Dominik Wollenweber, Sir Simon Rattle & Berliner Philharmoniker - The Art of English Horn (2021) [Digital Download 24/48]

“The English horn needs a soft, round vibrato… We are among those who can move people to tears,” says Dominik Wollenweber about his instrument. Let us not be misled by the humble conduct, and the absence of laudatory articles and glossy photographs. Wollenweber is one of the world’s finest cor anglais players. Claudio Abbado has even labelled him the “best player of all time”. Since 1993, Dominik Wollenweber has been with the Berliner Philharmoniker, members of which keep him company throughout the present recording. Conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, the orchestra accompany Wollenweber in Sibelius’s wonderful tone poem The Swan of Tuonela. It is difficult to imagine an album dedicated to the English horn without the Largo from Dvořák’s New World Symphony or without the solo from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde. On the other hand, Bach’s Concerto in G major and Schubert’s Impromptu No. 3 may come as a surprise, while Jean Françaix’s Quartet is simply bound to lift the listener’s spirit. If you love the English horn’s singularly dark velvety colour, which otherwise can only be heard rather as a gleam of a gemstone on the large canvases of symphonic pieces, then this album is definitely for you. And those who have yet to discover the beauty of the cor anglais will undoubtedly savour the musical menu drawn up by a true master of the instrument.

Tracklist:
1. Concerto for Cor Anglais, Strings and Basso Continuo in G Major: I. Allegro (03:40)
2. Concerto for Cor Anglais, Strings and Basso Continuo in G Major: II. Adagio (03:38)
3. Concerto for Cor Anglais, Strings and Basso Continuo in G Major: III. Allegro (04:51)
4. Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95: No. 1, Largo (06:10)
5. 4 Impromptus, Op. 90: No. 3 in G-Flat Major, Andante (07:21)
6. The Swan of Tuonela. Tone poem, Op. 22 (08:57)
7. Quartet for Cor Anglais, Violin, Viola and Cello: No. 1, Allegro vivace (03:23)
8. Quartet for Cor Anglais, Violin, Viola and Cello: No. 2, Andante tranquillo (03:28)
9. Quartet for Cor Anglais, Violin, Viola and Cello: No. 3, Vivo assai (03:27)
10. Quartet for Cor Anglais, Violin, Viola and Cello: No. 4, Andanino (02:19)
11. Quartet for Cor Anglais, Violin, Viola and Cello: No. 5, Allegro giocoso (03:22)
12. Tristan und Isolde, Act 3. Hirtenreigen auf einer Schalmei. Mässig langsam (03:31)


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