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Sol Gabetta: Cantabile and Shostakovich

Cellist Sol Gabetta is one of those ambitious young artists who seem to be constantly on the concert stage or in the recording studio. Her fourth CD, titled Cantabile, was released simultaneously with her third in September of 2008.  So for this week, we'll take a listen to both of them.

On Cantabile, Gabetta's repertoire trends toward the lighter side, with selections no longer than about five and a half minutes. Gabriel Fauré's opus 50 Pavanne is there, as are aria transcriptions from several operas, including Carmen and Eugen Onegin.  As a nice little bonus track, Gabetta performs "Figaro's Aria" from The Barber of Seville.

Her other release from September '08 is a near 180 from Cantabile. This recording with the Munich Philharmonic features the work of Dmitri Shostakovich. Conductor Marc Albrecht is at the helm for Shostakovich's opus 126 Concerto for cello and Orchestra, and pianist Mihaela Ursuleasa (also featured on Cantabile) joins Gabetta for the opus 40 Sonata for Cello and Piano.

Our quick pick this week is recording that I couldn't get out of my head this last week.  It's John Eliot Gardiner's 2001 release with the English Baroque Soloists and the Monteverdi choir performing Handel's Dixit Dominus, the Vivaldi Gloria and the premiere recording of Handel's own Gloria with soprano Gillian Keith.

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