Travels With Cello
Acis, 2025
9/10
The cellist Susanna Mendlow is joined by Michael Angelucci and Stefan Petrov’s keys for a debut album that’s creative and memorable.
“Five Pieces For Cello And Piano”, by Sulkhan Tsintsadzek, opens with a profound grace and beauty, where the aching cello is met with Petrov’s emotive keys, and “Between Words” follows with the meticulous and diverse cello impressing us in the Noam Faingold selection.
The middle tracks belong to Julia Adophe’s “White Flag” and the traditional “Daichovo Horo”. The former offers strong attention to mood via Mendlow’s intricate delivery, while the latter pairs Petrov’s dancing keys with the string acrobatics for a flowing and melodic execution.
“Sonata in F Major for violin and piano”, by Felix Mendelssohn, exits, and it recruits Angelucci’s dynamic key prowess via the 3 chapters that are exploratory and harmonic.
A superb first effort, Mendlow’s abilities illuminate many registers of the cello as she excels in both solo and duo settings, where the melodies are present in spades.
Travels well with: Rami Levin- Silk Apples; Justin J. Murphy-Mancini- Organ Music In New England