Barber"s Cello Concerto is one of the several great modern works for cello and orchestra. It"s not as well known as it ought to be, and the reason is simple: it"s appallingly difficult to play. The Violin Concerto, on the other hand, has always been a popular favorite. The first two movements are so lusciously beautiful feel you ought to pinch yourself after hearing them just to prove that they were real. The Capricorn Concerto is an acerbic, neo- Baroque pastiche very similar to Stravinsky"s Dumbarton Oaks and Martinu"s Concerto Grosso. All three works are performed and recorded with total commitment and genuine Romantic flair. A great Barber record. -- David Hurwitz