Dvorák: Cello Concerto - Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto No. 1 - Casals: El cant dels ocells

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Pierre Fournier (1906-86) was one of the most eminent cellists of the generation after Casals. Praised as an "aristocrat of cello playing", he was admired for his soulful, singing tone, uncomplicated elegance and refined sound. This disc presents three live recordings from this legacy, recorded at the Lucerne Festival and all first-time releases. With Istvan Kertesz, Fournier performed a piece of his core repertoire in the summer of 1967: Dvorák's Cello Concerto, op. 104 - a particularly noteworthy archive discovery since the conductor's tragically early death prevented him from making a concerto studio recording. Camille Saint-Saens' First Cello Concerto, op. 33 was held in low esteem for decades and not revived until the 1950s and ‘60s - not least thanks to Fournier’s advocacy. In 1962, alongside Jean Martinon and the Orchestre Philharmonique de la RTF, he presented a passionate reading of the work, permitting a telling comparison to his previous studio recording. A new item in Fournier's discography, however, is the Cant dels ocells which he played in 1976 at a memorial concert on the centenary of Casals' birthday - this was to be his last Lucerne Festival appearance.