Genevieve Guimond - 2012 - Genevieve Guimond

Classical

[FOR FREE]

http://genevieveguimond.bandcamp.com/

• 8 songs to download
• For free
• Direct Download
• Listening recommendations: Fratres

Impressions

Time to class up my review repertoire on the blog, or at least bring some more classical music to the forefront on wasfuersuhr. An album based around the cello is not something I run across every day, so this one caught my ear right off the bat. Admittedly, I don't recognize any of the pieces Genevieve and company are playing, so these may be standards to one more familiar with classical. To me, they're simply enthralling sonatas all excellently performed. “Fratres” is the track that has me coming back for more among the eight tracks. The easy going tempo building to the ominous reoccurring piano motif at the beginning of the song, that only builds more and more tension (the strings have a very sharp sound to them at times) and ends with a subtle, somber softness. There are moments during the “Shostakovish Cello Sonata” that are downright childlike in their playful sound that have a certain charming appeal to them as well, especially when taken as part of the greater Sonata (which can shift tone dramatically), they just don't catch my ear as much (The “4^th Mvmt” comes closest). “Ritual Fire Dance” end things on an upbeat, up tempo note that could easily work as the accompaniment for a hunter chasing a rascally lagomorph. Low praise to some, the means by which classical music was first heard to others. My one issue with this LP is the end of “Schumann Cello Concerto - #rd Mvmt”.Yes, this may have been recorded live, but if that is the case, feature audience reaction more than once during the album. The cheering seems extremely out of place on only the first track of the album, never to be heard from again. For such a masterfully put together LP, this seems like a really strange oversight. This is a great record for lovers of classical/cello music, and for those who only wish to dabble.