Great Soloists

The first work on this disc, Haydn's Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in D Major, earned its certificate of authenticity just over 50 years ago when the composer's signature was discovered on the manuscript in 1951. Haydn himself was 51 when he wrote this work in 1783, his first cello concerto, for a musician in Prince Nikolaus' Esterházy Orchestra. Here, cellist André Navarra ably handles the music's intricacies with tenderness, broad emotion and soaring artistry.

"When you play an Andante, people have to cry," trumpeter Maurice André has said, and he aims to deliver the goods on the middle section of the Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra in E-flat Major. This work is a beautiful piece, written by a 64-year-old Haydn for his friend, the innovative trumpeter Anton Weidinger. Before Weidinger developed a keyed trumpet, which would later evolve into the modern day valved trumpet, musicians were limited to a range of very high pitches by simply altering lip pressure. Haydn's concerto exploited Weidinger's newfound lower register in this concerto and André, whose status as one of the leading artists on his instrument is impossible to doubt, once again offers up a perfectly enchanting performance.

The last concerto on this disc is Haydn's Concerto for Two Horns and Orchestra in E-flat, a charming piece,...more details