The figure of
Pablo Casals
, or, as one should probably say in this Catalan context,
Pau Casals
, looms large over this collection of cello works, which contains some unusual pieces. There are pieces by
Casals
' most prominent student,
Gaspar Cassadó
, composer of the passionate opening
Requiebros
, as well as by
himself. Part of the album's interest is in seeing how the wider trend of neoclassicism interacted with the requirements of virtuoso cello writing, as in
Cassadó
's
Sonata nello stile antico spagnuolo
.
' own works, none of them terribly often played, reflect this influence and are not highly Iberian in nature; they are light, melodic works that raise one's mood. Cellist
Dmitry Yablonsky
, who does not share a national origin with this music but is powerfully in tune with its idiom, also includes transcriptions from
Granados
and
Mompou
, two of them by
, and two of them world premieres. A tribute to
by
Benet Casablancas
shows the tradition living into the end of the 20th century and is the most virtuosic piece of the lot. Anyone who loves the music of
, whose music-making was captured on recordings but only imperfectly, will enjoy this release. ~ James Manheim