So good I had to buy it twice!by Anonymous

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December 15, 2009: I bought this CD about seven years ago and played it so often that the tracks eventually started skipping from wear. This album is one of my favorites out of my entire collection, spanning over 500 classical albums and a few hundred more that aren't classical. Being a cellist, I am always buying music featuring the cello and especially enjoy solo cello works.

This CD is very interesting because it lists composers whose work is not in the mainstream, although the Kodály is more often performed than the rest. Speaking of the Kodály cello suite, many people would say that Yo-Yo Ma plays it too cleanly, or perhaps not in the spirit that Kodály had intended. They would also invoke Janós Starker's name and declare that Mr. Starker is the better of the two. I really can't make any sort of comparison because both musicians have two very different playing styles. It's almost like comparing Beethoven to Webern. You just can't. Starker's Kodály is wonderful, absolutely! His playing is ferocious and his technique mind-boggling. Whereas Ma's is a bit more metered and not quite so rubato, but remains inspired and, in the appropriate sections, spontaneous. I may be biased because I heard Ma's version first and so it sounds like home to me, but I am also unable to argue against other artists who play this piece.

Also, we have Bright Sheng's Seven Tunes Heard in China which is played fantastically. Looking at the sheet music, it would be hard to imagine what this piece sounds like, but Ma truly made it come to life. The solo version of Mark O'Connor's Appalachia Waltz is very pure sounding, like a drive through the countryside on a cloudless brisk winter morning. And then the other two works by David Wilde and Alexander Tcherepnin I constantly forget what they sound like, but that fault is mine: By the time I get to the Kodály and listen to that piece I've forgotten all else!

To summarize, this album is worth buying. The works are non-traditional, however they don't strain the ears and are inspiring to listen to. Yo-Yo Ma always makes me pick up my cello and play better than I did before.

Excellentby Anonymous

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September 08, 2006: Being a college student in cello performance, I naturally bought this CD (much to my delight). O'Connor's piece was very beautiful, although a little shaky in some spots. The ease with which Ma plays Sheng's Seven Tunes Heard in China prompted me to buy the sheet music and attempt studying it. The Wilde and Tcherepnin pieces didn't stand out quite so much, and unfortunately I can neither remember what they sound like or his playing of them. However, the Kodaly sonata was to me like a light being flipped on in a dark room. I was instantly taken by Kodaly's skill at writing for the solo instrument and by Ma's accurate interpretation and dynamic character. It quickly became one of my favorite pieces for the instrument and on this album. I highly recommend this CD.

This review was written about the Super Audio CD Single Layer SACD edition.