Camille Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto No. 1; Édouard Lalo: Cello Concerto in D minor

by Maja Bogdanovic, Bojan Sudjic, RTS Symphony Orchestra

Overview

The two concertos on this release by cellist Maja Bogdanovic are standards of the repertory; as Bogdanovic notes, they were staples of her French conservatory training and competition regime, but Bogdanovic has what it takes to stand out. Enjoy the cover image, for it gives a taste of this cellist's confident flamboyance. There are two shorter pieces by Saint-Saens as an entr'acte, and one could begin by sampling those; the familiar Swan from The Carnival of the Animals has a rare warmth, and the Allegro appassionato, Op. 43, an infectious swing. The concertos, virtuoso works, are both accurately played, with the kind of interaction between soloist and orchestra that comes only when the performers know each other well. The Cello Concerto in D minor, especially as it descends into low-register snarls, has a rare kind of command over the listener. A negative here is the sound, which is not usually a problem with the Challenge Classics label; Bogdanovic is placed up front in the mix, which supports her interpretation, but the Kolarac Concert Hall gives her instrument an unpleasant edge in louder passages. Additionally, there is a burst of what seems to be street noise near the beginning of the first movement of the Lalo concerto, but it is worth putting up with these issues, for this album reveals to the world an arch-Romantic cellist who is still on the way up. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	05/26/2023
Label:	CHALLENGE CLASSICS
UPC:	0608917294927

Tracks

1. Cello Concerto No. 1, Op. 33~I. Allegro non troppo
2. Cello Concerto No. 1, Op. 33~II. Allegretto con moto
3. Cello Concerto No. 1, Op. 33~III. Molto allegro
4. The Carnival of the Animals, R. 125: The Swan
5. Allegro appassionato, Op. 43
6. Cello Concerto in D Minor~I. Prélude. Lento - Allegro maestoso
7. Cello Concerto in D Minor~II. Intermezzo. Andantino con moto - Allegro presto
8. Cello Concerto in D Minor~III. Introduction. Andante - Allegro vivace

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Maja Bogdanovic   Primary Artist,Cello
Bojan Sudjic   Primary Artist,Conductor
RTS Symphony Orchestra   Primary Artist,Orchestra

Technical Credits

Milos Marinkovic   Engineer,Mastering,Mixing
Mario Morese   A&R
Daniel Rowland   Producer
Valentine Laout- Van Leeuwenstein   A&R
Sarah Wijzenbeek   Photography
Juan Carlos Villarroel   Graphic Design
Maja Bogdanovic   Liner Notes,Photography
Natasja Wallenburg   Graphic Design
Boudewijn Hagemans   Booklet Editor,Coordinating Producer
Aleksandra Paladin   Liner Notes
Marcel Landman   A&R
Marko Kovac   Producer
Camille Saint-Saens   Composer
Edouard Lalo   Composer