Elgar & Walton - Cello Concertos - Isserlis/PO/Järvi

Rating: 5/5

Review:
A wonderful recording

Even 50 years on, it takes a brave cellist to tackle the Elgar Cello Concerto in the shadow of the recording by Jacqueline du Pre and John Barbirolli, which remains a thing of wonder.  Possibly the highest praise I can give to Steven Isserlis and Parvo Järvi is that I think they have at least matched it here; this is a wonderful recording.

There are four works presented here: the Elgar Cello Concerto, the Walton Cello Concerto, "Invocation," a single movement piece by Gustav Holst, and "The Fall Of The Leaf," a piece for solo cello by Imogen Holst in five short movements.  Both the pieces by the Holsts were new to me, and I am very glad to have them here.  They are not major works but both are fine, contemplative pieces and are both very lovely in their different ways.  I confess that I struggle with Walton's Cello Concerto;  it's a piece which has never really engaged me and even in this excellent performance it doesn't do much for me, so I'll have to leave any critique to others.  However, in the Elgar and the Holst pieces, both Isserlis and the orchestra under Järvi are excellent.

Steven Isserlis is, of course, one of the world's greatest cellists.  His technique is superb (as it needs to be here) and he uses it to play with both passion and subtlety, bringing real meaning to the music.  The elegiac feel of the Elgar Concerto is very moving without ever becoming sentimental or miserable, and there is a palpable sense of engagement both from Isserlis and the orchestra.  The sheer beauty of the sound he brings from his cello is wonderful (and beautifully recorded by Hyperion), and he is matched throughout by the orchestra who are perfectly balanced and bring just the right degree of emotion to the work.  I may even prefer this to the du Pré version – something I never thought I'd say.

This really is something special, I think, and very well illuminated by Isserlis's notes which are thoughtful, informative and very readable.  Isserlis's Bach Cello Suites were a landmark in his career and in the interpretation of those fabulous works, and I think this is in the same league.  It's a recording which I expected to be very good and which has still surprised me with how good it really is.  Very, very warmly recommended.