Cello concerto

"There we have it: a Dvořák masterpiece and a Martinů work that deserves greater exposure. Thoroughly engaging".

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"Der musiceres dejligt afrundet uden alt for outrerede dramatiske effekter [Cellokoncert] ... Netop den indre ro er fint til stede i fem mindre stykker, som Weilerstein spiller sammen med pianisten Anna Polonsky".

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"This is a generally satisfying collection of pieces that displays Dvorák's melodic gift, his facility with small pieces that never cloy, and the relationship of these to his larger works, which maintain their popularity because of the way they place lyric episodes into a larger context ...The listener, after an introduction to the great B minor concerto, has other places to go, but this release will satisfy the confirmed Dvorák lover".

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"Editor's choices - August 2020: As well as playing in the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, the young Iranian cellist performs regularly in recital with Barenboim, and it shows: the Concerto comes across here as chamber music writ large, with some especially delicious, almost improvisatory interplay with the Berlin horn and clarinet (both excellent). Soltani's own arrangements of several Dvořák evergreens for cello ensemble are attractive and unhackneyed, though Stephan Koncz's transcription of the 'New World' Largo takes the palm".

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"CD der Woche: Der österreichische Cellist Kian Soltani ... ist einer der herausragenden Interpreten seiner Generation. Auf seinem aktuellen Album spielt er Werke von Antonín Dvořák, begleitet von seinem Mentor Daniel Barenboim und der Staatskapelle Berlin ... Kian Soltani spielt ... hinreissend - und verströmt dabei eine Atmosphäre von sanfter Wehmut und Süsse. Man würde sich am liebsten reinlegen in den Klang. Soltani formt auf seinem Stradivari-Cello einen warmen und edlen Ton und dichte Bögen ... Solist und Orchester atmen gemeinsam und tauchen in die romantische Stimmung der Musik ein ... Das Album ist ein Genuss".

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"Cellisten Peter Wispelweys og Iván Fischers tolkning ... er glimrende med bevægelighed og autentisk tjekkisk orkesterklang".

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"Det er en ren fornøjelse at lytte til dette smukke, renfærdige cellospil, som er længere borte fra Dvoraks symfoniske dramaer, end man sædvanligvis hører cellokoncerten. En topindspilning ... Helt igennem en anbefaling værd".

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"Christian Poltéra's ... big soloistic statements are strikingly ego-free, and these recordings of Czech concertos make the point ... He gives us seamless, breathless phrases, a clear sense of over-arching structure and plenty of vigour [Dvořák] ... The first movement explodes like a pack of fireworks; the second stands out for its lyrical intensity. It makes for a thrilling performance [Martinů]".

"For all the redblooded temperament and freewheeling spontaneity on show, though, it's in the concerto's softer, frequently chamber-like passages that Weilerstein and those inimitably songful Czech winds really come into their own ... A disc worthy of the highest plaudits".

"Vurdering: G (Gramophone recommends)" - "This is concert recording at its finest - Wispelway's Dvorák is electrifying".

"En af de bedste indspilninger, jeg har hørt af denne koncert, som er et mesterværk på højeste plan, bevægende smuk og fornemt udført ... Dvoráks mørktfarvede, slaviske romantik virker her næsten ophøjet smuk, fuld af lidenskab og spillet med en lige så mørktfarvet, varm cellotone. En cd, som er vanskelig at komme uden om".

"The brilliant German cellist Jan Vogler has collaborated with Dvorak scholar Michael Beckerman in devising a sequence which delves beyond Dvorak's masterpiece. A fine, illuminating issue in a crowded field of concerto recordings".

"Vurdering: Diapason d'Or" - "Jan Vogler, qui fut le splendide violoncelle solo de la Staatskapelle de Dresde, impose, avec un rare sens de la couleur, un ton épique, un son puissant, absent des gravures récentes au style curieusement da camera".

"Isserlis is on spellbindingly eloquent form in an entrancingly poetic and urgently communicative reading that really does sound like it's being captured on the wing ... Harding and the Mahler CO are with him every step of the way; theirs is a real, breathing collaboration ... Don't miss this special release".

"Given the popularity of the B minor Concerto, it was inevitable that someone would reclaim the earlier effort in A major ... They make a good case for it, with eloquent playing from Isserlis and rich, dark colours and dramatic thrust from both the cellist and the orchestra ... Given the bonus of big, bold and warm sound ... this recording should leave those who acquire it with no regrets".

"Vurdering: G (Editor's choice)" - "This new version is up there with the best of them and could happilty serve as a credible first choice".

"Daniel Müller-Schott's performance is a worthy addition to the company of the distinguished. He has a clear, warm but not overwhelming tone, and the musicianship to work closely with Michael Sanderling and the orchestra ... A fine artist, and this is an attractive assemblage of some of Dvorák's most charming music as well as one of his masterpieces".

"The slightly old-fashioned word that kept finding its way into my notes was 'nobility' ... Soltani fills gracefully shaped phrases with eloquent, butterscotch-tinted cello sound. He crafts a lucid, clearly defined and distinctly classical reading, not without humour ... Both Barenboim and Soltani husband their reserves of expression, though when they do cut loose they go straight for the heart ... If this is your sort of thing, you won't hear it done better".

"Vurdering: Editor's choice" - "An unusual but attractive coupling of two concertos composed in America ... It is Capucon's gift to play with warm intensity while keeping a relatively steasy pulse ... Altogether a version of this much-recorded work [Dvorak] which stands comparison with any in the catalogue".

"It is the Adagio which is most succesful, when his sense of line and his rich tone are heard at their best, and the finale has plenty of life".