JeanGuihen Queyras Isabelle Faust Alexander Melnikov - Dvorak Cello Concerto Dumky Trio (9 tracks) +Album Reviews

Beauty. Slow Beauty

J. F. Laurson | Washington, DC United States | 05/04/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a marvellous addition to the crowded market of Dvorak Cello Concerto recording. Superbly played and inexcellent sound, Queyras and Co. (both in the Concerto and coincidentally in the Trio) succeed especially in creating some of the finest slow movements I have ever heard. Note the least on account of those, this recording moved into the company of the other two versions of the Cello that I hold in high estimate: the famous Karajan/Rostropovich on DG and the molten-lava-like Celibidache/Du Pre on Telarc (formerly DG). Warmly recommended.

"

This is a great one

Eric S. Kim | Southern California | 05/22/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There's really not much to say about this Dvorak Cello Concerto recording; only that it's magnificent. Jean-Guihen Queyras gives the cello a nice polish and panache, and it's most clearly evident in the slow-paced second movement (it sounds so pure and heavenly). Jiri Belohlavek and the Prague Philharmonia create a beautiful atmosphere (kudos to Harmonia Mundi for the excellent sound quality). The woodwinds are clear, the brasses are energetic, and the strings are typically handled with Bohemian finesse. This is hands down one of the finest recordings for Dvorak's Cello Concerto ever put on a compact disc. Get it while you still can."

How Do You Spell "magnificent" in Czech?

Giordano Bruno | Wherever I am, I am. | 10/06/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If there's any logic in the Universe, the word should be "Queyras"! This is a magnificent performance by the young cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras, one of the new wave of cellists who are equally facile on baroque or modern instruments. I've already reviewed Queyras's performance of the six Bach Suites for solo cello; it's magnificent! Now I have to exclaim in wonder at his interpretation of the workhorse Cello Concerto by Antonin Dvorak, a composition I've always enjoyed in almost any performance. I have several versions on CD, so I decided to listen to Queyras's head-to-head with the far better-selling recording by Yo-Yo Ma with the New York Philharmonic. It was quite a revelation; to my ears, Queyras wins every round, but I was also surprised that the Prague Philharmonic outplayed the New Yorkers dramatically in the first and third movements. The concerto begins orchestrally; several minutes pass before the cello enters, and those minutes reveal a great deal. The Prague Orchestra is splendidly transparent (here's my neologism: 'transhearable) in allowing each instrumental timbre to be heard, even amid massed orchestral declamations. The tuning is better, the recording acoustic is sharper, I knew before the cello uttered a note that the contest was over.

Possibly it's Queyras's profound understanding of the baroque cello and of the aesthetic of "historically informed performance" than makes his cello so lovingly voice-like. Think of a voice like that of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, a voice that can project beauty on every note of its range and warmth at ever level of dynamics. That's Queyras's cello. Besides, his bowing is far more precise than Ma's, and it makes his quick passages both elegant and eloquent, while Ma's sound only vigorous. This is unquestionably the best performance of the Dvorak I've ever heard.

Some reviewers elsewhere have objected to the recording technology of this CD. They accurately point out that the cello is close-miked, while the orchestra is miked for a more general ambience. Thus, they say, the sound you hear is unlike any sound you would hear in alive performance. And so it is, but all for the better! What you hear is what the cellist himself hears while playing: his own voice in his own space, in dialogue with the orchestra BEHIND him. The concerto form is always potentially such a agon, soloist against symphony. A cello concerto risks much, in that the cello doesn't easily hold its own against 20 violins and a ragtag of other instruments. The forces used by the Prague Orchestra in this recording are not so small - 14 violins, for instance, and three horns - but conductor Jiri Behohlavek reins them in and makes the ensemble sound as tight as a chamber orchestra.

Then, happy day, the CD is rounded out with the finest music Dvorak ever wrote, the "Dumky" Trio #4 for piano, violin, and cello, rather than the oft-paired Cello Concerto by Victor Herbert - Ma's match-up - which I'd be willing never to hear again. Pianist Alexander Melnikov and violinist Isabelle Faust clearly share the same aesthetic as Queyras; they seem to listen "through' each other with generous ensemble. Altogether this is a 'magnificent' CD. Note that there seem to be several 'editions' or releases of it, at different prices, including in in SACD."

Splendid performances of an unusual coupling

E. Davis | Bloomfield, NJ USA | 03/13/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of the problems in recording the Dvorak cello concerto that has faced many an engineer, is how to record it so that the balance is right, so that the orchestra does not overpower the soloist. Since the concerto is almost always recorded with a full, symphony orchestra, the answer usually lies with the engineer miking the soloist much more closely. This results in an artificial balance; a balance that would never be heard in a concert hall. In this recording, there is less of a problem since the accompanying orchestra is a chamber orchestra. This results in a more natural balance (although the soloist is still miked a bit forward here). Another plus here is that there is more clarity in the orchestral parts. But the downside is that this is a huge, sweeping, symphonic concerto that cries out for a full orchestra. And the problem with most recordings that use a full orchestra is, in addition to the problem indicated above, that the orchestra can sometimes sound muddy or unfocused. It's difficult to differentiate individual sections or groups within sections.

This recording works surprisingly well. Queyras is a fine cellist with a smooth, burnished sound and impeccable intonation and is content to let the music speak for itself instead of trying to wring every last ounce of emotion as in the recording by Jacqueline de Pre and the CSO. His first movement is a bit slow for my taste (15:24). Here are some first movement comparisons:

Starker/LSO--15:08; Mork/OPO--15:04; Rostropovich/BPO--15:36 (!); du Pre/CSO--15:19.

I am more than a little surprised at how well the orchestra does,since this appears to be not quite a pick-up group, but, as the notes say, an orchestra of "flexible size." The best orchestral accompaniment is the LSO with Starker, but many are put off from this recording by what they see as Starker's laconic approach to the music. My own #1 choice is Mork with the Oslo PO. The Oslo are not in the same league as the LSO or the NYP (with Ma), but they are good enough and Mork is virtually in a class by himself. But this is a very fine performance, albeit quirky due to the use of a chamber orchestra.

Most other recordings couple the Dvorak concerto either with another concerto (Saint-Saens #1, Haydn C major) or with Kol Nidre and/or the Rococo Variations. For the uninitiated, Dumky is plural for Dumka. A Dumka is a song, probably Ukranian in origin (but no one sings here). It is really a misnomer to call this a trio, even though there are three players. It is really a six-movement suite. Here, Queyras teams up with violinist, Isabelle Faust and pianist Alexander Melnikov for a very enjoyable Dumky. If they don't give the outstanding, nuanced performance of the 1978 Suk trio recording, they are good enough for most tastes and the recorded sound is very fine. Remember, the Czechs have this music in their blood.

Bottom line: If this coupling appeals to you, grab it since I don't know of any competing version. If you are a casual collector and want only one recording, I think the Mork will suit you well. If you are a cellist, cello fancier or a collector of multiple versions, you should feel no hesitation to add this one to your collection along with any others you own. You will be coming back to it many times. (Disclaimer: I have not heard the Wispelwey recording)."

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