Album

Many recorded attempts have been made at the union of cello and organ and usually the same sets of problems come up: the organ covers the cello, there's too much reverb on the cello, the cello's sound is distant...and the list goes on. This album by cellist Alexandru Morosanu and organist George Athanasiades makes some strides to overcome these issues. This is not to say there are not some sound quality and balance issues, but rather this album does better than most. Long pedal tones in the organ still cover the cello at times, and the middle register of the cello has a difficult time penetrating the space of the church in which the album was recorded. This collection, primarily consisting of transcriptions, ranges from Tartini and Vivaldi to Shostakovich and Enescu, yet Morosanu's playing varies little between the centuries. His intonation is good—no small feat when playing with an organ—and his tone is necessarily quite thin in order to be heard over the organ. His vibrato is somewhat like a certain battery spokes-animal: it just keeps going on full, yielding a sound quality that gets a little old by the end of the CD. Still, if cello and organ are a favored medium, this disc offers a more satisfying experience than most.

© Mike D. Brownell, All Music Guide

CD 1
George Enescu Composer Andante religioso, for 2 cellos and organ Work Magdalena Morosanu Cello, George Athanasiades Organ, Alexandru Morosanu Cello
1	Andante religioso, for 2 cellos and organ	5:59			$0.99
Giuseppe Tartini Composer 50 Variations on a Theme of Corelli, for violin and piano Work George Athanasiades Organ, Alexandru Morosanu Cello
2	Excerpt	4:35			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Keyboard Concerto in F-, BWV1056 Work George Athanasiades Organ, Alexandru Morosanu Cello
3	2.Largo (various arrangements)	3:45			$0.99
Louis de Caix d'Hervelois Composer Suite en ré mineur, for cello and organ Work 9:48 George Athanasiades Organ, Alexandru Morosanu Cello
4	1.Prélude: Grave	3:37			$0.99
5	2.Menuett: Allegretto	1:24			$0.99
6	3.Plainte: Andantino	2:05			$0.99
7	4.Menuett da capo	0:44			$0.99
8	5.La Neapolitaine: Allegro	1:58			$0.99
Franz Peter Schubert Composer Octet in F, D.803, Op.posth.166...Octet in F, D.803, Op.posth.166 (arr. cello and organ) Work Magdalena Morosanu Cello, George Athanasiades Organ, Alexandru Morosanu Cello
9	2.Adagio	3:32			$0.99
Antonio Vivaldi Composer Cello Sonata No.6 in Bb, Op.14, No.6, RV46 Work 10:29 George Athanasiades Organ, Alexandru Morosanu Cello
10	1.Preludio: Largo	3:03			$0.99
11	2.Allemanda: Allegro	2:07			$0.99
12	3.Largo	3:06			$0.99
13	4.Corrente: Allegro	2:13			$0.99
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Composer Clarinet Quintet in A ('Stadler'), K.581 Work George Athanasiades Organ, Alexandru Morosanu Cello
14	2.Larghetto	6:33			$0.99
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Composer Serenade in D, K.250 ('Haffner') Work George Athanasiades Organ, Alexandru Morosanu Cello
15	4.Rondo: Allegro	2:10			$0.99
Pablo Casals Composer Song of the birds, for cello and piano Work George Athanasiades Organ, Alexandru Morosanu Cello
16	Song of the birds, for cello and piano	2:58			$0.99
Dmitri Shostakovich Composer Ballet Suite No.2 (ed. Atovmyan) Work George Athanasiades Organ, Alexandru Morosanu Cello
17	2.Adagio (from The Limpid Stream)	6:09			$0.99