Catalogue

Summary:

“Gloriously impassioned first outing on disc for Hans Gal’s Concerto” ★★★★ – BBC Music magazine

“Meneses surmounts every hurdle with ease and he is backed to the hilt by his compatriot Claudio Cruz at the helm of a notably alert Northern Sinfonia…a hugely sympathetic and impressively stylish display. Boasting crystal-clear yet warm-toned sound, this enterprising issue can be welcomed with open arms.” – Andrew Achenbach, Gramophone

“A fascinating rediscovery…there’s melancholy in this gorgeously counterpointed work, but much stronger is the sense of an expert craftsman shaping one last outpouring of Brahms’s symphonic language. It makes Elgar’s elegiac Cello Concerto sound extrovert by comparison.” ★★★★– Richard Morrison, The Times

“Antonio Meneses is a persuasive emissary in this clear recording. Memorably expressive in the lyrical melodies, he also brings a strong intelligence to the music’s contrapuntal passages and a carefully delineated dialogue with the orchestra… Meneses, again, is winningly expressive in the Elgar, but allows himself no indulgence, scrupulously following the composer’s markings with an economy of gesture that enhances the impact of his performance.” – Joanne Talbot, The Strad

“…The performance allows the music to flow and, in the finale, dance on point, to speak for itself, and with some fine interaction between soloist and orchestra (Gál’s scoring is economical), which the recording very faithfully captures, and which will be invaluable to get to know better what lies beneath the notes of this so-far enigmatic work… Antonio Meneses, sympathetically accompanied, gives a dignified and involving account (as he does of the Gál), passion lurking and sometimes coming the surface, stresses the solitude and stoicism of Elgar’s writing without become mawkish or indulgent…”★★★★★ – Colin Anderson, Classical Source

Grammy nomination – Best Classical Instrumental Solo (55th Annual Grammy Awards, 2013)

“The Gal Concerto projects a soaring sadness and occasional bravura but not desolation, as one might expect…. Meneses makes a strong case for this work’s inclusion in more artists’ standard repertoire…  Meneses and conductor Cruz achieve a serenity of means, an easy fluidity here, that bespeaks total focus in their execution of its [Elgar Cello Concerto] valedictory score and its curious admixture of triumph and impending tragedy. Fine sonics …” ★★★★ – John Sunier, Audiophile Audition

“In spite of all the competition there, Meneses’ account of Elgar bears up well. From the opening bars he makes it clear that this is going to be a thoughtful, musicianly interpretation. It avoids surrendering to any temptation towards melodrama or showmanship…Meneses hopes others will take up [the Gál’s] cause; with this as reference recording, they can hardly go wrong.”-  Byzantion, MusicWebInternational.com

“.. Meneses is equal to the work’s challenges, and he does well to pair it with the Cello Concerto No. 2 in E minor, Op. 85, of Elgar, a work as familiar as the Gál is unknown. … the Gál is an interesting find.” – James Manheim, AllMusic.com

In 2012, Antonio Meneses celebrated the 30th anniversary of winning the Gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition, which launched the his brilliant international career and a string of acclaimed recordings including a half dozen for Avie. His latest for the label includes a couple of firsts: the world-premiere recording of the Cello Concerto by Hans Gál, and Antonios first recording of the Elgar Concerto. Bringing the Gál Concerto to light reveals the two works commonality. With beautiful, broad orchestral brushstrokes, neither is a dazzling virtuoso showpiece, rather both are lyrical, contemplative, elegiac. Both were written in the UK, Elgars in the Sussex countryside where he retired, Gáls in Edinburgh where he settled after escaping Nazi persecution in the 1930s. Elgar wrote his last major work in the aftermath of World War I, by which time his music had gone out of fashion – a circumstance difficult to fathom today. Gáls Cello Concerto was completed in the years following World War II. Throughout his long career Gál adhered steadfastly to his lyrical compositional style which was usurped by post-war modernism. Today his music is being rediscovered and appreciated anew. The Elgar regained popularity in the 1960s, the decade when the Gál was last performed. As Antonio says of the latter, “This concerto by Gál could be considered one of the greatest discoveries in a long time, at least in the cello repertoire. It is a really beautiful concerto!”

Tracklist:

HANS GÁL (1890–1987)
Cello Concerto, Op.67 *
1. I. Allegro moderato (14.19)
2. II. Andante (6.31)
3. III. Allegretto vivace e con spirito (12.32)

EDWARD ELGAR (1857–1934)
Cello Concerto in E minor, Op.85
4. I. Adagio – moderato – lento (9.07)
5. II. Allegro molto (3.06)
6. III. Adagio (4.51)
7 IV. Allegro – moderato – Allegro, ma non troppo – Poco più lento – Adagio (11.00)

Total Time: 61.50

* world-premiere recording

Recorded January 2012, Sage Gateshead
Producer: Simon-Fox Gál