I have NEVER heard a performance this good of the Lalo. As most classical musicians know, live performance is the truest test of competence and this guy absolutely nails it to the floor. The Lalo, heard less often but one of the greatest works for the instrument is always a nice change-up from Dvorak, Shostakovich, Elgar, Haydn, Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations, Saint-Saens, etc. I was not familiar with Jian Wang up until now but this will definitely not be the last time I hear him though.
I'd never heard of this cellist but he is outstanding. He shows a real sincerity for this work that I have not found in anyone else's performance/recording, but at the same time, he is not too sentimental and gushing in the slower and more reflective passages. The dark drama of the first movement and the carefree breezes of Spain of the second movement are very picturesque in the performance. For years I listened to Leonard Rose's recording of this but that was the only one I ever really paid attention to. Lalo was a great but underrated composer. He wrote a lot of music that will, sadly, never be performed but thank God he wrote this concerto for the cello, which is one of about three pieces that he's known for. 11:45 onwards - WOW, this piece is really good!! Always cool when a composer uses a run of triplets or sextuplets to close out a movement, or piece. Somehow this is more effective than runs of four sixteenths heard in most pieces.
Yes indeed, he is in that small category of musicians that can be called outstanding. He knows how to speak to the audience with his instrument, and imbue/imbibe the Lalo with all the coloratura that is in the score. The orchestra is very good too - not perfect 100% of the time but admirable.
Hi Jian! What a wonderful performance of one of my favorite pieces! And thank you for making the album of the Couperin, Frescobaldi and Monn that we'd talked about. I was wonderful to hear the orchestrations of these, and thank you for the music ! Carole
