Works for solo cello

This 2004 release features the brilliant young cellist Henrik Dam Thomsen in virtuosic solo works by Zoltán Kodály and Benjamin Britten, and the disc is a stunner. A rising star among Danish string players, Thomsen proves himself ready to launch an international career with this impressive debut on Chandos, and his performances are wholly convincing. Because of Kodály's extensive use of fifths, tricky quadruple stops, simultaneous arco and pizzicato playing, polyphonic voicings, double trills, and fantastically wide melodic leaps, the Sonata, Op. 8, presents enormous difficulties of intonation and continuity, even before the piece can be interpreted properly. Yet Thomsen plays with astonishing accuracy and intense drive, and his passionate involvement makes the work's daunting technical challenges seem like child's play. Britten's Suite for Cello No. 1, Op. 72, is a perfect foil for the Sonata, as cool and elegant as the previous work is heated and brusque. Thomsen still faces technical hurdles -- which Britten originally devised for Rostropovich, no less -- but the overall tone of this suite is one of tender lyricism, which comes naturally to this highly expressive performer. Put simply, these wonderful performances belong in any serious collection, so this CD is highly recommended. The superb recording captures the cello's full sonorities in a fairly live acoustic. (Allmusic.com)