Composer: Robert Schumann
Performer: Gautier Capuçon, Martha Argerich, Renaud Capuçon
Orchestra: Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Conductor: Bernard Haitink
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Erato
Catalogue: 9029563421
Release: 2019
Size: 372 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129
01. I. Nicht zu schnell
02. II. Langsam
03. III. Sehr lebhaft
Adagio and Allegro in A flat major, Op. 70
04. I. Langsam, mit innigem Ausdruck
05. II. Allegro, rasch und feurig
Fantasiestücke, Op. 73
06. I. Zart und mit Ausdruck
07. II. Lebhaft, leicht
08. III. Rasch und mit Feuer
Stücke im Volkston, Op. 102
09. I. Mit Humor – Vanitas vanitatum
10. II. Langsam
11. III. Nicht schnell, mit viel Ton zu spielen
12. IV. Nicht zu rasch
13. V. Stark und markiert
Fantasiestücke in A minor for Piano Trio, Op. 88
14. I. Romanze. Nicht schnell, mit innigem Ausdruck
15. II. Humoreske. Lebhaft
16. III. Duett. Langsam und mit Ausdruck
17. IV. Finale. Im Marsch-Tempo
Cellist Gautier Capuçon is the constant presence in this programme of music by Robert Schumann. In the Cello Concerto his partners are Bernard Haitink and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and in a selection of chamber works his violinist brother Renaud and the pianist Martha Argerich. “Bernard Haitink is a wonderfully inspiring guide,” says Gautier, “and Martha Argerich carries me along on the composer’s waves of romanticism and passion.”
French cellist Gautier Capuçon does not lack for charisma (or talent), and he has emerged as a major star. The Erato label seems to have tried to capitalize on that with the design of this album, featuring photos by the American Jamie Beck that cast Capuçon as a kind of Byronic figure. It may be a bit over the top, but classical music needs stars. The contents of the album, however, may not quite live up to the heroic concept. They consist of live performances recorded between 2009 and 2015, not of new material. Schumann wrote more music for cello than other composers did, and assembling them in a single program may have made sense. But the sound universes of the Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129, and the various chamber pieces are entirely different. The major attraction here is the concerto, a work that has been revaluated upward in recent years as performers have clarified its knotty lines. Historically oriented performance works well with Schumann, and there is a historical reading by Argentine cellist Sol Gabetta with the Kammerorchester Basel. But Capuçon offers a fine modern-instrument option, and an important contributor to its success is octogenarian conductor Bernard Haitink, leading the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Sample the precise interplay between Capuçon and Haitink in the first movement, which makes the music seem to unfold inevitably. The concerto never drags, and Capuçon sounds gorgeous. The chamber works were recorded at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland with pianist Martha Argerich, and, in the case of the Fantasiestücke, Op. 88, Capuçon’s brother Renaud on violin. Despite the august collaborators, these readings feature differing approaches from the principals and don’t quite jell, either interpretively or sonically. Nevertheless, this is an album Capuçon’s fans will want, and the reading of the concerto is an important addition to its growing discography.