FRANK MARTIN (1890-1974)

 

Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (1966)

Ballade for Cello and Piano (1949)

8 Preludes for Piano (1947–48)

 

Christian Poltéra - cello

Kathryn Stott, piano

Malmö Symphony Orchestra / Tuomas Ollila-Hannikainen

 

Young cellist Christian Poltéra releases the third in his trilogy of discs dedicated to composers from his native Switzerland. Here he performs Frank Martin’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra which was written for the world-renowned cellist Pierre Fournier. The work has both beautiful, lyric passages and contrasting biting sonorities which combine to make a truly moving piece.

 

2007 saw the release of the first two discs dedicated to Arthur Honegger and Othmar Schoeck. The former, received high praise, for instance on website Classics Today, whose reviewer wrote: “If you want a superb collection of Honegger's music for cello, both chamber and orchestral, then this CD is just the ticket… a terrific way to plug what is probably a serious repertoire gap in your collection.” It has also received a Diapason d’or in the French magazine Diapason, which called it “une pure merveille”.

As on previous discs in Poltéra’s trilogy, he is supported by Malmö Symphony Orchestra under Tuomas Ollila-Hannikainen and by eminent pianist Kathryn Stott, who also shines in the Preludes for piano solo, a fascinating display of Martin’s broad variety of expression and techniques.

 

BIS BISCD1637