On this CD, Swiss cellist
Christian Poltéra tackles the complete cello works by two of the leading independent-minded European modernists of the mid- to late-twentieth century, Henri Dutilleux and
Witold Lutoslawski. Each of the works was written at the instigation of
Mstislav Rostropovich, a concerto from each composer, both of which he premiered in 1970, and a solo cello tribute from each, written in 1975 in honor of the Swiss conductor and new music advocate,
Paul Sacher. Dutilleux took the title of his concerto, Toute un monde lointain… (A Whole Distant World…), as well as the names of the movements, from the poetry of
Baudelaire, the mystery and sensuality of whose writing is reflected in the music. While it has the harmonic sophistication characteristic of postwar European music, Dutilleux's five-movement concerto clearly falls in the lineage of
Debussy in its evocative delicacy, essentially lyrical character, and gossamer but colorful orchestration.
Lutoslawski's concerto, while idiomatically not too far from Dutilleux's, is more aggressive and emphatic, with a more traditionally competitive relationship between the soloist and the orchestra. These concertos are canonical cello works of the late twentieth century, but the solo pieces are also attractive and idiomatically written, and deserve to be better known.
Poltéra delivers committed, virtuosic performances, but he doesn't quite have the radiant tone to make the Dutilleux shimmer and glisten as it can. The ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, led by
Jac van Steen, is likewise more persuasive in the more formally and timbrally straightforward
Lutoslawski concerto. The sound of BIS' SACD is clean, detailed, and vivid, but particularly in the Dutilleux, it could benefit from more warmth.