On this disc, Christian Poltéra and Kathryn Stott chart the gradual development in Dvořák’s composition for cello. The disc includes chamber works that Dvořák composed originally for cello and piano or arranged for the combination including Polonaise in A major, the Rondo in G minor and Silent Woods which was originally a piano duet.
Antonin Dvořaìk (1841-1904) was a great synthesist, ingeniously combining arguably incongruent strains: folk music (Czech as well as American) with refined classical forms, romantic extroversion with instrumental austerity and national Czech character with worldwide appeal. The three compositions on this album were all created at turning points in Dvořák’s life, when radical changes in his situation impacted his creative career.
This album by violinist Christian Tetzlaff and cellist Tanja Tetzlaff together with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin conducted by Paavo Järvi, is dedicated in the memory of their longtime artistic partner, pianist Lars Vogt (1970–2022). At the heart of this album is Brahms, one of Lars Vogt’s favourite composers, and his late orchestral masterpiece, the Double Concerto. Brahms himself had admired one of Viotti’s violin concertos so much that he included material from the Violin Concerto no.22 into his work. With Christian Tetzlaff’s recording of the Violin Concerto, this album finally brings these two works together. Also included is Dvořák’s beautiful Silent Woods for cello and orchestra, a work by another composer that was very close to Lars Vogt’s heart.
Antonín Dvořák’s Cello Concerto is considered the finest of his concertos, and arguably the greatest of all such works for the cello, with its majestic character, imposing themes and moods of intense drama and warm lyricism. The nostalgic Silent Woods and the sprightly, eloquent Rondo in G minor both predate the concerto, while the songful Romance in F minor contrasts with the virtuoso brilliance of the Mazurek in E minor. Conducted by Walter Susskind and performed by soloists who were legends in their lifetime – violinist Ruggiero Ricci and cellist Zara Nelsova – these recordings are acclaimed classics. The Elite Recordings for VOX by legendary producers Marc Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz are considered by audiophiles to be amongst the finest sounding examples of orchestral recordings.