His admirable accounts of Suite No. I in G Major, BWV 1007 and Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011 might be aptly described as "Modified Casals" in their interpretative style: Shapira is, like his great Catalonian forebear, a Romantic with brains: he opts for gravitas and richly expressive tonal palette.

I very much liked the pyramid-like-from baseline up-weight and sonority, and I wholeheartedly approve the imaginative differentiation Shapira applied to sectional repeats. To cite a particular striking example, he varied dynamics tastefully in the Sarabande of the C minor Suite, and tended to use freer rubato for expressive purposes for second time strains.

The demanding Sonata for Unaccompanied Cello opus 8 by Kodaly was played by Shapira in an "Expressionist" manner. The Hungarian master's array of timbers and hues was admirably recreated and projected with virile thrust and this appreciative listener likened the cellist's way to an aural analogy of Roualt's tendency to apply bold blacks and grainy outlines to enhance strength and definition.

Also to be admired are the player's stamina and ability to impart architectural unity and organization to the potent-and potentially unruly-beast of a composition. All that I found missing in Shapira's earnest and cohesive interpretation was that type of fearless abandon and executive fire that the young Janos Starker habitually conjured in his nonpareil performances. Benjamin Shapira, then, is an excellent cellist and musician; I hope to hear him in the Beethoven and Brahms sonatas in the near future"