I hadn't planned to review this myself. I just wanted to hear David Popper's Requiem. It was written for three cellos and piano; but here there are seven cellos to a part, and the effect is rich and does resemble a male chrous, as Bejun Mehta points out in his notes.

Bejun Mehta! Once a marvelous boy soprano, he now has a new voice: the cello. His solo in the Rachmaninoff was the second item I listened to. Beautiful! His arrangement really works!

As you can see, I was getting hooked. For one thing, the sound is seductive. I decided to go for baroque to see if I could break the spell: Veracini. Again, this was a Bejun Mehta arrangement, and again it was apt and rewarding. Vivaldi was next, logically, and my favorite movement from The Four Seasons, the Largo from 'Winter', was very good.

I saved the Scott Joplin for last. By now I was very happy with the sound of cellos in a group. But Joplin? I don't even like Joplin on the violin. But this is a witty and resourceful arrangement for four cellos. The rhythm is there all the way, the cellos do all kinds of tricks, and it really is entertaining. If I had to send this to a critic I'd have to buy one for myself