Description:

Kenichiro Yasuda is a leading cellist and composer in Japan and abroad, having studied under such renowned masters as Cassadó and Fournier. The cello quartet K" is led by Yasuda and his students (Hiroshi Kigoshi, who served as principal cellist of the NHK Symphony Orchestra for 33 years and is currently active as a soloist; Shunsuke Fujimura, a member of the NHK Symphony Orchestra's Forespieler; and Hiroshi Miyasaka, another young and promising member of the NHK Symphony Orchestra). The program includes Varga's famous and popular arrangement of "Chaconne," followed by Ravel's "Chaconne" with its appealing texture and color that only a cello quartet can provide. Of special note is Gusnetsov's "Suite," a rarely recorded original work. Gusnetsov, an alumnus of the Conservatory with Tchaikovsky and cellist of the Russian String Quartet, gives an outstanding and varied performance of this magnificent and challenging work. (C)RS