Pierre Fournier: Cello Works [Box set]

Pierre Fournier: Cello Works [Box set]

On this CD:

1. Cello Concerto No. 1, in A minor, Op. 33
Composed by Camille Saint-Saens
Performed by Philharmonia Orchestra with Pierre Fournier
Conducted by Walter Susskind

2. The Swan (from "Carnival of the Animals"), original (for 2 pianos & ensemble) and arrangements The Swan
Composed by Camille Saint-Saens
Performed by Pierre Fournier, Gerald Martin Moore

3. Sonata for arpeggione & piano in A minor ("Arpeggione Sonata"), D. 821
Composed by Franz Schubert
Performed by Jean Hubeau, Pierre Fournier

4. Variations on a Rococo Theme, for cello & orchestra (or cello & piano) in A major, Op. 33
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Performed by Lamoureux Concert Association Orchestra with Pierre Fournier
Conducted by Eugene Bigot

5. Sonata for cello & piano No. 1 in F major, Op. 5/1
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Artur Schnabel, Pierre Fournier

6. Sonata for cello & piano No. 2 in G minor, Op. 5/2
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Artur Schnabel, Pierre Fournier

7. Sonata for cello & piano No. 3 in A major, Op. 69
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Artur Schnabel, Pierre Fournier

8. Sonata for cello & piano No. 4 in C major, Op. 102/1
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Artur Schnabel, Pierre Fournier

9. Sonata for cello & piano No. 5 in D major, Op. 102/2
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Artur Schnabel, Pierre Fournier

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This three-disc set gives a fine overview of Fournier's consummate artistry and stylistic versatility. His playing is characterized by a splendid, but never showy technique; a warm, sonorous tone whose beauty and expressiveness come through clearly even on these reissues; and a refined, patrician nobility. The Saint-Saëns Concerto is poetic, intense, and charming, and he even keeps "The Swan" from sounding sentimental. The Schubert is unusually fast, but flexible and wistful; the Tchaikovsky is brilliant, romantic, expansive, lush in tone and sentiment. The original recordings were made between 1939 and 1947, and the sound shows its age.

The set's high point is the performance of the Beethoven Sonatas with Artur Schnabel, famous as a Beethoven interpreter with an entirely different style: free, unbridled, daring technically and emotionally. However, the collaboration is wonderful. The two musicians bring out the best in each other, with Fournier exercising a restraining influence, Schnabel a liberating one. They also bring out everything that's in the music: the depth, grandeur, drama, passion, impetuosity, lyricism, graciousness, serenity, wit, and humor. Their tempos flow, yet there is a sense of expansive, leisurely time. Every detail counts, the phrasing is clear and elegant, transitions and liberties are poised, character and contrasts strongly delineated, the running piano passages ripple and surge. The original recordings date from 1947 and 1948; sound and balance are excellent. --Edith Eisler

Pierre Fournier: Cello Works, Music, Pierre Fournier, Ludwig van Beethoven, Camille Saint-Saens, Franz Schubert, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Eugene Bigot, Walter Süsskind, Lamoureux Concert Association Orchestra, Lamoureux Concert Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra of London, Artur Schnabel, Gerald Moore, Jean Hubeau, Cello Concerto, Cello with Keyboard, Chamber, Chamber Music, Chamber Music & Recitals, Classical, Classical Music, Concerto

Pierre Fournier: Cello Works [Box set]

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