Stanford: The Complete Works for Cello & Orchestra

Hyperion’s third disc in the Romantic Cello Concerto series sees the brilliant young cellist Gemma Rosefield making her label debut. She was the winner of the prestigious Pierre Fournier Award at Wigmore Hall in 2007 and has garnered great acclaim for her spirited playing.

Irish-born Charles Villiers Stanford is far better known for his choral music, but this disc of rarities reveals the composer’s original orchestral voice and his exceptional understanding of the relationship between soloist and orchestra. His Cello Concerto in D minor, with its continuous thematic development and lilting melodies, was a major landmark in the repertoire of British cello music and the overtly romantic Ballata and Ballabile displays an extraordinary lyricism.

Rosefield gives thoughtful performances throughout, her tone both beautifully consistent and richly hued, and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra play with their usual aplomb. In these recordings it is difficult to understand why such well-proportioned and grateful writing for the solo cello has languished unplayed for so long.

CDA67859  70 minutes 1 seconds
‘Rosefield plays with disarming character and freshness; her technique, too, is enviably sure and tone beguilingly rounded … admirable sound and truthful balance; another Hyperion winner!’ (Gramo ...
‘Stanford's sturdy, Brahmsian Cello Concerto and the folksong-rich third Irish Rhapsody are the highlights here, superbly played by Gemma Rosefield’ (BBC Music Magazine)
‘The [Ballata and Ballabile] shows Stanford at his most elegant and melodious … the performance is refined and strongly characterised by Rosefield and the orchestral accompaniment under An ...