Antonín Dvořák - Cello Concerto; etc. (Alisa Weilerstein)

Information

Composer: Antonín Dvořák

1. Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104: I. Allegro
2. Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104: II. Adagio ma non troppo
3. Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104: III. Finale: Allegro moderato
4. Lasst mich allein, Op. 82 No. 1
5. Rondo in G minor, Op. 94
6. Theme from Symphony No. 9, after "Goin’ Home"
7. Songs my mother taught me, Op. 55 No. 4
8. Silent Woods, Op. 68 No. 5
9. Slavonic Dance in G minor Op. 46 No. 8

Alisa Weilerstein, cello
Anna Polonsky, piano (4-9)
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Jiří Bělohlávek, conductor (1-3)

Date: 2014
Label: Decca
https://www.deccaclassics.com/en/cat/4785705

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Review

How disarmingly unforced and personable the Czech Philharmonic sound in the Concerto’s introduction, Jiří Bĕlohlávek providing a quietly authoritative, glowingly affectionate launching pad for Alisa Weilerstein’s superbly articulate entry. I recall her contribution on the Weilerstein Trio’s delectable 2006 anthology for Koch containing Dvořák's Second and Fourth (Dumky) piano trios, and the present display confirms that she has a real feel for this repertoire. Not only does Weilerstein possess a flawless technical address, lustrous tone-production and intrepid range of dynamic, her playing evinces a captivating candour and risk-taking flair that not only succeed in activating the goosebumps (always a good sign) but also make you hear the music with fresh ears. For all the red-blooded temperament and freewheeling spontaneity on show, though, it’s in the concerto’s softer, frequently chamber-like passages that Weilerstein and those inimitably songful Czech winds really come into their own, the music’s intimacy and sense of loss conveyed with the most raptly instinctive poetry imaginable. Just occasionally the prominent solo balance masks detail within the generous acoustic of Prague’s Rudolfinum. No matter: among the leading digital contenders, this conspicuously commanding and characterful new partnership must rank alongside Steven Isserlis’s recent version.

I also greatly enjoyed the remaining items, which find Weilerstein striking up a tangibly communicative rapport with Anna Polonsky (whose quick-witted pianism is a constant pleasure). Both Silent Woods and the Rondo are essayed with genuine aplomb, whereas the slightly clunky arrangement of the vivacious G minor Slavonic Dance doesn’t entirely come off. However, everything else here most certainly does, adding up to a disc worthy of the highest plaudits.

-- Andrew Achenbach, Gramophone

More reviews:
BBC Music Magazine  PERFORMANCE: ***** / RECORDING: ****
http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/l/lon785705a.php
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/classicalcdreviews/10832933/Dvorak-Cello-Concerto-Czech-Philharmonic-Orchestra-review-spine-tingling.html
https://www.audaud.com/dvorak-cello-concerto-in-b-minor-other-works-for-cello-piano-alisa-weilerstein-cello-anna-polonsky-p-czech-philharmonic-orch-jiri-belohlavek-decca/
https://www.amazon.com/Dvorak-Alisa-Weilerstein/dp/B00GWMRSAU

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Antonín Dvořák (September 8, 1841 – May 1, 1904) was a Czech composer. He was the second Czech composer to achieve worldwide recognition, after Bedřich Smetana. Following Smetana's nationalist example, many of Dvořák's works show the influence of Czech folk music, such as his  two sets of Slavonic Dances, the Symphonic Variations, and the overwhelming majority of his songs. Dvořák wrote in a variety of forms: nine symphonies, ten operas, three concertos, several symphonic poems, serenades for string orchestra and wind ensemble, more than 40 works of chamber music, and piano music.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton%C3%ADn_Dvo%C5%99%C3%A1k

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Alisa Weilerstein (born April 14, 1982 in Rochester, New York) is an American classical cellist. She studied with Richard Weiss at the Cleveland Institute of Music. As a soloist, Weilerstein has performed with many major orchestras on four continents. She also is active in chamber music and performs with her parents, violinist Donald Weilerstein and pianist Vivian Hornik Weilerstein, as the Weilerstein Trio. A champion of contemporary music, Weilerstein has worked extensively with composers Osvaldo Golijov and Lera Auerbach, as well as with Philadelphia composer Joseph Hallman. She plays a 1790 William Forster Cello.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alisa_Weilerstein

http://alisaweilerstein.com/

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