''The cello, it has always seemed to me, is the most vocal of instruments: it is the only one that stretches the whole span of the voice, from the deepest bass to the highest coloratura.'' Thus Lynn Harrell, who writes his own notes: the observation is one which is true enough, but will likely not have occurred to many people (it had not, I am ashamed to say, to me). That Harrell should have felt strongly about vocal style is natural enough: his father was a leading baritone singer with the New York Met and Dallas opera companies, and at home the young Lynn would have naturally absorbed the cantabile sound.
In how excellent a degree this disc abundantly illustrates. ''Andante cantabile'', taken to the highest degree, describes exactly the style of much the greater part of the programme: many of the titles listed above are those of standard cello encore pieces, the instrument lending itself better to this than to fireworks (The swan is probably the best known of all examples). But these graceful tunes are from time to time thrown into relief by very occasional contrasting pieces: Bloch's Hebraic Prayer for example, or the Granados Goyescas Intermezzo; both played with an intensity of style little called for elsewhere in the programme. They serve to set off admirably the very predominantly, easy-going cantabile outlook of the rest of the programme. How to expound this better than Harrell does I cannot imagine; though I am sure he would be the first to point to the help he received on this occasion from the excellent accompanying of Bruno Canino and the excellent recording and production of Decca. In its field, a total winner.'