Star cellists are a lot rarer than piano or violin virtuosos. A
brilliant and virtually unknown cellist made an
appearance in East Berlin last week that left listeners surprised and
breathless. Soviet Russia's Daniel Shafran, 34, turned out to be a
sometime prodigy who today may have no equal among the younger generation of
cellists.Almost too slight-looking for his muscle-straining art, Shafran handled
his instrument as if it were no bigger than a fiddle. In two programs
he ranged from the Khachaturian cello concerto to a Bach suite to
Debussy pieces. He played with uncanny accuracy and ease, demonstrated
his power by the zing of his attacks, especially in the way he clouted
his instrument in loud pizzicato chords. At quieter moments, he laid
his cheek against the neck of the cello as if it were a pillow.
Shafran's tone was big and creamy, his cantilena as expressive as if
words were being sung. Critics raved. Said the Berliner Zeitung: “This
artist must be counted among the most outstanding masters of the
instrument.”
