Steinway & Sons 30057
Last year, the musical world celebrated the 125th anniversary of Sergei Prokofiev’s birth, and this latest release of cellist Zuill Bailey features two of this composer’s works – the fiendishly difficult Sinfonia Concertante, Op. 125, with the North Carolina Symphony under Grant Llewellyn and cello sonata Op. 119 with pianist Natasha Paremski. Sinfonia Concertante was premiered in 1952 with Mstislav Rostropovich and Sviatoslav Richter, in his first and only conducting stint.
An historic recording of this work documents Rostropovichs’ virtuosity, which leaves listeners emotionally spent – aesthetically speaking. Bailey’s account bristles with compelling intensity and his command of the fingerboard is nothing short of wizardry. The performance is completely organic with cello basking in an orchestral soundscape that teeters between brash rhythmic punch and sweeping lyricism. His unrelenting velocity of near impossible passagework in the Allegro giusto and its striking quasi-cadenza erupt in stunning climaxes.
But there is also a tender side to Bailey’s uncompromising musical conviction. He plays with a direct, pure depth of sound that seems to pierce the earth’s core with layers of velvety richness and resonance. And he knows how to find and project the sweet spots inherent in his ex-Mischa Schneider1693 Goffriller instrument to great advantage, which makes his flawless sense of intonation even more evocative.
By contrast, Prokofiev’s cello sonata seems rather tame, as it contains less off center tonalities which allow for sensitive collaboration between Bailey and Paremski, particularly their use of sculpted phrasing in the opening theme and display of technical thrills in the Allegro ma non troppo. Bailey has an ability to connect with the inner mystery of a variety of musical idioms, as evidenced by his winning recent Grammy awards for a performance of Michael Daugherty’s “Tales of Hemmingway” for cello and orchestra (Naxos, 2016). Zuill Bailey is more than a cellist - he’s a force of nature for all seasons.