Edouard Lalo’s early training as a cellist reveals itself throughout his two principal works for the instrument. The Sonata is all but unplayed and rarely recorded, while the D minor concerto has long earned its rightful place in the repertoire. In the concerto, the solo instrument’s registral extremes are gainfully exploited in the outer movements, with sweeping rhetorical passages set off by gutsy orchestral punctuations. By contrast, the central Intermezzo would not be out of place in an operatic context. The orchestra sounds blustery and lacks warmth, but that may be a result of the slightly hollow engineering. Cellist Maria Kliegel brings selfless flair and expressive economy to this score, however her rich, centered tone doesn’t quite command her one-time teacher Janos Starker’s prism-like individuality until the rarely heard (let alone recorded) Cello Sonata. She throws herself into its three impassioned movements and revels in the music’s volatile moods while tossing off Lalo’s high-register hurdles without a trace of strain. Lalo transcribed the lovely Chants russes from the second movement of his Concerto Russe for violin, which makes an eloquent encore. Bernd Glemser’s exemplary keyboard work transcends mere accompaniment. It’s good to have Lalo’s cello music all together on one disc, and who can resist Naxos’ budget price?
