vivaldi concerto in g minor for two cellos

The playing, throughout, is very accomplished and sensitive and very well captured by the engineers. If one had doubts as to arranging the distinctive sound of mandolins to cellos then these are dispelled immediately. The disc begins with RV532 and this sets the high standard for what is to come. The disc has an added distinction, as sadly it will be Julian Lloyd Webber’s last recording due to a neck injury. It was delightful therefore to receive this disc for review and to have my original very positive impression endorsed. I had the good fortune to hear the first concerto RV532, arranged from one for two mandolins, on Radio 3 and was very impressed. Julian & Jiaxin Lloyd Webber (cello) European Union ChamberOrchestra/Hans-Peter Hofmann

The Piazzolla Milonga sits rather strangely with so much Vivaldi, but does make a seductive swansong for what is, poignantly, Julian Lloyd Webber’s final full-length cello recording.Music Web December 2014 Vivaldi Concertos for Two CellosĬoncertos for two Cellos, RV 531, plus various arrs by J Lloyd Webber In the quirky E minor Concerto, Jiaxin Lloyd Webber’s semiquavers often threaten to run away with themselves, and there is also a momentary jump in the pulse in one of the pair’s solo sections in RV545. The Lloyd Webbers take RV539’s high-tessitura Larghetto very legato, with an attractive lilt, and they wax lyrical in the long passage of suspensions in the Largo of RV531. The middle movements, mostly scored for the two soloists and harpsichord alone, often contain the most striking music.

The effect of two cellos imitating mandolins or horns is pleasing rather than incongruous but the sound lacks the sparkle that would bring the pieces to life, the acoustic is rather dry and I missed the extra texture that period instruments bring. The result is an attractive recording – you sense the enjoyment of the pair in playing such intricate music together, and the orchestral playing is lively and neat – but not an outstanding one. There is only one extant concerto by Vivaldi for two cellos, but Julian Lloyd Webber has very successfully arranged five more from the pool of 500-odd works in the composer’s output.

Musicians: Julian Lloyd Webber, Jiaxin Lloyd Webber (cello) European Union Chamber Orchestra/Hans-Peter Hofmann Description: A final recording from a forcibly retired master of the cello

Vivaldi concerto in g minor for two cellos