“Boccherini’s sonatas have been recorded before but are certainly not often played. The three sonatas by Cirri are recorded here for the first time. Because of that this disc is of great importance, also considering the quality of these sonatas, and that includes those by Cirri. He has written many more and I am curious to hear them as well as other parts of his oeuvre. Catherine Jones is an outstanding and convincing advocate of his sonatas and plays them with much passion. That also goes for the three sonatas by Boccherini. Her technical prowess is impressive; these sonatas are very demanding but her technical skills allow her to concentrate on the interpretation. The allegro from the Sonata in A has already been mentioned; that is definitely one of the highlights of this disc. Another one is the last movement from Cirri’s Sonata in g minor which is a tempo di minuetto con variazioni. Here the rhythmic pulse is perfectly conveyed thanks to the marked dynamic accents.
This is cello playing of the highest order and I strongly recommend this disc to all cello aficionados.”.
Source: Musica Dei donum (online magazine)
Author: Johan van Veen (© 2015)