Shafran’s interpretation of Bach’s cello suites is marked by his original approach to the music of the great composer, his bold and novel rendition. The musician is a stranger to retrospection, false adherence to tradition and museum-like restoration of Bach’s music as well as to its unwarranted modernization. Skillfully making use of the rich expressive potentialities of the cello, of subtle shades of bow 'touche' and vibrato technique and dynamizing the dance element of the pieces, he utilized diverse strokes and accentuation, ranging from well nigh indistinguishable emphasis to sharp and forceful bowing. Shafran seems to translate the logical language of Bach’s music into the language of our time. In the cellist’s rendition we hear not the Bach of the clavichord and thorough-bass period but Bach as read by a contemporary musician. And listening to Shafran’s playing we perceive these works as music full of life and fervency. I. Yampolsky
