ESSENTIAL RECORDINGS
MARIO CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO - Cello Concerto

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MARIO CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO - Cello Concerto - Brinton Averil Smith (Cello) - Houston Symphony - Kazuki Yamada (Conductor) - 747313382071 - Released: June 2018 - Naxos 8.573820

- Cello Concerto in F major, Op. 72
- Mozart: Don Giovanni, K. 527, Act II: Canzonetta: Deh, vieni alla finestra, "Serenade" (arr. M. Castelnuovo-Tedesco for cello and piano) - {first recording}
- Cherubino, 2 Arias from The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart (arr. B.A. Smith for cello and piano) - {first recording}
- Ravel: Miroirs (excerpts) (arr. M. Castelnuovo-Tedesco for cello and piano)
- Rossini: Figaro from the Barber of Seville (arr. B.A. Smith for cello and piano)
- 33 Shakespeare Songs, Op. 24: Vol. 6, No. 2. Arise, "Sea Murmurs" (arr. J. Heifetz for cello and piano) - {first recording}

This is an opportunity for cellists and cello enthusiasts alike to hear the 1935 Cello Concerto in F major, Op. 72 by Italian composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968) for the first time. This may not be its world premičre recording but it certainly is the only recording on the market at this moment. Castelnuovo-Tedesco's name is first and foremost synonymous with compositions for the guitar, both solo and concertante, and the over 250 scores he wrote for the Hollywood cinema during his stay in America. These included And Then There Were None (1945), The Loves of Carmen (1948), and The Day of the Fox (1957). Jerry Goldsmith, Henry Mancini, and John Williams counted among his students. Not surprisingly there's a cinematic feel and scope to his Cello Concerto, primarily during the first movement, with plenty of expressive lines and passages that Brinton Averil Smith projects with aplomb.

The other pieces and arrangements on this CD are a pleasure to hear, most particularly Brinton Averil Smith's own arrangement of Figaro, from the Barber of Seville, with Evelyn Chen on the piano. Their playing well projects the comical elements of this famous opera aria.

Cellist Brinton Averil Smith's performances have been lauded by reviews praising his virtuosity and musical ideas rooted in the golden age of string playing. His debut recording of Rózsa's Cello Concerto received international acclaim, while his recording of Fauré chamber music with Gil Shaham was chosen by multiple reviewers as one of the year's best. {Naxos}

Jean-Yves Duperron - June 2018