Gustavo Gimeno Superb with Dutilleux
Jean Guihen Queyras has amassed an impressive catalog of recordings. What impresses me is its lack of the same-old-same-old. Queyras is interested in music of the 20th and 21st centuries. His recordings include works by György Kurtág, Gilbert Amy, and Benjamin Britten, to name a few.
This recording features Queyras performing Henri Dutilleux’s “Tout un monde lointain…” This 1970 cello concerto’s five movements are to be played without break. It ensures a strong forward motion (Dutilleux’s goal). But it requires more from the performers. Especially the soloist.
There’s no taking a breath before moving into that difficult movement. Queyras is more than up to the task. He plays with a focused intensity that never seems to waiver. His bow strokes are energetic and assured.
The Luxembourg Philharmonic under Gustavo Gimeno also has an impressive catalog. Their recordings include choral works by Puccini and Rossini and Igor Strvinsky’s ballets. But they’re right at home with this material.
Dutilleux wrote Métaboles for George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra in 1964. The Luxembourg Philharmonic gives an intense performance that satisfies this listener.
Gimeno and his ensemble also deliver a stellar performance of Duitlleux’s First symphony. IN 1946 Dutilleux was just beginning to develop his style. This work straddles the traditional and the innovative. And Gimeno and the Luxembourg Philharmonic make it all work.
Henri Dutilleux: Métaboles
Tout un monde lointain…; Symphonie No. 1
Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello
Luxembourg Philharmonic; Gustavo Gimeno, conductor
Harmonia Mundi HMM 902715
