Cello Octet Conjunto Iberico, Elias Arizcuren - Four Winds (2002)

Since the repertoire for cello octet is small and consists almost entirely of arrangements and new works, expect Four Winds, Conjunto Ibérico's 2002 release, to be somewhat eccentric and experimental. Leader Elias Arizcuren and his virtuoso cellists seek a happy medium between the intimacy and clarity of a much smaller chamber group, and the richness and power of a full string orchestra; but such a balance is hard to sustain, and their shifting back and forth feels unsteady. In Terry Riley's Requiem for Adam, the ensemble is pulled between extremes of symphonic density and chamber transparency, and this heavy arrangement seems only to distort the dynamics and textures of the original version for string quartet. Edison Denisov's Hymne is almost orchestral in its swirling sounds and is the most texturally filled out and successful in exploiting the cellos' extraordinary range. Smaller in scale and more chamber-like, Franco Donatoni's Lame II and Arvo Pärt's Fratres are nonetheless opposites in expression, the former being quite harsh and the latter serene and meditative. Theo Loevendie's Two Mediterranean Dances is almost like a concerto grosso, since a small concertino of soloists is pitted against the full ensemble's ripieno; it is here that Arizcuren's desired balance is achieved. Et'cetera's reproduction is clear and natural.