This is an extraordinary recording - extraordinary in concept, planning, preparation, and execution. Orchestras have been known to let an entire violin section stand up and play Paganini's "Perpetual motion" in unison - often with dubious results - but a cello section that can transform itself into a multi-layered ensemble is unique. Of course it only works if the section belongs to a great orchestra and consists of great individual players. The sound these cellists produce is incredible, from the sonority of an orchestra to delicate, transparent lines, from somber darkness to celestial radiance. They must have very strong thumbs: much of the music lies in the stratospheric thumb-position. Indeed, it is often hard to believe that these are cellos, not violins, or flutes and oboes. Their intonation, balance and unanimity are impeccable, and their stylistic versatility equals their technical command. The program, in excellent arrangements, some by the players themselves, ranges from a 17th-century Carissimi prayer (with chorus) through Bach, Mendelssohn, Debussy, Verdi, Piazzolla, whose Tango Suite gives the disc its title, Pärt, whose "Fratres" is heard in its original version, punctuated by bass-drum thuds, to contemporary Gospel shouts (with a jazz singer) by Volker Schlott, a Berlin-based jazz musician. The program ends with a frankly emotional, beautiful piece written for the 12 Cellists by Markus Stockhausen, who joins them on trumpet and flugelhorn. The recording's only flaw is its excessive dynamic contrast; let your ears revel in the Cellists' sound, but keep a finger on the volume control. --Edith Eisler