Music: New Cello Virtuoso

Star cellists are a lot rarer than piano or violin virtuosos. A brilliant and (to the West) virtually unknown cellist made an appearance in East Berlin last week that left listeners surprised and breathless. Soviet Russia's Daniel Shafran, 34, turned out to be a sometime prodigy (the Soviets bought him his Amati cello when he was only 14) who today may have no equal among the younger generation of cellists.

Almost too slight-looking for his muscle-straining art, Shafran handled his instrument as if it were no bigger than a fiddle. In two programs he ranged from the Khachaturian cello concerto to a Bach suite to Debussy pieces. He played with uncanny accuracy and ease, demonstrated his power by the zing of his attacks, especially in the way he clouted his instrument in loud pizzicato chords. At quieter moments, he laid his cheek against the neck of the cello as if it were a pillow. Shafran's tone was big and creamy, his cantilena as expressive as if words were being sung. Critics raved. Said the Berliner Zeitung: "This artist must be counted among the most outstanding masters of the instrument."