Schumann - Cello Concerto [Harrell/ Marriner-The Cleveland Orchestra]Well first off the booklet photo, it's a peach!, some of these Decca Eclipse issues are gorgeous, and this one is the very best of all, a poppy field, with a villa in the background, the colours are delightful, even the slightly lavender sky is a treat, well proportioned and from a great angle, only the music is better!.
All my Schumann posts are about his Piano Concerto, his Cello Concerto doesn't get the same adoration, but it's a wonderful work, full of invention and great tunes, and i'm glad i'm getting to know it better.
The work is cast in three movements, however since there are no breaks in the work, this Decca issue has only listed the total timing, as if the work is in one continuous movement, not being familiar with the work when i first heard it, i naturally cut the Concerto into four distinct sections, as my timing sticker/transfers suggest on the back inlay card, of course the last two sections are in fact the third movement, and yet they feel separate, also i realize that my timings are out, it's the way the music feels, here's the real timings, and i'll change the booklet later,
1 = 0:00-11:12
2 = 11:12-15:51
3 = 15:51-25:30
So it's the gentle and heavenly slow movement that i really loved, it's such a peaceful tune [11:15-12:06, 12:33-13:01 & 13:56-14:50], throughout the strings pizzicato, and there's a wistful middle section with the cello bowing long lines [13:02-13:54], feeling like a coda of sorts, it's short and sweet, a lovely central section.
Here's Luca Franzetti playing the slow middle movement on YouTube, with Diego Matheuz conducting.
