Jonah Kim and Sean Kennard’s Rachmaninoff & Barber Cello Sonatas gets a rave review from San Francisco Classical Voice:
“From the pensive opening measures of the Rachmaninoff, Kim and Kennard are in gripping command of the work’s expansive material. The two tightly synced players embark on a dynamic conversation… The performance is exciting to the point of unruliness here and there, with the balance out of whack and some blurry passages. But the pair rally for a vital finish. They bring a restless protean energy to this immersive and deeply engaging work over all.… The Barber sonata brims over with a seriousness of purpose. In three densely packed movements, the composer unleashes a veritable fury of feelings and effects… Fittingly, Kim employs a more astringent, sinewy tone here than he does across the more overtly romantic contours of the Rachmaninoff. Kennard counters with sharp attacks and a percussive urgency of his own. … Kim and Kennard give this cello sonata program fully committed, colorfully contrasted readings. While the Rachmaninoff is a more fully satisfying work, there’s something about the sense of danger and fearlessness they bring to the Barber that captures their own youthful musical zest. Like the composer himself, they go for broke and hold nothing in reserve.”
—Steven Winn, San Francisco Classical Voice
See the full review on sfcv.org
