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SCHUMANN-DOVRAK: CONCERTI FOR CELLO AND ORCHESTRA

INTERNATIONAL REVIEWS

 

Global Music Awards "Best Album" Gold Medal Winner, Hollywood Music In Media Awards Nomination, Barnes and Noble #1 Classical Best Seller, Amazon Hot New Classical Releases

"...Given this level of insight it should come as no surprise that the performance here is outstanding – sensitive, passionate and rhapsodic..." -The Whole Note Magazine

"...In the fiery climax to the development section of the Dvořák Concerto’s first movement, Carmine Miranda shows himself to be in full command of both instrument and works..." -The Strad Magazine

 

"...Miranda plays passionately yet very tightly with the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Petr Vronsky... Flawless, passionate dialogue..." -Nederlands Dagblad

 

"...Miranda’s playing is jaw-dropping, but in the end, it’s the musical conception that counts for even more, and this is a performance of Dvořák’s cello concerto that’s gutsy yet grand, nervy yet noble, and above all, bigger than life." -Fanfare Magazine

TRACK LISTINGS

 

CONCERTO FOR CELLO & ORCHESTRA IN A MINOR, OP. 129

ROBERT SCHUMANN

1 I. Nicht zu schnell

2 II. Langsam

3 III. Sehr lebhaft

 

CONCERTO FOR CELLO & ORCHESTRA IN B MINOR, OP. 104

ANTONIN DVOŘÁK

4 I. Allegro

5 II. Adagio ma non troppo

6 III. Finale. Allegro moderato

 

Total duration  61:59

CREDITS

 

Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra | Petr Vronský, conductor

Carmine Miranda, cello

 

Schumann Cello Concerto in A minor recorded June 15, 2015

at Reduta Hall, Olomouc Czech Republic

 

Producer Vít Mužík

Engineer Jan Košulić

 

Dvořák Cello Concerto in B Minor recorded June 12-13, 2015

at Reduta Hall, Olomouc Czech Republic

 

Producer Vít Mužík

Engineers Aleš Dvořák & Jan Košulić

 

Photography Cody Vickers

 

Executive Producer Bob Lord

Audio Director Jeff LeRoy

Editing, Mixing, Mastering Andy Happel

Production Engineer Nate Hunter

Recording Session Manager Matt Konrad

Art Director Brett Picknell

Graphic Designer Emily Roulo

A&R Alex Bourne

Marketing Specialist Morgan MacLeod

Release Date: June 10, 2016

Label: Navona Records

Catalog #: NV6034

File Under: Classical

Format: CD

List Price: $14.99

UPC #: 896931003346

OVERVIEW

Composed almost 50 years apart, Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B Minor (1895) and Schumann’s Cello Concerto (1850) are closely linked in the pantheon of Romantic concerto literature.  Cellists of many generations have long looked at both of these pieces as essential components in their artistic development, and each has been recorded many times over by the titans of the instrument to showcase their technical mastery.

 

At age 26 international soloist Carmine Miranda bases his interpretations of these masterworks from several years of historic research and performance experience, which have led him to discover new secrets to be found in the scores of the Navona Records release SCHUMANN | DVOŘÁK: CONCERTI FOR CELLO & ORCHESTRA. Miranda, whose playing has been described as “remarkable” (Gramophone), “a fiery presence” (Limelight) and “spectacular” (Sonograma Magazine), seeks to balance concepts of classical traditions, multinational folklore, and technical prowess combined with a state-of-the-art high-definition audio engineering in order to create the most realistic sound and reliable version of these works.

 

Composed in a period of two weeks and lasting over a two year revision by the composer, Schumann’s Cello Concerto is considered to be one of his most enigmatic works due to its structure. Originally titled “Concertpiece,” it differs from other instances of its genre, with its fully connected structure from beginning to end and by including more fragmented passages.

 

Miranda’s take is decidedly diverse from other contemporary interpretations, and deliberately follows historical traditions in terms of tempi, dynamics, and phrasing.  In the soloist’s reading, Schumann’s “variations on a theme” musical intentions are interpreted as a series of internal conflicts and conversations between the solo cello and the orchestra. In his recent article “Decoding the Schumann Cello Concerto” (The Musical Times Journal of Music), Miranda makes a compelling case that Schumann’s work is brimming with embedded codes and underlying meanings, which, when taken together, point to a very different vision than the norm.

 

Dvořák’s explosive concerto in many ways marks the coalescence and arrival of the cello concerto, which matured at the end of the nineteenth century, with other cello concertos coming from Camille Saint-Saens, Édouard Lalo, Edgar Elgar, and many others. Here too Miranda seeks to ramp up the emotionally-charged content, creating new and striking contrasts that have not been heard in any other recorded interpretations. Harmonies splash like dollops of brightly colored paint on a white canvas, and Miranda’s elegant playing transforms this already demanding concerto into a virtuosic piece of the highest order.

 

Both works were recorded over two days in June 2015 in the Czech Republic with the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Petr Vronský.

HIGHLIGHTS

Musicweb International hails, “…one remains dazzled by Miranda’s musical acumen, by his unerring instinct for phrasing, by his utterly clear articulation, and by his refusal to sacrifice delicacy or gravitas for the sake of showmanship”

 

At the ages of 22 and 23, Miranda recorded Bach’s Six Cello Suites and Alfredo Piatti’s virtuosic solo cello pieces, the album PIATTI: 12 CAPRICES FOR SOLO CELLO (Navona) being among the youngest in the world to record these entire works

 

Miranda has performed with ensembles and orchestras in concert halls around the world, including Carnegie Hall, Aula Magna Hall, Smetana Hall as well as at festivals including the world renowned International Český Krumlov Music Festival

 

He has received several awards including Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals from the 2014 Global Music Awards for Best of Show (GMA's highest honor), Best Emerging Artist and Best Instrumentalist, a 2015 Hollywood Music in Media Awards nomination, first prize winner of the 2005 Alhambra Music Competition, National Prize for Best Soloist from the Florida Music Educators Association, and a Distinguished Award from the 2012 IBLA international competition, among others

 

Miranda’s performances have been broadcasted on radio stations all over the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia as well as appearing on TV stations such as PBS

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