Sol Gabetta - Cello (2016)

The young Argentine cellist Sol Gabetta has emerged at the top of the heap with some speed in the 2010s. She merits the double greatest-hits album represented by this release, and it will be welcomed by listeners who haven't quite focused on her meteoric career. You get only one full-scale concerto, but it's a good one: Gabetta has a real way with Elgar, and the compilers did well to feature his music on most of disc one. You get the fresh interpretations of repertory recital and encore pieces that have really endeared Gabetta to ordinary concertgoers. Sample the marvelous Fauré Pavane, Op. 50, an excellent example of how with Gabetta, less is often more. Perfect control rather than gushing melody carries the load, and the results are hypnotic. Most of the second CD is made up of these short pieces, and they never cloy. You get an example of Gabetta's activities in the field of contemporary music: the lovely Musique du Soir pour violoncelle et orgue by Latvian composer Peteris Vasks is not as well known as the cello concerto Vasks wrote for her, but it's a strong entry in the Baltic minimalist field. And you get a sample of Gabetta's popular Vivaldi projects. The downsides are few. There's really no need for the transcribed operatic arias, and the remastering of these diverse sources is jarring in a few cases. Not the end of the story on Gabetta, but this can be recommended to those wanting an introduction to this major new star.