d\'Albert; Dohnányi; Enescu: Works for Cello and Orchestra

Introduction:

One of the things I love the most about classical music is that it is impossible to get to know everything that is written in the genre - no matter how much you listen to, study, play or find on the dustiest shelf in some archive in the middle of nowhere - there will always be something new just around the corner... Unfortunately it is often the case that concert promoters, orchestral administrators, record companies ...
...know than take the risk in putting on something which the average listener or audience member is unlikely to have ever come across. Everyone talks about the old arguments of not wanting to take a financial risk - which is understandable, but I do feel strongly that sometimes we do need to insert new musical blood into our concert and listening lives, especially if the potential piece has real quality. How do we know if it is going to capture the ... more

Introduction:

One of the things I love the most about classical music is that it is impossible to get to know everything that is written in the genre - no matter how much you listen to, study, play or find on the dustiest shelf in some archive in the middle of nowhere - there will always be something new just around the corner... Unfortunately it is often the case that concert promoters, orchestral administrators, record companies and even many musicians prefer to stick with what they know than take the risk in putting on something which the average listener or audience member is unlikely to have ever come across. Everyone talks about the old arguments of not wanting to take a financial risk - which is understandable, but I do feel strongly that sometimes we do need to insert new musical blood into our concert and listening lives, especially if the potential piece has real quality. How do we know if it is going to capture the audience's imagination if we don't even try?!

Fortunately the record company Hyperion have always had a great philosophy about bringing out recordings featuring unusual repertoire, and this CD is a prime example of this. Combined with a soloist, the cellist - Alban Gerhardt - and a conductor - Carlos Kalmar - both passionate proponents of the musical path less travelled, they've produced a fascinating recording which should hopefully achieve a lot in making these works better known.

Artists:

Cellist Alban Gerhardt is one of the top international cello soloists on the circuit today, with a very wide-ranging repertoire, appearing with such orchestras as the Berlin Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony and many others. He regularly appears at the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall and in addition to his solo engagements also enjoys a thriving chamber music career. Alban has a very cool website at http://www.albangerhardt.com/ Extracts from this CD can be found on his site at: http://www.albangerhardt.com/frames.pl?path=http://www.albangerhardt.com/en glish/audio.html

Conductor Carlos Kalmar is Music Director of the Oregon Symphony in the USA and principal conductor of the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago - there is a useful website at www.grantparkmusicfestival.com which has a fuller biography of Mr Kalmar. He has conducted many major orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, to name just a few and like Alban Gerhardt, has a particular interest in more unusual repertoire. One of the great advantages of this CD which should make it even more attractive to the potential buyer, is that both artists have frequently worked together in the past, which in my opinion is always a good thing when it comes to collaborating on a recording. The orchestra is the BBC Scottish Symphony.

Music and Performances:

Ernö Dohnányi (1877-1960) - Konzertstück in D major Op. 12: Dohnányi was born in Bratislava (his grandson is the eminent conductor Christoph von Dohnányi) and first established himself as a virtuoso pianist. However, after Johannes Brahms complimented him on his first composition efforts, he combined his playing career with his composing. Dohnányi's music is very much in the Brahmsian, Romantic tradition and this is especially evident in the Konzertstück, which was written between 1903-4 and is full of irresistible lyricism from start to finish. Dohnányi's father was a cellist and this shows in the assured and idiomatic way in which he writes for the instrument. The piece is a single half hour long movement.

This is totally gorgeous music, right from the start the melodious and lyrical quality of the orchestral and solo cello writing draws one into the piece and one can sense immediately that as far as recording quality goes, this is definitely a winner. The balance between orchestra and solo cello is excellent, with the soloist not being placed so forward that he doesn't seem part of the orchestra, yet not so much "in" the orchestra that he is drowned out at any dynamic level above mezzoforte. Hyperion do have a great reputation for excellence in their recording techniques and this is evident here right from the start.

There is some beautiful dialogue between solo cellist and orchestra in particular with the 1st clarinet - very well played by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Most of the time Carlos Kalmar keeps them on a tight leash, enabling clear and transparent textures, yet always allowing the soloist to sing through, but at one point where there is a fortissimo climax leading up to an ecstatic statement of the main theme - he lets the orchestra loose - and one can hear them revelling in the moment! Great climax which makes you wish you were playing!

Listening to this easily accessible and instantly enjoyable piece, one wonders why on earth it is not more often played or heard. Perhaps it is because it has the most exquisitely subtle ending where the cello flies upwards into the heaven, disappearing into nothing in the air - totally gorgeous - but not the slam-dunk LOUD finish that many less sophisticated soloists prefer for their showpieces. Alban Gerhardt obviously loves this music.

George Enescu (1881-1955) - Symphonie concertante in B flat minor Op. 8: Enescu was born in Romania and started composing when he was only 5! This work, written when he was 19 shows how creatively confident he was and how much of an individual style he had already developed. Not content to be a fine composer, Enescu was also a world class violinist, excellent pianist and good enough a conductor to have been considered as Toscanini's successor at the New York Philharmonic! He also played cello, which explains how well he wrote for the instrument.

This piece really shows off Alban Gerhardt's absolutely fantastic technique and virtuosity, everything sounds so "easy" when he plays it - which of course just demonstrates the total control he has over the cello. Another plus point to the CD is the way in which Gerhardt and Kalmar make a single movement work such as this sound so seamless and natural. Both artists understand the need for large-scale phrasing and have a keen feel for tempi which are neither too rushed nor indeed too slow - one never loses an overall sense of momentum.

The Enescu is perhaps the most complex piece on the CD - looking forward beyond romanticism, yet the clear texture and perfect balance evident in this recording helps the listener to appreciate this busy score fully. The music whilst still highly lyrical, has perhaps more gritty drama than the other two works and the careful shaping of the piece by Kalmar and Gerhardt highlights its almost symphonic aspirations.

Eugene d'Albert (1864-1932) - Cello concerto in C major Op. 20: Despite his name d'Albert was actually a Glaswegian by birth! He started his career as a pianist and was regarded by Liszt as one of his best pupils. Like Dohnányi, d'Albert was very much a Brahmsian when it came to his compositions and Brahms also greatly admired the young man's work. D'Albert only wrote one cello concerto, which he completed in 1899. Again it is a work in one movement with 3 distinct sections as in traditional concerto form. As with the Dohnányi it has an absolutely gorgeous main theme, which reappears in different guises throughout the work, culminating eventually in a wonderfully exuberant ending - much enjoyed by the orchestra in this recording.

One of the big selling points in this performance to any potential buyer is the first-class playing from the orchestra - not to say that it doesn't sound great in the other 2 concerti - but here the woodwind are particularly at the forefront of the scoring and there is some beautiful playing in particular from the 1st oboe and 1st clarinet. As to be expected Alban Gerhardt plays with great expressiveness and also drama when required. He isn't afraid to dig into the string for a big sound and I personally like that forthright style of playing though some more sensitive souls might feel it almost borders on aggressiveness.

The intricate dialogue between orchestra and solo cello is especially strong in this piece and I love the way in which there is never a feeling that the band are having to be forcibly held back by Kalmar, rather that there's a natural understanding between them - hard to explain but it is easy to play a "weak" kind of pianissimo, but hard to play an "intense" pianissimo which has the quietness but still retains the sound quality of the orchestra. The latter is very much in evidence here and is the sign of a fine performance. I just adore the big ending in d'Albert's concerto, it makes a most satisfying climax to the CD.

General comments:

The recording was made in Dundee's Caird Hall, which has a very impressive acoustic, and as a result the sound quality is crystal clear, reverberant without being too much so and the orchestra and soloist are able to produce a great dynamic and sonic range which is fully replicated on the CD. Top marks for first class engineering and production from Hyperion. The CD booklet is full of interesting information on the pieces and describes their musical progress in detail so one can follow along with the CD and know where one is structurally within the piece, as well as short biographies of the artists.

Tracking on the CD is more than adequate, none of the one track for a whole half hour piece palaver. What makes me want to recommend this CD so highly is the obvious love and care devoted to the interpretations, performance and recording. At 1 hour and 9 minutes the amount of music on the CD is very generous. The quality of music making is second to none, this is truly world class cello playing, accompanied by a highly sensitive conductor and an orchestra on the top of its form. The enthusiasm of all involved is tangible and it makes you want to go and explore these composers some more. I've been playing this CD regularly since I got it and that's the biggest recommendation I can make - it really does grow more and more on you!

This is actually the first in a series of "Romantic Cello Concerto" to be recorded with Alban Gerhardt, the second volume with different conductor and orchestra has recently been released.

If you like the Elgar and Dvorak cello concerti, or if you are a fan of Brahms, then this disc is a must hear for you. It can be found at great discount prices with a little hunting (I recently saw it at 20% off on Tesco.com which including Quidco is a pretty good deal!) So for anyone who wants to explore some great sounding music which is sadly still a little neglected - very highly recommended! 

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