Giovincello (Baroque Concerti)

Edgar Moreau ,Il Pomo d'Oro,Riccardo Minasi

Giovincello (Baroque Concerti)
Format
Audio
Published
6 November 2015
ISBN
0825646052660

Giovincello (Baroque Concerti)

Edgar Moreau ,Il Pomo d'Oro,Riccardo Minasi

Though the title Giovincello seems to make a specific musical reference, it is simply an affectionate Italian term meaning ‘young man’. Only 20 years old when he recorded this album, Edgar Moreau “has already found his place in the great tradition of French cello-playing” (Diapason). Here he brings his youthful energy and virtuosic thrills to 18th-century cello concertos by Haydn, Vivaldi, Boccherini, Platti, and the world-premiere recording of a Baroque concerto by Carlo Graziani.

The centrepiece of Giovincello is Haydn’s Cello Concerto No 1 in C major, which is joined by Vivaldi’s Concerto in A minor RV 419 and three concertos by somewhat lesser-known Italian composers of the 18th century who all made careers outside their native country: Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805) - an important figure in the history of chamber music - who spent much of his life in Spain; Giovanni Platti (1697-1763), who lived for more than 40 years in Würzburg in Bavaria, and Carlo Graziani (.-1787), a somewhat shadowy figure who became cello teacher to Frederick Wilhelm II of Prussia and whose Cello Concerto in C Major is given its world-premiere recording here.

Track listing:

Boccherini: Cello Concerto No. 2 in D major, G. 479

Graziani, C: Cello Concerto in C

Haydn: Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major, Hob. VIIb:1

Platti: Cello Concerto in D major

Vivaldi: Cello Concerto in A minor, RV 419

 

Review

Twenty-one year old cellist Edgar Moreau is ‘keen to break down … stylistic barriers’. Whatever he does, it’s certainly impressive, and I can’t help but compare him to the young Jacqueline du Pré who recorded a similar repertoire at the same age. Even the title Giovincello – ‘youngster’, here interpreted as ‘young cellist’ – is apt. Moreau plays with youthful ebullience – a necessary quality for this early repertoire – and he possesses a warm, almost romantic, tone. His vibrato is languid but never too wide, which prevents him from sounding thin or non-committal even in the most rapid passages of the Vivaldi cello concerto in A minor.

The Boccherini is a favourite of mine, and Moreau’s interpretation stands up to the best recordings. His playing is elegant and controlled, and his technical assurance and faultless intonation suggest a real intelligence and musical maturity. While the lesser know Platti and Graziani are fabulous and fun – essential attributes for a baroque cello concerto – Moreau will most likely be judged on his recording of the Haydn C major concerto. Does he pass muster? Frankly, yes. Moreau’s spirited performance, supported by Il Pomo D’oro under Ricardo Minasi, is a triumph. This young cellist is one to watch.


Alexandra Mathew

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