Images: ©️ Jérémie Bruyère, Maria Mosconi, Caroline Doutre, Erato/Warner Classics
It’s not unreasonable to combine these two Cello Concertos by Offenbach and Gulda in a single program. Both were constantly crossing the lines between serious and comic, artistic and populist mediums.
Offenbach’s “Military Concerto” is given here in its full. The original version of this demanding piece was drastically edited when published, and not by the composer. It took musicologists many years to reconstruct the original version from the composer’s archives, and it received its first recording in the full version about a decade ago, with a recording by Les Musiciens du Louvre under Marc Minkowski, incorporating period instruments. That version, with all of its revelatory repertoire, was lacking in one crucial element, so essential for Offenbach – A healthy sense of humor. And that we have in abundance here.
The opening orchestral part is cheerful and full of enthusiasm, containing some impressive group solos – try the brass lines at about 1:00 in this movement, or at the beginning of the second movement. Throughout this album, “Les Forces Majeures” under Raphaël Merlin, assembled by some of France’s most renowned chamber and orchestra musicians, gives a dedicated performance and assuring support for the difficult solo part.
But the star of the show, naturally, is cellist Edgar Moreau. From his first entrance in the Offenbach Concerto (2:45), you can tell this is a charismatic soloist, and as the movement progresses one is in owe of his virtuosity, reminding us Offenbach was often called “the Paganini of the cello” in his young years. Try the coda at the end of the first movement to hear an almost finger-breaking cello writing.
But there is tenderness as well. The middle, slow movement is flowing with natural tenderness, patiently observed with a sweet tone that is never overdone. The long, third movement is where the party, so to speak, really gets going. Listen to the hilarious Haydn-like pauses between phrases in the opening bars and see if you can keep a straight face. Next to this version, Jérôme Pernoo’s take with Minkowski seems almost severe.
Fascinating Mix
Friedrich Gulda’s “Concerto for Cello, Wind Orchestra and Band is a fascinating mix of classical music, metal, blues, jazz just to mention some of the many influences projected in this piece. The opening, for instance, gives the cello what we come to expect from an electric guitar, but then moves swiftly to something resembling Menuett, moving forward with a kind of chorale in the brass, and finishes off with a bebop style. As strange as this mixture seems on paper, it works, and it’s clear Moreau and the rest of the ensemble are having the time of their lives.
This album presents an attractive, uncommon program with masterful playing from soloist and orchestra alike, and with a sense of humor so missing from many classical music albums. Fun times.
