Karen Buranskas - Cello Recital (2007)

With so many works written in the last century for solo cello, choosing just an hour or so of music for a CD would seem to be a daunting task. Even narrowing the choices down to pieces written in the 1920s and 1950s, as cellist Karen Buranskas has done for this Centaur album, leaves the artist with an abundance of possibilities. Her final four selections, however, yield a pleasing assortment of easily accessible works that exemplify the cello's range. From the 1920s, Buranskas performs two highly contrasting works: the Sonata Op. 25/3 of Paul Hindemith -- an overt display of technical skill -- and the Suite for Solo Cello of Gaspar Cassadò -- by far the most lyrical, sensual work on the program. From the 1950s, we hear George Crumb's Solo Sonata -- a student work that appeared long before the composer's more familiar use of prepared instruments and extended techniques, and Halsey Stevens' Solo Sonata. With the exception of the Cassadò suite, Buranskas delivers thoroughly convincing performances of the piece on the program, clearly demonstrating her superior technical skills, impeccable intonation, powerful sound, and ability to guide listeners through unfamiliar territory. The Cassadò suite, however, is lacking necessary panache. Here, Buranskas' somewhat angular, rigid approach makes the piece sound much more Hungarian than Spanish. Even the fiery dance finale fails to really get off the ground and excite listeners the way it can given a more exciting performance. Still, her execution of the other three pieces is more than ample to make this album a good choice.

Review by Mike D. Brownell