Dvorak/Schumann - Cello Concertos: Pablo Ferrandez

An outstanding debut from a young Spanish cellist. Classic FM Drive Featured Album, 17 February 2014.

The young Spanish cellist Pablo Ferrandez has already been marked out for the very top of his profession, with Diapson magazine in France saying he 'will be one of the best cellists in the future; no, in fact, he already is!'

After winning the prestigious Edmond de Rothschild prize in Switzerland last year, Ferrandez went on to record his debut album. The Dvorak Cello Concerto is a masterpiece for the instrument, and it’s paired here with the Schumann Cello Concerto – a tender work, written towards the end of the composer’s life. The final piece is the traditional Catalan folk song, Song of the Birds, made popular by the great cellist Pablo Casals, who this young cellist was named after.

It's a hugely ambitious programme for a young performer but Ferrandez plays with vigour and lyricism, and clearly has a promising career ahead of him. He is ably supported by the Stuttgart Philharmonic under Radoslav Szuic.