The Decca Ansermet Legacy on Eloquence continues to garner the highest plaudits from publications all around the world .And this batch presents the maestro’s recordings of four key Austro-German Romantics: Schubert, Weber, Mendelssohn and Schumann bringing together all of Ansermet’s Schumann recordings for Decca.
Ansermet’s Schumann is generally unforced and relaxed with all but the Piano and Cello Concertos making their first international appearance on CD. In the Piano Concerto – a live radio broadcast recording with Lipatti, newly remastered for this release – Lipatti seems to drive the orchestra to new levels of excitement.
As with many of the (relatively few) concertante works Ansermet recorded, the soloists are drawn from the orchestra – as is the case with Edmund Leloir, principal horn of the OSR from 1952-77, for the Adagio and Allegro, originally for horn and piano and, for this recording, orchestrated by Ansermet. Maurice Gendron, soloist in the Cello Concerto, was one of Jacqueline du Pré’s teachers. The Schumann concerto was one of his specialties; he frequently played it when he was invited to appear with orchestras.
ROBERT SCHUMANN
Symphony No. 1 in B flat major, Op. 38 ‘Spring’
Symphony No. 2 in C major, Op. 61
Adagio and Allegro for Horn and Orchestra in A flat major, Op. 70
(orch. Ansermet)
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54
Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129
Manfred Overture, Op. 115
Dinu Lipatti, piano
Maurice Gendron, cello
Edmund Leloir, horn
L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Ernest Ansermet
‘Gendron’s performance is instinct with poetry and, with Ansermet, he achieves a lucidity of expression which is very taking … artistic integrity and understanding which is utterly remarkable’ Gramophone
[Schumann’s’ Symphony No 1] ‘…a wonderfully light and graceful performance’ Gramophone
[Lipatti’s Schumann] ‘…a deeply moving performance. Lipatti plays con amore, almost as if aware the opportunity might never come again’ Gramophone