Siecle - Leonard Elschenbroich (cello)

A century of French music for cello is the focus of a fascinating programme from Leonard Elschenbroich. The two cello concertos on this album, composed 100 years apart frame Debussy’s late cello sonata, Ravel’s 'Habanera' and movement 5 of Messiaen’s 'Quartet for the End of Time'. These compositions span years of the Franco-Prussian War, the First and Second World wars, and into the 1970s: a whole distant world. Former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist, Leonard Elschenbroich’s debut CD for Onyx Classics of Sonatas by Rachmaninov and Shostakovich was released in 2013 and received 5-star reviews from The Telegraph, Guardian as well as Editor’s Choice in Gramophone. His second disc was released in 2014 and featured Kabalevsky’s Cello Concerto No 2 with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and Andrew Litton. A third disc included works by, and his personal tribute to, Schnittke. Future releases will include concertos by Saint-Saens and Dutilleux with the BBC Scottish Symphony. He plays a cello made by Matteo Goffriller “Leonard Rose” (Venice, 1693), on private loan.

Price: $22.98