My very first encounter with the Dvorák Cello Concerto was at a live performance, a thrilling experience that precious few recordings have come close to replicating. This new Telarc disc is one of them.
Zuill Bailey’s playing exhibits a stirring mixture of ferocity and finesse, capturing the music’s rustic charm while projecting its potent drama. His big, muscular tone enthralls in the adventurous first movement, yet becomes nimble and tender for the slow movement and the finale’s poignant coda. Jun Märkl’s focused, energized accompaniment matches Bailey’s imposing conception. The Indianapolis Symphony provides lively, idiomatic playing. The same goes for the generous couplings–The Water Sprite and In Nature’s Realm, two of Dvorák’s masterful tone poems. Märkl’s colorful renditions project the composer’s unique sonic palette as well as his signature rhythmic style.
Telarc’s non-interventionist recording places the listener in the auditorium for this live performance, where the dampened acoustic and slightly muffled high-frequencies require a significant boost in playback volume to get sufficient clarity and presence. This done, the ear adjusts. This is a disc you’ll easily play all the way through, and several times at that.
