Wen-Sinn Yang is hardly a household name, or even one high on classical radio play lists, but he turns in a first-rate performance of Dvorák’s Cello Concerto, one that’s remarkable for its melding of passion and intelligence. There’s real feeling in his music making, a sense of genuine connection with the spirit of the music, most telling in the tender slow movement where his cello sings with almost human expressiveness, as well as in the long wistful passage near the close of the finale. But Yang also knows the work’s sterner aspects, as his powerfully-rendered first movement entrance makes clear. Following this, Yang exhibits impressive energy and precision in the movement’s many challenging rapid passages. Conductor Grzegorz Nowak is in sync with his soloist as he leads a spirited accompaniment with the Sinfonia Helvetica, an ensemble that makes up in earnestness what it lacks in tonal refinement and string sonority.
Yang proves similarly adept at Dvorák’s smaller (though not necessarily slighter) cello and orchestra works, offering a delightfully exuberant rendition of the moody yet playful Rondo in G minor. Nowak provides lively support with the Deutsches Kammerorchester. Unfortunately, the recording’s sound is not ideal, especially in the concerto, with the overly reverberant acoustic imparting a haze over the orchestra while making Yang’s cello sound gargantuan. But Dvorák fans still would do well to investigate this disc for the fresh and compelling artistry of its soloist.
