At just 30 years of age at the time of this recording, cellist Joseph Kaizer had already studied with many of the most distinguished cello teachers, including Bagratuni, Jørgen Jensen, and Starker. Despite his pedigree, there's still something lacking in Kaizer's playing: an appealing sound quality. His debut album, entitled Virtuoso Cello Encores, is a bit of a misnomer, as several of the pieces on the program -- The Swam, Silent Woods, Traumerei, and the Fauré Sicilienne, for example -- are far from virtuosic works. Even in these much easier compositions, Kaizer struggles to produce a warm, rich sound. Instead, Kaizer's tone comes across as consistently strained, thin, and nasal, even in the most flowing of passages. When playing some of the truly virtuosic selections on the program, Kaizer's sound becomes downright shrill, especially in the higher registers of the instrument. Other aspects of Kaizer's playing are much stronger; his right arm delivers on even the most demanding of bow strokes and his left hand maneuvers around the instrument with apparent ease. What listeners have here, though, is a purely technical performance, often completely lacking in any musical introspection, warmth, or elegance. If Kaizer were to acquire some of these characteristics in his playing, he could be a successful recording artist.
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