Music for Cello & Piano (2009)

Cellist Joseph Spooner has devoted a significant amount of his career and discography to the discovery and performance of unknown works in the repertoire. There comes a point, however, when listeners must start asking if a composition is too obscure, too unknown, or too forgotten. The program chosen for this Dutton Digital album certainly begs these questions. The first two works on the program -- sonatas by Walter Macfarren and Michael Balfe -- are tediously monotonous and almost pure drudgery to sit through. Things ... Read More

Cellist Joseph Spooner has devoted a significant amount of his career and discography to the discovery and performance of unknown works in the repertoire. There comes a point, however, when listeners must start asking if a composition is too obscure, too unknown, or too forgotten. The program chosen for this Dutton Digital album certainly begs these questions. The first two works on the program -- sonatas by Walter Macfarren and Michael Balfe -- are tediously monotonous and almost pure drudgery to sit through. Things improve later in the album, but only slightly. Perhaps the most engaging composition is a set of variations by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor; the variations come quickly enough to keep the listener mostly interested and engaged. Spooner and his accompanists -- Kathryn Mosely for the Macfarren and Michael Jones for the remainder -- do a reasonably good job in the execution of their chosen program. Balance is generally good between piano and cello, and Spooner plays with a big, romantic sound. It... Read Less