Fournier – Aristocrat of the Cello (6 CD box set, APE)

Audio CD
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 6
Format: APE (image+cue)
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Size: 1.84 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

CD 1
01-04 Vivaldi – Concerto for Cello, String and Continuo in E minor
December 1963, Zurich, Switzerland
05-09 Couperin – Pieces en Concert for Cello and String Ensemble
December 1963, Zurich, Switzerland
10-12 C.P.E Bach – Cello Concerto in A major
October 1961, Zurich, Switzerland
13-15 Boccherini – Cello Concerto in B flat major
October 1961, Zurich, Switzerland

CD 2
01-03 Haydn – Cello Concerto No. 1 in C
May 1967, Lucerne, Switzerland
04-06 Haydn – Cello Concerto No. 2 in D
December 1964, Zurich, Switzerland
07-11 Stravinsky – Suite Italienne from “Pulcinella”
April 1965, Hannover, Germany
12 Stravinsky – Chanson russe
April 1965, Hannover, Germany

CD 3
01-03 Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104
June 1961, Berlin, Germany
04-07 Elgar – Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85
October 1966, Berlin, Germany

CD 4
01-03 Brahms – Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 1 in E minor, Op. 38
September 1965, Berlin, Germany
04-07 Brahms – Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 2 in F, Op. 99
September 1965, Berlin, Germany
08-11 Franck – Sonata for Violin and Piano in A (trans. for Cello and Piano)
January 1971, Munich, Germany

CD 5
01-03 Schubert – Sonata for Piano and Arpeggione in A minor, D 821a
September 1967, Berlin, Germany
04 Mendelssohn – Variations concertantes, Op. 17
September 1967, Berlin, Germany
05-07 Schumann – Fantasiestuecke, Op. 73
September 1967, Berlin, Germany
08-12 Schumann – Fuenf Stuecke im Volkston, Op. 102
September 1967, Berlin, Germany
13-16 Chopin – Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 65
January 1971, Munich, Germany

CD 6
01 Francoeur – Cello Sonata in E major
January 1969, Munich, Germany
02 Haydn – Cello Sonata in C major
January 1969, Munich, Germany
03-04 von Weber – Violin Sonata, Op. 10, No. 3
January 1969, Munich, Germany
05 Chopin – Nocturne in E flat major, Op. 9, No. 2
January 1969, Munich, Germany
06 Rimsky-Korsakov – Hymne au soleil from Le Coq d’or
January 1969, Munich, Germany
07 Rimsky-Korsakov – Flight of the Bumble-bee from “Tsar Sultan”
January 1969, Munich, Germany
08 Schumann – Adagio und Allegro, Op. 70
January 1969, Munich, Germany
09 J.S. Bach, Gounod – Ave Maria (Meditation)
January 1969, Munich, Germany
10 Tchaikovsky – Valse sentimentale, Op. 51, No. 6
January 1969, Munich, Germany
11 Brahms – Feldeinsamkeit, Op. 86, No. 2
January 1969, Munich, Germany
12 Popper – Elfentanz, Op. 39
January 1969, Munich, Germany
13 Dvorak – Rondo, Op. 94
January 1969, Munich, Germany
14 Saint-Saens – Le Cygne from “Le Carnaval des animaux”
January 1969, Munich, Germany
15 Paganini – Variations on a theme from Rossini’s Moses
January 1969, Munich, Germany
16 Tchaikovsky – Pezzo capriccioso, Op. 62
January 1969, Munich, Germany

The Fabulous Pierre Fournier

Before I begin writing this review I would like to pose a question to the folks at DG/Universal. Among the great French classical musicians of the 20th Century, is Monique Haas more fondly remembered in the United States than Pierre Fournier? Clearly the answer must be yes, because you have decided to reissue your new Monique Haas Original Masters box set domestically while this recent Pierre Fournier is only available as a pricey import. UNI, you once again leave me scratching my head at your marketing decisions, but then I never was very good at judging popularity contests.

Ultimately, the music is all that matters, and there are some fine examples on this 6CD set, “Pierre Fournier: Aristocrat of the Cello.” Fournier was originally an EMI aritst (see my review of “Les Introuvables de Pierre Fournier”), and he did not join DG until 1959, after a five year stint with Decca. Of course that means all of the recordings contained within this set are in glorious golden age stereo! And you really do get a little bit of everything — from Vivaldi and Haydn to Schubert and Stravinsky, from Concertos and Sonatas to “Encore” bonbons, and everything in between. The highlights of this set for me continue to be the Dvorak and Elgar Concertos, recordings I have enjoyed for years as they have been previously available on a single title (see my review). In the “new to me” department, I would have to say the deepest impressions were those left by the CPE Bach Concerto, the Brahms Sonatas with Rudolf Firkusny, and the various material on disc five made with son Jean Fonda on piano.

In all, the Pierre Fournier “Original Masters” set is a most welcome addition to a great series of box sets. I only wish that Universal would make this set as universally available as the one featuring Monique Haas.