The Very Best of Paul Tortelier from the EMI Catalog [2 CDs]

Paul Tortelier had the lean, ascetic look of an El Greco saint, yet possessed the turbulent idealism of Don Quixote, whom he portrayed so memorably in Richard Strauss's tone poem. Tortelier was born in Paris in 1914, months before the outbreak of the Great War. Though the family knew poverty, it was his mother's dream that her son should be a cellist. He started to learn the instrument at the age of six and at 12 he entered the Paris Conservatoire where he won several prizes before leaving at 16 to play freelance in cafés and cinemas in the days of silent films. A year later he made his professional debut playing Lalo's Concerto at the Concerts Lamoureux. In 1935 he went to the Monte-Carlo Orchestra as principal cellist and two years later played Don Quixote under Strauss's own direction. He began his solo career in 1938 in Boston, but this was interrupted by the war, during which he remained in Paris. In 1947 he played Don Quixote in Beecham's Richard Strauss festival in London to great acclaim. This effectively relaunched his international career and he went on to become one of the world's most distinguished cellists. He died suddenly in 1990 at the age of 76.

Bach's solo Cello Suites were always an integral part of Tortelier's repertoire and CD 1 opens with the first three movements of Suite No.1 in G. Following this is another Baroque work, the Cello Concerto in D by Vivaldi, in which Tortelier also directs the English Chamber Orchestra. Next comes the finale from Haydn's Cello Concerto No.2 in D recorded with Jörg Faerber conducting the Wurtemburg Chamber Orchestra in Heilbronn. We then hear movements from Beethoven's Cello Sonata No.4 in C with the French pianist Eric Heidsieck, and Brahms's Cello Sonata No.2 in F in which the pianist is Tortelier's daughter, Maria de la Pau. The CD ends with Tortelier's third EMI recording of his signature work, Don Quixote by Richard Strauss with the Staatskapelle Dresden under Rudolf Kempe.

CD 2 begins with the first two movements of another of the works central to Tortelier's repertoire, Elgar's Cello Concerto, a performance of which won him a prize while he was studying at the Paris Conservatoire. This is followed by an extract from the Walton Cello Concerto conducted by Paavo Berglund and then Paganini's variations on an operatic aria by Rossini to show off Tortelier's technical skill as a virtuoso of his instrument, this recording conducted by Tortelier's cellist wife, Maud Tortelier. Next comes a group of encore pieces, including the inevitable 'Flight of the Bumblebee' and 'Le Cygne', culminating in Three Miniatures for two cellos composed by Tortelier himself and played here with his wife Maud as the second cellist. The program finishes with a spirited performance of Tchaikovsky's 'Rococo' Variations with the Northern Sinfonia of England conducted by Tortelier's son Jan Pascal Tortelier.

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Works Details

Bach, Johann Sebastian : Suite for Cello no 1 in G, BWV 1007 :: 1. Prélude

Performer: Paul Tortelier (Cello)
Notes: Temple Church, London (04/14/1982-04/17/1982); Temple Church, London (04/24/1982-04/26/1982)
Running Time: 2 min. 26 sec.
Period Time: Baroque
Written: 1720

Bach, Johann Sebastian : Suite for Cello no 1 in G, BWV 1007 :: 2. Allemande

Performer: Paul Tortelier (Cello)
Notes: Temple Church, London (04/14/1982-04/17/1982); Temple Church, London (04/24/1982-04/26/1982)
Running Time: 4 min. 20 sec.
Period Time: Baroque
Written: 1720

Bach, Johann Sebastian : Suite for Cello no 1 in G, BWV 1007 :: 3. Courante

Performer: Paul Tortelier (Cello)
Notes: Temple Church, London (04/14/1982-04/17/1982); Temple Church, London (04/24/1982-04/26/1982)
Running Time: 2 min. 41 sec.
Period Time: Baroque
Written: 1720

Vivaldi, Antonio : Concerto for Violin, strings & continuo in D major ("L'estro armonico" no 9), Op. 3/9, RV 2

Performer: Paul Tortelier (Cello)
Conductor: Paul Tortelier
Notes: No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London (10/14/1973-10/15/1973); No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London (12/03/1973)
Running Time: 9 min. sec.
Period Time: Baroque
Form: Concerto
Written: 1711

Haydn, Franz Joseph : Concerto for Cello no 2 in D, Hob. 7b :: 2

Performer: Paul Tortelier (Cello)
Conductor: Jörg Faerber
Notes: Kreuzkirche, Heilbronn (07/06/1981-07/08/1981)
Running Time: 6 min. 24 sec.
Period Time: Classical
Form: Concerto
Written: 1783

Beethoven, Ludwig van : Sonata for Cello no 4 in C, Op. 102 no 1 :: 2. Adagio - Tempo d'andante - Allegro vivace

Performers: Eric Heidsieck (Piano); Paul Tortelier (Cello)
Notes: Salle Wagram, Paris (02/25/1972-02/26/1972); Salle Wagram, Paris (03/01/1972-03/02/1972); Salle Wagram, Paris (07/15/1971-07/16/1971)
Running Time: 6 min. 39 sec.
Period Time: Classical
Written: 1815

Brahms, Johannes : Sonata for Cello no 2 in F, Op. 99 :: 4. Allegro molto

Performers: Paul Tortelier (Cello); Maria Pau (Piano)
Notes: No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London (10/06/1977-10/12/1977)
Running Time: 4 min. 25 sec.
Period Time: Romantic
Written: 1886

Strauss, Richard : Don Quixote, Op. 35

Performers: Paul Tortelier (Cello); Max Rostal (Viola)
Conductor: Rudolf Kempe
Notes: Lukaskirche, Dresden (06/22/1973-06/29/1973)
Running Time: 38 min. 6 sec.
Period Time: Post Romantic
Written: 1897

Elgar, Edward : Concerto for Cello :: 1. Adagio - Moderato

Performer: Paul Tortelier (Cello)
Conductor: Adrian Boult
Notes: No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London (10/29/1972-10/30/1972)
Running Time: 7 min. 11 sec.
Period Time: Post Romantic
Form: Concerto
Written: 1919

Elgar, Edward : Concerto for Cello :: 2. Lento - Allegro molto

Performer: Paul Tortelier (Cello)
Conductor: Adrian Boult
Notes: No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London (10/29/1972-10/30/1972)
Running Time: 4 min. 29 sec.
Period Time: Post Romantic
Form: Concerto
Written: 1919

Walton, William : Concerto for Cello :: 1. Moderato

Performer: Paul Tortelier (Cello)
Conductor: Paavo Berglund
Notes: Guildhall, Southampton (01/07/1973-01/08/1973)
Running Time: 6 min. 56 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Form: Concerto
Written: 1956-1975

Paganini, Niccolò : Introduction and Variations on "Dal tuo stellato soglio" from Rossini's "Mosè", for violin & orchest

Performer: Paul Tortelier (Cello)
Conductor: Maud Tortelier
Running Time: 8 min. 35 sec.
Period Time: Romantic
Written: circa 1819

Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolai : Flight of the Bumblebee

Performers: Paul Tortelier (Cello); Maria Pau (Piano)
Notes: No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London (10/04/1975-10/05/1975)
Running Time: 1 min. 16 sec.
Period Time: Post Romantic
Written: 1901

Rachmaninov, Sergei : Songs (14), Op. 34

Performers: Maria Pau (Piano); Paul Tortelier (Cello)
Notes: No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London (10/04/1975-10/05/1975)
Running Time: 4 min. 48 sec.
Period Time: Post Romantic

Karjinsky, Nikolas : Esquisses for cello & piano

Performers: Maria Pau (Piano); Paul Tortelier (Cello)
Notes: No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London (10/04/1975-10/05/1975)
Running Time: 2 min. 51 sec.
Period Time: Romantic
Written: 1928

Ravel, Maurice : Pièce en forme de Habañera

Performers: Shuku Iwasaki (Piano); Paul Tortelier (Cello)
Notes: Setagaya Public Hall, Tokyo (01/16/1972-01/17/1972)
Running Time: 2 min. 52 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Form: Vocal
Written: 1907

Sarasate, Pablo de : Spanish Dances (2) for Violin and Piano, Op. 23

Performers: Shuku Iwasaki (Piano); Paul Tortelier (Cello)
Notes: Setagaya Public Hall, Tokyo (01/16/1972-01/17/1972)
Running Time: 3 min. 52 sec.
Period Time: Romantic
Written: 1880

Nin, Joaquin : Granadina

Performer: Paul Tortelier (Cello)
Notes: No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London (10/04/1975-10/05/1975)
Running Time: 2 min. 9 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Form: Vocal

Saint-Saëns, Camille : Carnival of the animals

Performers: Maria Pau (Piano); Paul Tortelier (Cello)
Notes: Salle Wagram, Paris (11/19/1979-11/20/1979)
Running Time: 2 min. 52 sec.
Period Time: Post Romantic
Written: 1886

Saint-Saëns, Camille : Allegro appassionato for Cello and Piano in B minor, Op. 43

Performers: Paul Tortelier (Cello); Maria Pau (Piano)
Notes: Salle Wagram, Paris (11/19/1979-11/20/1979)
Running Time: 3 min. 39 sec.
Period Time: Post Romantic
Written: 1875

Saint-Saëns, Camille : Samson et Dalila :: Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix

Performers: Maria Pau (Piano); Paul Tortelier (Cello)
Notes: Salle Wagram, Paris (11/19/1979-11/20/1979)
Running Time: 3 min. 18 sec.
Period Time: Post Romantic
Form: Opera/Operetta
Written: 1859-1877

Tortelier, Paul : Miniatures (3) for 2 cellos

Performers: Paul Tortelier (Cello); Maud Tortelier (Cello)
Notes: No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London (10/04/1975-10/05/1975)
Period Time: Modern
Written: 1975

Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich : Variations for Cello and Orchestra on a Rococo theme, Op. 33

Performer: Paul Tortelier (Cello)
Conductor: Yan Tortelier
Running Time: 17 min. 26 sec.
Period Time: Romantic
Written: 1876

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