THE SOLOIST

Renne Sundheimer gave his first professional cello performance before he was 10. However, his prodigious talent abandoned him when he was 18, and now, as a professor of music, he is tormented by the prospects of his life. As David Chandler begins the narrative, one believes it is his own life story. He maintains energy and vigor and no hint of tenderness; his unsentimental delivery allows listeners to grasp each scene and to color all the nuances for themselves. The very best outcome of Chandler's straightforward manner is that we remember the music of the novel and its characters long after the last word. J.P. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 06]