Siècle
Leonard Elschenbroich (cello), Alexei Grynyuk (piano)
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, John Wilson, Stefan Blunier
The undoubted jewel on the disc is the performance of the Dutilleux concerto, which is in every way outstanding…Elschenbroich demonstrates virtuosity and musicianship of a high order
Siècle
Leonard Elschenbroich (cello), Alexei Grynyuk (piano)
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, John Wilson, Stefan Blunier
Purchase product
The undoubted jewel on the disc is the performance of the Dutilleux concerto, which is in every way outstanding…Elschenbroich demonstrates virtuosity and musicianship of a high order
About
A century of French music for cello is the focus of a fascinating programme from Leonard Elschenbroich. The two cello concertos on this album, composed 100 years apart frame Debussy’s late cello sonata, Ravel’s 'Habanera' and movement 5 of Messiaen’s 'Quartet for the End of Time'. These compositions span years of the Franco-Prussian War, the First and Second World wars, and into the 1970s: a whole distant world.
Former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist, Leonard Elschenbroich’s debut CD for Onyx Classics of Sonatas by Rachmaninov and Shostakovich was released in 2013 and received 5-star reviews from The Telegraph, Guardian as well as Editor’s Choice in Gramophone. His second disc was released in 2014 and featured Kabalevsky’s Cello Concerto No 2 with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and Andrew Litton. A third disc included works by, and his personal tribute to, Schnittke. Future releases will include concertos by Saint-Saens and Dutilleux with the BBC Scottish Symphony. He plays a cello made by Matteo Goffriller “Leonard Rose” (Venice, 1693), on private loan.
Contents and tracklist
- Leonard Elschenbroich, Alexei Grynyuk
- Leonard Elschenbroich, Alexei Grynyuk
- Leonard Elschenbroich, Alexei Grynyuk
- Leonard Elschenbroich, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Stefan Blunier
Spotlight on this release
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Awards and reviews
September 2017
The undoubted jewel on the disc is the performance of the Dutilleux concerto, which is in every way outstanding…Elschenbroich demonstrates virtuosity and musicianship of a high order
Awards Issue 2017
Elschenbroich’s burgeoning discography continues to defy convention. This time it is not the music itself that is unfamiliar but rather the way in which the cellist has chosen to pull together a disparate programme representing a century of French creativity…Elschenbroich’s dark, lean sonority cuts across other expectations too…rivals tend to inhabit a subtler, more rarefied (more French?) sound world…Recommended, nonetheless. Just don’t expect too much in the way of Gallic insouciance.
31st August 2017
Elschenbroich deftly sweeps through the Saint-Saëns, full of elegance, grace, dramatic flair and tight-lipped expressiveness.
6th June 2017
it is the Dutilleux concerto that is most fascinating, a mystically-charged work with tender nuance and haunting colours, worthily supported by the BBC SSO under John Wilson
August 2017
This is cello playing that really smiles
Classical CD Review
Elschenbroich and John Wilson go in for clear lines and focused phrasing [in the Dutilleux]…the Saint-Saens First Cello Concerto is highlight of the disc…Elschenbroich, now working with conductor Stefan Blunier, doesn't over-emphasize the music's Romantic heritage, preferring instead to project lithe, angular lines…you come away afterwards with the feeling that each of these pieces has been presented with a rare conviction and intensity
