Aperitif - A French Collection

Sharon Bezaly really struts her stuff in this charming, intelligently chosen selection of French gems for flute and orchestra. It goes without saying that Bezaly is up to the challenge that these generally modest pieces (Devienne excepted) present, offering steady, full tone with no trace of irritating breathiness, and more than sufficiently nimble fingers that make short work of, say, Rampal's cadenzas in the Sturm und Drang outer movements of the Devienne E minor Concerto. Anyone who thinks that music for flute and orchestra can't be other than dainty and delectable (or boring) should sample this surprisingly dramatic and substantial concerto, which unflaggingly holds the attention throughout its nearly 18 minutes.

In fact, all of this music is delightful, but in addition to the concerto, two works in particular stand out: Gounod's Concertino, which contains an unforgettable principal theme that wouldn't have been out of place representing the Hobbits in the recent Lord of the Rings films, and Saint-Sa�ns' late Odelette, seven and a half minutes of pure elegance from a master of instrumental writing. Clarinetist Harri M�ki joins Bezaly quite capably in the same composer's very early (Op. 6) Tarentelle, but otherwise this is Bezaly's show, and she gets first class accompaniments from the Tapiola Sinfonietta under Jean-Jacques Kantorow, all captured in perfectly balanced sound. This is a disc that leaves you wanting more, and given the inherent limitations in range and timbre of Bezaly's instrument, that's saying quite a lot about her masterful handling of it. --David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com [2/8/2003]

Lalo & Saint-Sa�ns: Cello Concertos

�I am charmed by Wispelwey�s playing in the Lalo, I am bowled over by this performance of Saint-Saens asks of him, the multiple-stopping, the passages at the very top of the cello�s range, and so on- Wispelwey�s tone remains centered and mellifluous. Furthermore, he is an intelligent, stylish musician who makes the music interesting.� --International Record Review, September 2013

�[the Lalo] is an underrated piece and the performance given here is extremely fine...Wispelwey is in great form, ably supported by the orchestra and Seikyo Kim...The cello is recorded with clarity and possesses a slight cutting edge...The solo playing is immaculate.� --MusicWeb International, November 2013

After a highly acclaimed recording of Briten�s Cello Symphony (ONYX4058) Pieter Wispelwey and the Flanders Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Seiko Kim, turn to two romantic cello concertos whose neglect is hard to fathom.

Lalo, unusually for a French composer in the mid 19th century, was drawn to chamber music, and formed a string quartet (in which he played viola, and later second violin) that championed the works of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. His passion for chamber music developed to embrace large scale orchestral works � two violin concertos, the famous 'Symphonie espagnole' for violin and orchestra, a symphony in G minor, the Piano Concerto and the concerto recorded here: the Cello concerto in D minor of 1877. A strong work in the Germanic tradition, the central movement combines a slow movement and scherzo. Its comparative neglect in the concert hall is difficult to understand as it is an impressive and well made work, worthy of his contemporaries Franck and Saint-Sa�ns.

The latter�s second cello concerto from 1902 is totally overshadowed by his impressive and dazzling first concerto dating from 1872. The later work has all of the composer�s flair for style, elegance and is possibly more challenging for the soloist than its A minor sibling.

Saint-Sa�ns: Piano Quartet & Piano Quintet

�The performances could hardly be more finely attuned to the technical challenges, while the composer's own booklet-notes set the scene succinctly...As a 'feast for the senses', Whalley's music demonstrably has much to recommend it.� --Gramophone Magazine, May 2013

�A gorgeous programme of Saint-Sa�ns� beguiling chamber music played with great authority and flair.� --MusicWeb International, April 2013

 �The Fine Arts Quartet play with perfectly judged elegance throughout. A fine recording.� --The Observer, June 2013

Saint-Sa�ns holds a vital place in the history of French chamber music. At a time when his compatriots were more devoted to opera and song, Saint-Sa�ns (who wrote both, too) repeatedly produced chamber music of compelling individuality and lasting significance. The 1875 Piano Quartet in B flat major, Op. 41 remains one of the great works in the chamber repertory, a masterful example of the composer�s organisational skill and lyric gifts. The gorgeous Barcarolle is followed by the youthful Piano Quintet in A minor, Op. 14, a brilliantly confident work with a concerto-like r�le for the piano.