Camille Saint Saëns : L'œuvre pour violoncelle (Luigi Piovano, cello)

Albumbeschreibung

Despite lacking continuous access to a virtuoso of the instrument, Camille Saint-Saëns maintained a career-long love for the cello. Today, his numerous works for the instrument are often divided into two camps: the extremely popular (including works frequented by proficient students like the First Concerto, Allegro appassionato) and the rarely acknowledged (Second Concerto, Suite, Second Sonata). Throughout his output for the cello, Saint-Saëns was keen on exploring the instrument's technical facility, as well as its broad color palate and emotional poignancy. These facets are explored by cellist Luigi Piovano in his two-disc set of the Saint-Saëns Integral Cello Works. Piovano's commitment to this repertoire is clear as he imbues each work with lush romanticism, bordering on overplaying but not quite crossing the line. Most aspects of his technique are superb: intonation, right arm fluidity, and dynamic control are all exemplary. What is sometimes lacking is clear articulation from the left hand. Fast, slurred passage work, as is heard throughout the third second of the First Concerto, becomes blurry and indistinct, making individual notes become lost in a tempo that might be a few clicks to fast to be manageable. Eloquentia's sound quality in the concertos is soft, but warm enough to be appealing when turning up the volume. The works with piano are disappointingly nasal and dry.

© TiVo