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But this was largely a worthy and idiomatic solo performance, Gabetta’s pleasing tone and light-footed agility galumphed amiably through the dogged first movement, though so compelling was Mäkelä’s boldly projected accompaniment that it at times threatened to take the spotlight away from the soloist.
Gabetta had the full measure of the Moderato’s grim introspection with nicely spare and withdrawn playing, the faint, distant celesta impeccably balanced.
The soloist was at her finest in the extended cadenza, aptly conveying the searching/lost essence, exploring a wide range of dynamics. The cellist charted the increasingly assertive virtuosity of the cadenza into the finale, which proved more tempestuous and triumphant than usual by virtue of Garett’s fine solo work and the conductor’s high-stepping accompaniment.
Encores have become ubiquitous for CSO concerto soloists whether deserved or not, yet in Gabetta’s case, the bonus proved nearly as compelling as the concerto.
The second Pianissimo movement from Peteris Vasks’ Grāmata čellam (The Book) for solo cello is less reflective of the Latvian composer’s luminous style, yet in this hushed music Gabetta coaxed an array of rarefied hues as well as bringing an accomplished vocalise to the performance. The final feather-soft diminuendo of a twittering avian phrase was magical.
- Chicago Classical Review, 05.04.2024
