Davidov: Cello Concertos

Description

“[P]leasant romantic fare, nicely performed and generally well recorded. Davidov was a cello prodigy who… served as a professor at St Petersburg Conservatoire, played cello in a string quartet that numbered among its ranks Auer and Wieniawski, and was described by Tchaikovsky as ‘the king of all 19th-century cellists.’ Perhaps his best-known piece is At the fountain from his Op. 20, a charming morceau. … Davidov concertos require both considerable stamina and an attractive tone. The young, prize-winning cello virtuoso Marina Tarasova certainly weaves an elegant musical line – sweet and well-rounded. … Cellists in search of attractive encore material will also enjoy the various short pieces with piano, Op. 30 especially.”
— Gramophone©
“[T]he cello playing is quite special. This would be one of the best things on the label”
— Christopher Ball, Dvorák Society

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky dubbed Karl Yulievich Davydov the “tsar of cellists” – and influenced the virtuoso’s own unabashedly romantic music for his instrument