Heartfelt playing can’t overcome the patchy level of inspiration
The Strad Issue: February 2025
Description: Heartfelt playing can’t overcome the patchy level of inspiration
Musicians: Martina Biondi (cello)
Works: Reger: Solo Cello Suites nos.1–3
Catalogue number: BRILLIANT CLASSICS 97063
Reger’s three Solo Cello Suites date from the early 20th century but stylistically belong to the previous one. This means that, for anyone electing to perform an entire programme of unaccompanied cello music, these works are among a very limited number that come from the Romantic era.
Reger’s indebtedness to Bach is evident in the music’s intricate contrapuntal voicing and the use of varied but stylised dance forms. That said, the composer goes beyond mere pastiche by adding more chromatic writing and exploring higher tessituras than his great predecessor. To be brutally frank, however, I can’t summon up much enthusiasm for listening to these works side by side, as they are uneven in terms of musical interest.
However, Martina Biondi certainly makes a heartfelt case for them in this new and richly resonant recording. Having studied with Nicolas Altstaedt and Giovanni Sollima, Biondi has enjoyed a particularly stimulating pedagogical background, both mentors being superb exponents of the solo cello repertoire. Furthermore, she offers well-shaped, highly expressive and lucid readings, persuading me that much of the Second Suite and the sharply characterised Andante con variazioni from the Third project a more inspired level of musical invention than the rest of this album.
JOANNE TALBOT
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