Saint-Saëns: Cello Concertos

 

At the time of these recordings, this compilation comes from 2005 but the performances were set down in throughout the 90s, there were not many recorded sets available of both Cello Concertos from Camille Saint-Saëns, particularly No. 2. The one which stands out in my mind from yesteryear came from the 70s with Hungarian cellist Laszlo Varga on Vox. Come the 1990s and 2000s, however, there was en explosion of recordings of both concertos, although the first concerto remains the composer's most popular and oft-recorded.

And for good reason too, for the Cello Concerto no. 1 in A minor, despite its one-movement setting and rather short runtime, triggers the Romantic Era imagination and cunning imbued into the composer's famous Symphony no. 3. The work swirls with tunes and never does any portion overstay its welcome. The orchestral dialogue with the solo cello is terrifically woven into what is simply a jewel of a concerto. I daresay, it may be my favorite of all Saint-Saëns' efforts in the concertante genre.

Not that the Cello Concerto no. 2 in D minor is bad, for it is not. The music here does not wear its heart as soundly on its sleeve and the work comes to a rather abrupt conclusion which leaves the listener less than satisfied, I think. Instead, the Second Cello Concerto is a noble, serious piece, which is short on the fantastical swirlings, heartfelt lyricism, and youthful joy of the first. It is more epic in scope however, and like Piano Concerto no. 4, chooses a two-movement structure with each movement further divided into two, akin to the aforementioned Organ Symphony. The cello portion in No. 2, on the other hand, sounds much more virtuosic in comparison to the first. The double stops and the harmonics are standout moments from the cello, who is given a sizeable cadenza as well.

Some preferred the more restrained Torleif Thedéen on BIS, whose set came out around the same time. I must say I like Steven Isserlis' headlong way towards the music, not afraid to pull back into songfulness when he feels it, but eager to saw into the cello parts. It helps having the London Symphony Orchestra under Michael Tilson Thomas in the first, although the upfront placement of Isserlis is shocking when moving on to Cello Concerto 2 with Christoph Eschenbach and the NDR Symphony Orchestra. There, Isserlis is slightly further back in the Hamburg acoustic, so I often like to begin with the Second Cello Concerto to minimize the difference, and give me quality time with the lesser-played concerto.

As I mentioned at the top, many sets of both concertos, and all of the concertante extras, have built up in the catalog. Many believe Isserlis' set stands as an ultimate achievement, but that is only limiting what modern cellists have to offer. I like the set from Johannes Moser on Hänssler, Vol. 5 of the Romantic Cello Concerto on Hyperion, Truls Mørk on Chandos, where each have a host of extras. Some sets even include the cello sonatas, which this RCA Isserlis compilation originally had on their separate releases.

Here, RCA adds La Muse et le Poète, a quasi tone poem featuring solo violin and cello, the former played by US violinist Joshua Bell on this recording. I particularly enjoy the nostalgic musical quality surrounding the 'poet' against the 'muse' who more spontaneous, yet the nearly 16-minute work rambles on a fair bit too much for my tastes.

I love when composers look to the past when creating an instrumental suite, I am reminded of Ravel with such a description, and we get that here in Saint-Saëns' Suite for Cello and Orchestra. The orchestrations are colorful and full attention is given over to the full range of the cello in these settings. It is the central Gavotte, though, which hearkens strongest to musical styles of yore for this listener, but overall the music interestingly sticks to the dance models of a true suite.

Best of all is the short Prière for solo cello and organ only. The music is reverent, but grows increasingly complex harmonically as the work wends on. Aided by the acoustic from the Eton College Chapel, the music sounds like each player is distantly meditating on their own, somehow coming together in shared musical thoughts. Francis Grier is particularly adept, amazing the listener with his choice of organ registrations as well as his hair-pin dynamic control, all wonderfully balanced by RCA.

There are a fair amount of choices in the cello concertante works of Saint-Saëns. I think this set from Steven Isserlis remains a fine choice, but make sure to check out his recordings of the two cello suites on RCA as well.

 

 

 

Works
Cello Concerto 1 in A minor, op. 33 (18.44)
Cello Concerto 2 in D minor, op. 119 (18.01)
La Muse et le Poète, op. 132 (15.45)
Suite for Cello & Orchestra, op. 16bis (17.04)
Prière, op. 158 (5.55)

Soloist
Steven Isserlis, cello
Joshua Bell, violin (op. 132)
Francis Grier, organ (op. 158)

Ensembles
London Symphony Orchestra (op. 33)
    Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
NDR Symphony Orchestra
    Christoph Eschenbach, conductor

Label: RCA
Year: 1992-99; 2005
Total Timing: 76.02

 

 

 

A terrific program of both cello concertos from British cellist Steven Isserlis.

There are other collections available, some reaching 2CDs and paired with the violin concertos, but this one still remains relevant and convincing.

 

 

 

 

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