Britten; Kodaly; Roxburgh Cello Works
A brave debut showcases a sensitive and expressive cellist
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Genre:
Instrumental
Label: Landor
Magazine Review Date: 8/2010
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 0
Mastering:
Stereo
Catalogue Number: LAN289

Author: DuncanDruce
I was pleased to get to know the Roxburgh Partita, written in 1970. The first of its four short movements is directed to be played “as if improvised” and the whole work has a spontaneous character, animated by nervous energy. The writing for cello is inventively colourful and Barralet relishes its dramatic possibilities.
His performance of the Britten makes an interesting comparison with the fine 1998 account by Jean-Guihen Queyras (Harmonia Mundi, 1/99). Where Queyras stresses beauty and continuity, Barralet, at generally slower speeds, concentrates on expressive nuance, imparting a more meditative air. The disc includes an extra track – the original version of the Suite’s Introduzione – more elaborate and dissonant than the published text with its lonely cantilena above the tolling plucked C string. Britten’s second thought is certainly to be preferred but it’s fascinating to hear how he reached it.
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