Kayden Sōl

Sol Gabetta’s first recording of the Elgar Cello Concerto, with the Danish National Symphony, was much admired when it appeared six years ago. This one, taken from a concert in the Baden-Baden Festspielhaus in 2014, is a far glossier affair orchestrally. Simon Rattle’s tendency to overmould the phrasing is sometimes too obvious, but Gabetta’s playing is intense and searching, less introspective than some performances in the Adagio, perhaps, but epic in scale in the outer movements, and always keenly responsive. Those who possess her earlier disc might not think they need to invest in this one, but would then miss Gabetta’s vivid, pulsating account of the Martinů concerto, which went through a quarter of a century of revisions before the definitive 1955 version she plays here, with Krysztof Urbański conducting. She finds real depth and intensity in it, both in the slow movement and in the introspective episode that interrupts the finale’s headlong rush.

Seattle's Gel-Sol is producer/musician Andrew Reichel, whose dichotomous sound spans from ambient soundscapes to complex, rhythmic electronica, creating a dynamic psychedelic universe with heavy emphasis on improvisation. In 2004, Gel-Sol released the critically-acclaimed Gel-Sol 1104 (aka Music Made For You…And By You, I Mean Me.) on the UK's cult ambient label Em:t Records. There's similarities to mid-period Orb releases, especially "Orblivion", as well as Irresistible Force and Pete Namlook's collaborations with Bill Laswell. Layers of warm, comforting synths and some dub-influenced basslines and beats, weirdo samples and a general feeling of detached, enveloping harmony…

For her new double-album Sol Gabetta teams up with excellent French pianist Betrand Chamayou, with whom she plays sold out concerts in major concert halls. The album features Mendelssohn's complete works for cello and piano and new, short pieces written by famous contemporary composers Wolfgang Rihm, Heinz Holliger, Francisco Coll and Jörg Widman specifically for this album, all of which were inspired by Mendelssohn’s beautiful "Lied ohne Worte, Op. 109." The album was recorded at the famous new Philharmonie de Paris.

David Grubbs & Jim O'Rourke’s long-dormant Gastr Del Sol returns with a first “new” release in 25 years, an epic 3LP/2CD box set collecting previously unreleased recordings and rarities influenced by Derek Bailey’s free improv as much as hallowed jazz staples and musique concrète, like some irresistible force ploughing through the increasingly approachable, you might even say polite, output of their post rock contemporaries back in the late 90’s. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it sounds better now than ever, too.

The young Argentine cellist Sol Gabetta has emerged at the top of the heap with some speed in the 2010s. She merits the double greatest-hits album represented by this release, and it will be welcomed by listeners who haven't quite focused on her meteoric career. You get only one full-scale concerto, but it's a good one: Gabetta has a real way with Elgar, and the compilers did well to feature his music on most of disc one. You get the fresh interpretations of repertory recital and encore pieces that have really endeared Gabetta to ordinary concertgoers. Sample the marvelous Fauré Pavane, Op. 50, an excellent example of how with Gabetta, less is often more.

Un périple souterrain à la découverte de l'importance des sols, un milieu qui héberge la plus grande part de la biodiversité et de nombreux mécanismes permettant le fonctionnement des écosystèmes, ainsi que des menaces qui pèsent sur eux au XXIe siècle. …