Cellophony & Jessica Zhu piano
Cellophony did not build on their brilliant debut as PLGYoungArtists2011. They have had to compromise a lot, believing that viable original repertoire is small and so setting their star on new "exclusive and personalised transcriptions of mainstream classical and romantic music" [Richard Birchall]. There are now several established cello octets, including Les Phil'art'cellistes of Radio France. The pioneering Amsterdam Cello Octet (formerly Cello Octet Conjunto Ibérico, founded in 1989 by Elias Arizcuren, their main conductor) had a notable UK debut at Wigmore Hall. It has inspired many great contemporary composers to write pieces for them, among these Arvo Pärt, Terry Riley, Mauricio Kagel, Theo Loevendie, Franco Donatoni and Luciano Berio. Cello Octet Amsterdam is proud of having more than 70 original works in its repertoire and 13 CDs to its name. I enjoyed more Jessica Zhu's contribution. She adapted her dynamic range to the small auditorium and avoided pulverising our ears - such as e.g. Gyorgy Sandor, remembered by us as one of the loudest pianists heard at Wigmore Hall and a few others who could be named. Her tonal control and 'touch" was superb and in Haydn seemed aware of contemporary research, even though she was playing on the standard Steinway. Was her Falla a lttle lacking in thrills? She needs to find some more intensity in dramatic music without compromising her subtle control of timbre. Peter Grahame Woolf
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