Natalie Clein and Xuefei Yang: St George's, Bristol ALMOST no works at all have been written specifically for cello and guitar, but this does not deter cellist Natalie Klein and guitarist Xuefei Yang, who have the same musical tastes and the same background; both were young prodigies and won important prizes. They are a fine duo and the combination of instruments is very appealing.
Clein opened with the first of the Bach Suites for unaccompanied cello, and impressed with the grace of her phrasing, and the lovely conker-coloured bass register.
Xuefei - the first guitarist from China to earn an international rolex replica reputation - offered a version of the Bach Violin Sonata no 1 and showed off a phenomenal technique - all the notes were there and though the violin's resonance was missing, this arrangement was delicate and expressive. They joined forces for The Song of The Birds by Casals, the moving song of peace which the veteran cellist refused to play in countries which had supported Franco during the Spanish Civil War, and moved on to a Spanish theme, where the passionate versions of Villa-Lobos and Manuel de Falla's songs sounded wholly convincing, with the cello taking over the voice part.
replica rolexThere were tangos too, by the Argentinian composer, Astor Piazzolla, and here the throb of the guitar and the sob of the cello combined perfectly to create the jazzy, bluesy dance studies.
Only one piece had been composed for the pair, from British composer Stephen Goss, who because he is a guitarist
embroidered patches himself, produced a work of striking originality.
The Autumn Song, about a couple parted when the man is drafted to build the Great Wall of China, used the cello to imitate Chinese string playing, while the guitar played plucked notes. The result was subtle and strange, and proved the highlight of this eclectic, intriguing programme.
7/10 HELEN REID
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