Dvorák: Œuvres pour violoncelle et orchestre

Chronique

Written on the heels of his massively successful Ninth "New World" Symphony, Dvorák's Cello Concerto in B minor has proven to be every bit as enduring and has securely established itself as one of the cornerstone concertos of the repertoire. It was not, however, his first or only cello concerto. The little known and rarely performed A major Concerto was written in 1865. Curious that this Doron Music album would neglect to include this concerto, given cellist Mark Drobinsky's fondness for little-known works. Along with the Baltic Festival Orchestra under Saulius Sondeckis, Drobinsky performs the B minor Concerto, the Op. 68 "Silent Woods," the Op. 94 Rondo, and the Op. Posth. Polonaise (which, like the A major Concerto, was not orchestrated by Dvorák). The great orchestral tuttis of the concerto are played with a rich, satisfying sound, and Sondeckis ably gets the orchestra out of the way for the cello's entrances. Drobinsky's playing is technically quite solid and although he takes many liberties with tempo and use of glissandos in big shifts, it is also musically satisfying. What's regrettable is Doron's sound quality when it comes to Drobinsky. Rather than having the cello in the forefront of the soundscape, with a powerful, well-defined sound, Drobinsky almost sounds like he's playing in a tile room. His tone is very muted, echoic, and under-defined compared to the much clearer orchestra.

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