You certainly may be forgiven for not knowing the works of 18th century French composer/violoncellist Jean Baptiste Masse, but you may be suspected of faulty aesthetic development if you don't immediately fall under the seductive spell of these fine, often outstanding, works for two cellos and continuo.

In the general musical sense, these pieces (Masse actually wrote five volumes of cello sonatas) are well crafted and thoroughly engaging compositions that combine elements of French and Italian style; as cello works, they represent a significant developmental stage in the history of virtuoso cello playing, posing substantial and nearly equally distributed technical demands on both performers. Cellists Douglas McNames and Vivian Barton, along with harpsichordist Karen Flint, take to these six four-movement sonatas with just the right blend of seriousness and abandon to impress us with the music's artful dialogues and daring virtuosic forays. The two soloists approach the music with a certain deliberateness in articulation that, combined with the astonishingly realistic, clearly detailed, resonant sound, gives an almost palpable presence to each instrument and to all the individual lines.

Although Bach got sounds like this out of only one cello (with no continuo), Masse's sonatas are in their way no less extraordinary for their ability to entertain and frequently amaze. This is a wonderful disc; a celebration of the cello; a real find. 

--David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com