Schumann & Saint-Saëns Cello Concertos • Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations

Summary:

“Antonio Meneses delivers technically immaculate and warmly expressive playing throughout these three well-established 19th-century repertoire works … beautifully recorded and very fine performances [benefitting] enormously from the excellent playing of the Royal Northern Sinfonia” ★★★★ – BBC Music Magazine

“Meneses’s performance is flexible and trimly played, with plenty of warm tone and an alert accompaniment under Claudio Cruz…In short, this is [a] good programme showcasing an extremely fine cellist which works well as a sequence” – Gramophone

In celebration of the 35th anniversary of winning First Prize and the Gold Medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, as well as his 60th birthday in August 2017, Antonio Meneses adds to his distinguished discography with three works with orchestra he has not previously recorded: Schumann’s Cello Concerto in A minor, Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1, and Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme. Early, seminal recordings with Herbert von Karajan led to further, phenomenal success and recognition of Antonio’s beguiling combination of virtuoso élan and thoughtful introspection. His tenth recording for AVIE, these first concertante recordings form a vital part of his series for the label that includes several cornerstones of the cello repertoire, including Bach’s Six Cello Suites, the complete cello music by Beethoven (with pianist Menahem Pressler), the two Haydn concertos, and the Grammy-nominated pairing of concertos by Hans Gál and Edward Elgar for which he was joined by Claudio Cruz and the Royal Northern Sinfonia, as he is on this new release.

Tracklist:

ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810–1856)
Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129
1. I. Nicht schnell (11.13)
2. II. Langsam (3.54)
3. III. Sehr lebhaft (7.36)

CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS (1835–1921)
Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33
4. Allegro non troppo – (5.35)
5. Allegretto con moto – (4.49)
6. Allegro non troppo (8.41)

PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY (1840–1893)
Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33
7. Introduction: Moderato quasi andante – Thema: Moderato semplice – (2.28)
8. Variation I: Tempo della tema – (0.51)
9. Variation II: Tempo della tema – (1.13)
10. Variation III: Andante sostenuto – (3.34)
11. Variation IV: Andante grazioso –Un poco animato – (1.57)
12. Variation V: Allegro moderato – Cadenza – (3.22)
13. Variation VI: Andante – (2.21)
14. Variation VII & Coda: Allegro vivo (2.21)