra) alike. These players mean business--it's like they're retelling an experience they've all shared directly. Yablonsky plays soulful, smooth cello lines.
The beautiful recording places the listener right in the middle of the orchestra. Close your eyes and you almost see the rosin flying off the bows, the woodwinds' reeds pushing to their limit. This is absolutely a no-holds-barred performance.
The 1946 Cello Concerto's almost 3-minute long cadenza exhibits a fearless virtuosity from Yablonsky. The 1963 Concerto-Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra is an equally bravura performance with eery pulsing tones like from a Bernard Herrmann score.
Beautiful. Moody. Intense. Strong. Smooth. All of the above."