Pierre Fournier, cello
Franz Holetschek, piano
Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester
Hans Rosbaud, conductor
George Szell, conductor


Recorded in Funkhaus, Saal 2, WDR Cologne, 7 March 1955, 6 April 1957 & 16 November 1962


The personification of French elegance, Pierre Fournier (1906-1986) was without doubt from the gallery of great cellists amongst those being Casals, Rostropovich, Feuermann.

The programme featuring the Elgar and Dvorak concertos are familiar to Fournier devotees but these live performances from the WDR in Cologne have never been available before.

The Elgar is complimented by the participation of Hans Rosbaud, a formidable musician and conductor who made too few recordings. This is another live performance where the electricity before an audience is perceptibly greater than found in Fournier's 1966 studio account (11 years later than the Cologne recording) with Alfred Wallenstein.

The Dvorak conducted by the illustrious George Szell was taped after their studio recording a year before in 1961 and has that extra presence from a live performance. The WDR sound is exceptionally vivid.

The programme is completed by Beethoven's set of variations on themes from Mozart's Die Zauberflote, a comparative rarity in the Fournier discography.

“While this pairing of the Elgar and Dvorák Cello Concertos does not eclipse the famous Deutsche Grammophon recordings that Fournier made with the Berlin Philharmonic in the 1960s, it is still a testament to an artist who combined elegance and an eloquently phrased cello line with a profound understanding of style and expression...Even with the rather matt acoustics, Fournier's intensity, finesse and rich, mellow tone are all there as a reminder of the great musician he was.”
The Telegraph, 9th August 2008