Composed almost 50 years apart, Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B Minor
(1895) and Schumann’s Cello Concerto (1850) are closely linked in the
pantheon of Romantic concerto literature. Cellists of many generations
have long looked at both of these pieces as essential components in
their artistic development, and each has been recorded many times over
by the titans of the instrument to showcase their technical mastery.
At age 26 international soloist Carmine Miranda bases his
interpretations of these masterworks from several years of historic
research and performance experience, which have led him to discover new
secrets to be found in the scores of the Navona Records release SCHUMANN
| DVOŘÁK:
CONCERTI FOR CELLO & ORCHESTRA. Miranda, whose playing
has been described as “remarkable” (Gramophone), “a fiery presence”
(Limelight) and “spectacular” (Sonograma Magazine), seeks to balance
concepts of classical traditions, multinational folklore, and technical
prowess combined with a state-of-the-art high-definition audio
engineering in order to create the most realistic sound and reliable
version of these works.
Composed in a period of two weeks and lasting over a two year
revision by the composer, Schumann’s Cello Concerto is considered to be
one of his most enigmatic works due to its structure. Originally titled
“Concertpiece,” it differs from other instances of its genre, with its
fully connected structure from beginning to end and by including more
fragmented passages.
Miranda’s take is decidedly diverse from other contemporary
interpretations, and deliberately follows historical traditions in terms
of tempi, dynamics, and phrasing. In the soloist’s reading, Schumann’s
“variations on a theme” musical intentions are interpreted as a series
of internal conflicts and conversations between the solo cello and the
orchestra. In his recent article “Decoding the Schumann Cello Concerto”
(The Musical Times Journal of Music), Miranda makes a compelling case
that Schumann’s work is brimming with embedded codes and underlying
meanings, which, when taken together, point to a very different vision
than the norm.
Dvořák’s explosive concerto in many ways marks the coalescence and
arrival of the cello concerto, which matured at the end of the
nineteenth century, with other cello concertos coming from Camille
Saint-Saens, Édouard Lalo, Edgar Elgar, and many others. Here too
Miranda seeks to ramp up the emotionally-charged content, creating new
and striking contrasts that have not been heard in any other recorded
interpretations. Harmonies splash like dollops of brightly colored paint
on a white canvas, and Miranda’s elegant playing transforms this
already demanding concerto into a virtuosic piece of the highest order.
Both works were recorded over two days in June 2015 in the Czech
Republic with the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of
Maestro Petr Vronský. (Naxos)
