Artwork Inspired by Across The Ages
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Across The Ages Reviews
Alan Hovhaness (1911–2000) is a well known and oft–recorded composer of many types of music. His harmonies and style tend to be modal and relatively moody and reli- gious-sounding. If you can take that, this is a fine collection of his cello music, ending with a rather unusual 15–minute suite for cello and percussion—a transcription of a work he originally scored for South Indian instruments. Nagooran was a saint who united the Hindu and Moslem religions. The suite is well worth hearing and makes a colorful ending to a lovely program.
Gullans studied cello with Janos Starker, Helga Winold, Csaba Onczay, Elizabeth Simkin, and John Sant'Ambrogio. She plays this music with fine attention to its phrasing and thoughtful nature. Her pianist has made many recordings, and they work together beautifully. The recorded sound is fine.
David Moore
American Record Guide
"Not only is this CD a much-needed and overdue addition to the American cello discography, but also an important act of rehabilitation for music that is almost unknown, and can now more readily be taken up by cellists in search of rewarding 'new' repertoire. Hovhaness fans should acquire as a matter of course."
http://www.hovhaness.com/Alan-Hovhaness-Across-the-Ages-cello-works-2020.html
Hovhaness’s Fantasy is a gorgeous piece from start to finish (...) Christina Gullans’s cello produces rich, centered tone; her intonation, so important for Hovhaness’s modal harmonies, is spot on. She has what seems to be an instinctive feel for his unique aura.
James H. North, Fanfare magazine June 10th, 2020
American cellist Christina Gullans is a highly persuasive advocate for Hovhaness’ music, with a rich, full tone, exemplary musicianship—especially in her partnership with Jeremy Filsell (familiar to British listeners perhaps from his recordings of Howells and Bernard Stevens)—and understanding of this composer’s richly varied cultural and musical palette. Albany’s sound is nicely balanced, not too closely miked, not too distant, especially in Nagooran where Gullans is never overpowered by the excellent percussion quintet of the Sowne Ensemble. A fine disc.
Guy Rickards, Musical Opinion Jan-Mar 2021
Other Chamber Music Albums
Quadrants Reviews
"The album opens with the Boston String Quartet playing Marie Incontrera’s jaunty, dancing Limbic Breath, the cello kicking up its heels throughout much of this relatively brief song without words punctuated by a thoughtful lull or two before returning to a romp. It’s fun and it’s a hit."
https://lucidculture.wordpress.com/2012/12/14/quadrants/
"Fans of excellent string quartet playing will definitely enjoy this album and should not be dissuaded by the header, “Modern String Quartets.” There is little no angular, dissonant and unnecessarily cerebral music here."
"The recorded sound is lively, the performances exacting and expressive and the whole package something a lover of modern chamber works will most certainly appreciate."
https://classicalmodernmusic.blogspot.com/2012/11/quadrants-modern-string-quartets.html
Rational Passions Reviews
'... committed and skillful playing ...'
https://www.classicalmusicdaily.com/articles/m/e/electronic-music.htm
"The nostalgic, folk-like segments come together at the will of the performers."