“It’s always humbling to try (and) imagine how many times an artist has performed a cornerstone work for their chosen instrument. Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, an unfolding series of increasingly difficult variations based on a theme in the rococo style, is one such piece, with Barnes tackling the work with all the freshness of new discovery.

Hi immediately infused its opening theme with eloquent grace and lyrical phrasing before displaying his technical prowess, including agile figuration of his triplet figures during the second variation, tossing off relentless 32nd notes as easily as child’s play during the fourth section, and gleefully rendering his buzzing trills, including skating up and down his entire ranges during the fifth.

But he also revealed the work’s beating heart and Russian soul during its more somber sections. A highlight was its melancholic sixth variation, in which his solo voice seemed to bleed out of the orchestra, with his cadenza in particular soaked in world-weary pathos. Thankfully, these darker shadows were given relief during his bow-blazing finale fuelled by plenty of multiple stops and rapid-fire arpeggios that – as expected – led to a rousing standing ovation, with cheers of “Bravo!” from his rapt listeners.”

Winnipeg Free Press

“Truly an inspiring artist, it’s always an event when he performs…(Ariel Barnes) is the outstanding Canadian Cellist of his generation.”

Grammy and Juno Award Winning Maestro Bramwell Tovey

“…adventurous and dramatic cello playing”

The Whole Note

“…played passionately by Ariel Barnes…”

BBC Music Magazine