Cello Concerto / Serenade for Strings

Product Description Stunning recordings of Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto in E and Serenade for Strings, the superb French cellist Paul Tortelier demonstrates his mastery of the cello. In addition to the Elgar works, this album also presents his 'encores' of Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme and the Dvorak Rondo in G Minor. Sir Charles Groves leads the Royal Philharmonic. Review This has a freshness and vitality that suggest Tortelier has pointedly re-studied the score... Tortelier's playing is admirably faithful to Elgar's markings. The work's emotional impact is projected without maudlin sentiment, all the more moving for being simple and unaffected (and how beautifully Groves and the RPO treat the accompaniment). Like the composer, Tortelier reserves the fullest weight for the finale. Bright, resonant recording, ideally balanced. --Gramophone