Dvorák: Cello Concertos (2013)

Antonín Dvorák's Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, is one of his two or three most popular works. Given the composer's celebrity at the time, it is surprising that its complicated editorial history is not better known. To explore that editorial history is the aim of cellist Steven Isserlis here. If what you're looking for is a basic starter rendition of the concerto, you can probably do better than this one; the Mahler Chamber Orchestra under Daniel Harding is underpowered for this piece, and the readings are little more ... Read More

Antonín Dvorák's Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, is one of his two or three most popular works. Given the composer's celebrity at the time, it is surprising that its complicated editorial history is not better known. To explore that editorial history is the aim of cellist Steven Isserlis here. If what you're looking for is a basic starter rendition of the concerto, you can probably do better than this one; the Mahler Chamber Orchestra under Daniel Harding is underpowered for this piece, and the readings are little more than straightforward. But for those who already love the work, there are revelations here. The work went through two stages of modification. First, and most important, Dvorák revised the ending of the concerto substantially after the death of his wife's sister Josefina, with whom Dvorák himself had once been in love. The finale was extended with bittersweet material, including quotations from the previous movements that incorporated one of Josefina's favorite songs. Isserlis offers... Read Less