CD Review | Humanita (North Star Records, 2021)

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Humanita
Daniel Domb, cello; Carey Domb, guitar
North Star Records, 2021

Whatever their source of inspiration—pandemic or relocation to the Maritimes—Daniel and Carey Domb produced four world-class CDs in 2021, recorded at The Anchorage in Nova Scotia.  All are characterized by Daniel’s inimitable cello sound, and Carey’s impeccable collaboration on guitar. Daniel’s performances blanketed the live classical music scene in Toronto during his tenure as principal cellist of the TSO and senior faculty professor at the University of Toronto, posts he accepted following studies with Tortelier, Leonard Rose and Piatigorsky. Carey, too, is an accomplished cellist and educator. Her collaboration on guitar in this recording, Humanita, offers a glimpse of their joint majestic artistry.

The selection provides a stylistic buffet, featuring Albinoni and Marin Marais through Chopin, Liszt, Schubert, Strauss and Verdi. The playing is virtuosic without being unnecessarily showy. The arrangements remain faithful to the intention of the composers although the instrumentation is very different. The duo plays as one voice, while the collaboration is structured and fluid. The entranced listener will easily imagine the viola da gamba throughout the variations of La Folia, the piano voicing of Chopin’s Ballade, Op. 23, the operatic voices of Rigoletto and all five instruments of the Trout Quintet when arranged and performed by the stellar duo. Whether whirling through Csárdás or waltzing with elegance, the warmth and depth of the performers are thoroughly embracing and comforting. Each note speaks volumes. The vibrato, slides, breath, and etheral quality of the phrasing is beyond comparison—as is the recording. A true gem.

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About Author

Andrea Rush B.Mus, L.Mus. LLM. , R.M,T. , Dipl. D’etudes theoriques graduated from the Conservatoire de Que., ( premiere medaille) and McGill University, after studying ( on full scholarship ) with pianists Dorothy Morton, Irving Heller, Fleurette Beauchamp-Huppe Herman David and conductor Alexander Brott. She has guest lectured on music, computer technology and related legal issues at York University, OCAD, McGill and Stanford University. Andrea is a member of the American Musicological Society and the Music Critics Association of North America. She continues as a member of the string section of various community orchestras in Toronto.

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