Lalo: Cello Concerto; Sonata; Chants russes

Edouard Lalo (Composer), Michael Halasz (Conductor), Budapest Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia (Orchestra), Bernd Glemser (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Bernd Glemser
• Orchestra: Budapest Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia
• Conductor: Michael Halasz
• Composer: Edouard Lalo
• Audio CD (July 18, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B00004TV83
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #365,329 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

audio cd classical - general

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very decent preformance, hard to find repitoire, March 18, 2002

By 

E. Welker (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lalo: Cello Concerto; Sonata; Chants russes (Audio CD)

This is one of five major recordings that I know of. The other renditions feature Yo-Yo Ma, Leonard Rose, Andres Navarra, and Pierre Fournier. For my tastes, Ma takes too many liberties with the timing and tempos of the piece. The Navarra disc is very romantic, despite a fine performance (this disc is also MONO). The best two discs are the Fournier and Rose versions, Fournier plays with a more subtile interpretation, however fundamentally, his interpretation is flawless. Rose on the other hand is not as close to the score as Fournier, but he offers a valid case for his interpretation, including an awesome (and faster than usual) performance of the end of the first movement.

Where does this disc stand? Maria Kliegel can not match the technicality of Rose, Ma, or Fournier, however, she does do a very good job. She doesn't miss any notes, however she sounds slightly muddy during the notey-fast parts. She doesn't take the same freedoms that Ma does, she follows the set rhythms and tempi more closely. Overall her tempo is slower than many of the other major recordings (especially at the end of the first which Rose takes faster than usual).

Unlike most cases where the Naxos version is substantially less than others, I know the Fournier (released on DG's Originals), and the Rose (Sony's Essential Classics) are both mid-lines, and won't cost too much. The difference, however, is that the Naxos also contains Lalo's Cello Sonata, which is very difficult to find on disc.

It is a lovely, three movement lyrical piece which has curiously fallen completely out of the standard cello repitoire (upon hearing it, one definatly wonders why). Kliegel does transpose a few passages up an octave here and there, however she otherwise remains faithful to the score. The disc ends with the Chants Russes, transposed for cello.

I believe that if you are looking for the definative recording of the concerto, look towards the Rose or Fournier versions. However, if you know the concerto, and are intrigued as to what the sonata is, this disc is for you.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Do Get This Disc for the Sonata, May 14, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Lalo: Cello Concerto; Sonata; Chants russes (Audio CD)

Since the reviewer from Maryland, whose review appears on this page, seems much more knowledgeable about both the scores and rival performances of these works, I'd just like to make a brief addendum to his remarks. First, Kliegel's performance of the concerto is certainly more than adequate, though compared to the LP recording of this work I owned, a performance by Janos Starker on Mercury, her reading seems a bit lacking in drama and color. Part of the problem lies with the recorded sound, which though adequate, is kind of opaque and flattish. The important brass parts, especially the horns, don't at all register with lifelike timbre.

That said, there is nothing wrong with the recording of the discmates of the concerto, and I am very happy to have added the sonata to my collection. It's an interesting and substantial piece by an underrated composer, while the performance seems to capture the essence of the work to a T.

In conclusion, a passable concerto, but if you're a Lalo enthusiast (and I guess there aren't many out there!), you'll want this CD for the sonata.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not a competitive performance of the concerto, but the rest is decent, June 12, 2009

By 

G.D. (Norway) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lalo: Cello Concerto; Sonata; Chants russes (Audio CD)

Basically, I cast my votes with the other reviewers, but I am a little less generous. Lalo's cello concerto is pretty well represented in the catalogue, although it falls severely short in comparison with, say, Saint-Saëns's first concerto, It sports a very fine, truly memorable first movement, though, and can make quite an impact in a really good performance. It does emphatically not work, however, in the lackluster, run-through type of performance it receives here. Partially it is due to the poor balance between the soloist and orchestra, more so than the (admittedly still notable) interpretative and performance-wise shortcomings of the soloist, but the most serious shortcoming is the thin and scruffy string tone of the Nicolaus Esterházy Sinfonia and Halasz's refusal to let the music breathe.

Fortunately the two companion works fare better - for these, in particular the cello sonata, is far less well represented in the catalogue. It is an echt-romantic work with some nice touches and fine melodies, even if it isn't particularly memorable, and receives a more than decent performance here. The same goes for the appealingly wistful Chants russes. But Kliegel and Glemser are let down by a rather poor and at least poorly balanced sound quality - even if it isn't quite as dry and unbalanced as in the work with orchestra. I'd still say that this disc is a worthwhile acquisition for the two cello and piano works, but look elsewhere for the concerto. Three stars is more than generous.