Fournier–Cello concertos

Dan Davis

Artistic Quality:

Sound Quality:

Paris-born Pierre Fournier (1906-1986) was the leading French cellist of his time, renowned for his elegant playing of the standard repertoire and for his ties to such contemporary composers as Roussel, Schoeck, Martinon, Martin, Poulenc, and others whose works were dedicated to him or which he premiered. Fournier’s recordings include the major solo works and concertos, along with important chamber music pieces in which he was partnered by such artists as Schnabel and Kempff, among others.

The selections on this Testament reissue were recorded for Decca in 1952 and 1953, and were mainstays of the company’s LP catalogue for years. The Boccherini is the strange concoction devised by Friederich Grützmacher that buries the work in a dull Romantic re-orchestration, complete with recomposed sections and movements from one Boccherini concerto combined with another. Until the 1950s, this was the standard–and popular–version of the composer’s B-flat cello concerto. Fournier’s patrician playing style helps make it listenable, even making the Adagio soulfully beautiful, albeit in a way that Boccherini would not recognize. The Vivaldi is a Vincent D’Indy arrangement of one of Vivaldi’s cello sonatas. Rather than project contemporary tastes backward, listeners can enjoy these pieces for what they are: anachronistic arrangements that carry the rewards of Fournier’s lovely renditions of the solo parts.

However, Paul Bazelaire’s arrangement of Couperin pieces for viola da gamba is neatly done, the chamber orchestra reduced in numbers and playing with a fair amount of lightness if not authenticity. Fournier’s golden tones and discreet touch are delightful here, especially after the leaden impressions left by the other works. With the Haydn D major concerto it’s no longer necessary to hyphenate the composers; we’re now on more familiar ground, even if the playing terrain is rooted in a more Romantic approach than currently fashionable. There’s plenty to admire, most of all Fournier’s suave rendition of the solo part, his warmly glowing tone, and the Stuttgart band’s early-1950s attempt to emulate historic performance practice as it was then understood. Testament’s remasterings of the dated monophonic originals are good at capturing Fournier’s cello, but little could be done to extract more detail from the originals or put more meat on the scrawny string section.


Recording Details:

Reference Recording: None for this coupling

LUIGI BOCCHERINI - Cello Concerto in B-flat (arr. Grützmacher)
ANTONIO VIVALDI - Cello Concerto (arr. Vincent D'Indy)
FRANCOIS COUPERIN - Les gouts réunis: Pièces en Concert (arr. Paul Bazelaire)
JOSEPH HAYDN - Cello Concerto No. 2 in D

Search Music Reviews

Search Sponsor

  • Insider Reviews only
  • Click here for Search Tips

Visit Our Merchandise Store

Visit Store
  • Benjamin Bernheim Rules as Met’s Hoffmann
    Benjamin Bernheim Rules as Met’s Hoffmann Metropolitan Opera House, Lincoln Center, NY; Oct 24, 2024 Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann is a nasty work. Despite its
  • RIP David Vernier, Editor-in-Chief
    David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com’s founding Editor-in-Chief passed away Thursday morning, August 1, 2024 after a long battle with cancer. The end came shockingly quickly. Just a
  • Finally, It’s SIR John
    He’d received many honors before, but it wasn’t until last week that John Rutter, best known for his choral compositions and arrangements, especially works related