Rococo

In French cellist Edgar Moreau’s programme of Slavic works, the two main attractions are Tchaikovsky’s by turns playful and soulful Variations on a Rococo Theme, and Chopin’s brooding and poetic Cello Sonata. In both works, Moreau has teamed up with superb musicians, so this album not only showcases his mellifluous and expressive playing but also offers the real pleasure of hearing Moreau and his musical collaborators inspiring one another to even greater heights. He performs the Rococo Variations with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra and conductor Michael Sanderling, who bring rich-toned strings and particularly pointed and characterful woodwind playing. Their account follows the “standard” edition by cellist Wilhelm Fitzenhagen, for whom Tchaikovsky originally wrote the work, which presents the variations, some of them amended, in an order quite different from the composer’s. Yet from the opening Mozartian theme to the playful final variation, Moreau plays with light grace, emotional engagement and evident pleasure that makes a compelling case for Fitzenhagen’s version. For Chopin’s Cello Sonata, Moreau is partnered by the excellent pianist David Kadouch. This is very much a partnership of equals, as it has to be, given Chopin’s propensity for giving the pianist several moments in the limelight with poetic flourishes and moments of reflection. The performance also reveals how forward-looking Chopin was in this work composed in 1847—the often turbulent and extrovert gestures of the first movement in particular anticipate the style of Grieg’s Concerto of just over 20 years later, followed by those of Rachmaninoff. Moreau rounds the album off with loving performances of popular “hits”, including Rachmaninoff’s beguiling “Vocalise” (with the Lucerne orchestra) and a winningly laidback account of Dvořák’s Humoresque No. 7.