ARTHUR LEBLANC, CELLO, AND SANDRA POLANSKI,
PIANO, AT ST. PHILIP'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, MAY 31, 2003

   The recital opened with Vivaldi's Concerto for Two Cellos in
g Minor with the second cello part played by Guillermo Bonilla.
This got a bold performance, with lots of energy and a big sound;
balance among the three instruments was excellent. Next was the
Prelude from the J.S. Bach Suite No. 6 for solo cello. This show
piece was originally written for a "non-standard" instrument with
an extra string - high e - that facilitated playing the higher
notes (I thank cellist Charles Patton for this information). LeBlanc
had good dynamic control, so that "echo" passages were effective.
Dvorak's Concerto for Cello in b Minor, Opus 104, followed, with
Polanski playing the piano reduction effortlessly. LeBlanc played
in period style, with a singing tone and a wide dynamic range.
De Falla's Ritual Fire Dance from El Amor Brujo then provided a
good contrast, with even more energy than the Vivaldi. Finally,
the recital closed with Tchiakovsky's celebrated Variations on a
Rococo Theme, Opus 33, which carried LeBlanc's hands from the top
to the bottom of the fingerboard and everywhere between. This
piece, part of the cello virtuosic literature, got an appropriate
performance. LeBlanc showed both technical and interpretive
ability beyond his years - he enters college this fall. I look
forward to hearing him again.

                                             - Glenn A. Gentry