It would be one of the most daunting works to take on for any musician, given the history of its recording, yet British cellist Natalie Clein decided to do it. It took her some ten years to get to the point where she felt ready to tackle it again for posterity, and this CD gives her good reason to be proud.
ELGAR'S CELLO CONCERTO AND DU PRÉ
So what's so intimidating about Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto? Besides its call in the performer for technical virtuosity and a mature musical understanding of the piece, the concerto has also been inextricably linked with Jacqueline du Pré (1945 - 1987), cellist extraordinaire, who was tragically struck down at the prime of life by multiple sclerosis. Her landmark 1965 recording, made when she was just twenty (with John Barbirolli conducting the London Symphony Orchestra), is still hallowed by many today, and the shadow it casts upon all future performers is not easily avoided.
Well, with this new, all-Elgar CD recording for EMI (the same label that releases Ms du Pré's works), the thirty-year-old Ms Clein makes the Cello Concerto her own, but does so without ignoring the legacy of Ms du Pré. (She'd already played it before at age 16,
which won her the BBC Young Musician Award.) The two women couldn't be more different in their playing styles, yet both are equally deserving of everyone's full attention.
CLEIN vs. DU PRÉ
Ms Clein's style hews far from the desperation that Ms du Pré brought to her relatively ragged version, with a tempestuousness that was scary in its immediacy. Similar to the du Pré entrance, Ms Clein's rapid attack in the concerto's opening bars sinks its hooks into you at once, and henceforth, it becomes a simple matter to reel you into the rest of the piece. Beneath the beautifully burnished and controlled playing, Ms Clein betrays a musical heart that pulses vigorously with life. She makes subtle use of vibrato, and never veers into saccharine sentimentality (just like the fine German instrumentalist, Anne-Sophie Mutter, used to do on the violin - before she misguidedly chose to go down a dangerously diabetes-inducing path some years ago).
Ms Clein, like all superior musicians, becomes one with her instrument. All thought of technique and virtuosity vanish when she takes bow to strings. It's a tricky line to walk - the playing should go beyond the technical aspect and not call attention to the musician herself. You can almost feel her soul sing out to you through that cello, whose tone is full and handsome. She plays with intelligent musical phrasing, wisely varying her dynamics (volume) and never abusing her rubatos (elasticity of tempos). All are employed solely at the service of the music. She presents a beautifully realised whole from finely sculpted parts that, while carefully thought-out and constructed, never sound fastidious or prissy. There's a depth of feeling for the music that I fail to get from other prominent cellists of the day who shall remain nameless.
The Cello Concerto was Elgar's response to the gloom that enveloped him and his generation after World War I. Even in the work's brief, lilting passages there lies an undercurrent of melancholy, evincing the composer's profound sense of loss after the Great War. The cello's mournful sound is used to great advantage, especially in the moving, Wagnerian slow movement (III: Adagio), and the soloist's instrument is front and centre throughout. It's a rather lean composition, with only strings and winds keeping the cello company on occasion, and brass accents bursting forth in a few, select spots.
THE MINIATURES
Even the smaller pieces receive more than mere perfunctory playing from Ms Clein. Originally written for other instruments by Elgar, these miniatures were arranged for the cello by Julian Milone. Ms Clein's engaging style brings a nice contrast between the skipping staccato notes and smooth, flowing legato ones on 'La Capriceuse'. The lovely 'In Moonlight' and 'Romance, Opus 68' evoke an air of joy tinged with melancholia. On the other hand, a whimsical frothiness is offered in 'Salut d'Amour' and 'Chanson de Matin'. Things are brought to a poignant close with the deep sighs of 'Sospiri'.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Ms Clein, ably supported by Vernon Handley and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, does justice to all the Elgar pieces here. I can reassure devotees of the du Pré recording of Elgar's Cello Concerto that Ms Clein's vibrant reading will not disappoint at all, and warmly recommend it as a welcome addition to their library.
Although this isn't Ms Clein's first CD release, it might be her most impressive, if only for the unqualified success she's gained with the Cello Concerto. While I expect to explore more of her CDs, labels like 'The Romantic Cello' do not exactly entice this listener to rush out to snap up a copy.
Right now, I'm hoping really hard that a recording of J. S. Bach's cello sonatas is in the offing. As for the album under present review, it's one that will please all comers. That's five glowing stars for a job well done.
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Extra: See a music video of Ms Clein performing the Elgar Cello Cto. here (excerpt only):
1. Cello Concerto In E Minor, Op.85 2. Salut D'amour (Arr. J. Milone) 3. La Capricieuse (Arr. J. Milone) 4. Romance For Bassoon And Orchestra (Arr. J. Milone) 5. In Moonlight (Arr. J. Milone) 6. Chanson De Matin (Arr. J. Milone) 7. Sospiri (Arr. J. Milone)
Natalie Clein, cello Vernon Handley Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Audio CD (24 September 2007) Label: EMI Classics Amazon.co.uk price: £11.98
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Minor Op. 85 Cello Concerto In E Minor Op. 85 Salut d'Amour (arr. J.Milone) La Capricieuse (arr. J.Milone) Romance For Bassoon And Orchestra (arr. J.Milone) In Mo...
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