Until recently I’d heard of neither Australian cellist Catherine Jones nor the composer Giovanni Battista Cirri. Jones’s recording of the Boccherini and Cirri cello sonatas is, therefore, brimming with treats and surprises for this happy listener.

Jones was born in Western Australia and studied at postgraduate level at the Royal Conservatorium in the Netherlands where she was among the top students. She now enjoys an international career as a soloist and chamber and orchestral musician, and regularly performs with world-renowned baroque ensembles. Jones’s recording, accompanied by harpsichord, demonstrates a fine technique and warm timbre. Vibrato is used sparingly, if at all, and her thoughtful reading of the music oscillates between intimate and energetic, always with finesse.

The music of Boccherini and Cirri, both 18th-century Italian composers and cello virtuosi, bears the hallmarks of stile galante, including song-like melodies and simple harmonic vocabulary. Many will be familiar with Boccherini’s larger cello works, such as the Concerto in B Flat Major, and his sonatas on this recording are similar in their classical beauty and sprightliness. The previously unrecorded Cirri sonatas complement the Boccherini with their simplicity and elegance. This CD is a treasure and will appeal to lovers of cello music.

Alexandra Mathew