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Jamie Walton - Saint-Saens - Cello Works
(QTZ2039)

Peter Woodford London, UK	Rating:
A most interesting disc as well as being wonderful to listen to. The two Saint-Saens cello concertos have never before been recorded on one disc, and the contrast in style between the two works at opposite ends of the composer's career is exquisitely pointed by Walton's pure, unfussy, noble playing and the superb rapport between him and the Philharmonia. Walton disguises completely the technical difficulties of the second concerto, so notoriously hair-raising that it is never heard on the concert stage. As an added bonus, we have Saint-Saens' cello sonata, with the fine, brilliant playing of Daniel Grimwood at the piano, interspersed between the two concertos. Although this gives the listening ear a bit of a jolt - the sound of piano instead of orchestra falling suddenly on auditory nerves attuned to a different range - it's quite clear why the disc has been so constructed, with the works played in strict chronological order of composition. Altogether, a disc to be played and enjoyed many times over, so as to familiarise oneself with the remarkable sound of the second concerto above all. Walton, as always, is totally at the service of the composer and not after meretricious effects.