Christian Poltera Plays Martin, Honegger, Schoeck Christian Poltéra, Malmö Symphony Orchestra & Tuomas Ollila-Hannikainen

• Frank Martin (1890 - 1974): Cello Concerto:
• 1 Martin: Cello Concerto: I. Lento - Allegro moderato - Lento 08:38
• 2 Martin: Cello Concerto: II. Adagietto 07:13
• 3 Martin: Cello Concerto: III. Vivace selvaggio ed aspro - Cadenza - Vivace 08:52
• Arthur Honegger (1892 - 1955): Cello Concerto:
• 4 Honegger: Cello Concerto 15:30
• Othmar Schoeck (1886 - 1957): Concerto for Cello and String Orchestra, Op. 61:
• 5 Schoeck: Concerto for Cello and String Orchestra, Op. 61: I. Allegro moderato 14:19
• 6 Schoeck: Concerto for Cello and String Orchestra, Op. 61: II. Andante tranquillo - Più lento - Tempo I 08:20
• 7 Schoeck: Concerto for Cello and String Orchestra, Op. 61: III. Presto 02:40
• 8 Schoeck: Concerto for Cello and String Orchestra, Op. 61: IV. Lento - Molto allegro 07:18
• Total Runtime 01:12:50

Info for Christian Poltera Plays Martin, Honegger, Schoeck

In 2007-08, the Swiss cellist Christian Poltéra made his debut on BIS with a series of discs dedicated to three compatriots of his: the composers Othmar Schoeck, Arthur Honegger and Frank Martin.

The unconventional programmes mixed chamber music and orchestral works centred on the cello, and were received with acclaim by the international music press. ‘An ideal introduction to Martin’s music’ enthused the reviewer in Gramophone, where that release was an Editor’s Choice, while the Schoeck anthology was described as ‘a beautifully-played collection that fills an important gap’ in American Record Guide, and the French magazine Diapason gave the Honegger disc its Diapason d’or, calling it ‘une pure merveille’.

In reviews of all three discs, the orchestral support from the Malmö Symphony Orchestra and Tuomas Hannikainen was especially remarked upon, as were the respective virtues of the three concertos: ‘a nostalgic, dark-hued lyrical quality that makes for absorbing listening’ (Schoeck, International Record Review); ‘a typically suave, sophisticated score, boasting a surprisingly astringent but compellingly rhythmic Finale’ (Martin, BBC Music Magazine); ‘wonderful, jazzy tunes …, plenty of fireworks for the soloist, and it packs a huge amount of contrast into its quarter-hour of playing time’ (Honegger, ClassicsToday.com).

These three works, composed between 1929 and 1966 and all too rarely heard today, have now been combined; an occasion not to be missed by anyone interested in exploring some highly individual 20th century cello scores, or in getting to know one of today’s most impressive young cellists.

Christian Poltera, cello
Malmö Symphony Orchestra
Tuomas Hannikainen, conductor

Christian Poltéra
was born in Zürich. After receiving tuition from Nancy Chumachenco and Boris Pergamenschikow, he studied with Heinrich Schiff in Salzburg and Vienna.

As a soloist he works with eminent orchestras including the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Orchestre de Paris, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique and Chamber Orchestra of Europe under such conductors as Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Chailly, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Andris Nelsons and Sir John Eliot Gardiner.

He also devotes himself intensively to chamber music together with such musicians as Isabelle Faust, Christian Tetzllaff, Leif Ove Andsnes, Mitsuko Uchida, Kathryn Stott, Esther Hoppe and Ronald Brautigam, and with the Auryn, Zehetmair and Hagen Quartets. Together with Frank Peter Zimmermann and Antoine Tamestit, Christian Poltéra has formed a string trio, the Trio Zimmermann, which performs at most prestigious concert venues and festivals all over Europe.

In 2004 he received the Borletti-Buitoni Award and was selected as a BBC New Generation Artist.

He is a regular guest at renowned festivals (such as Salzburg, Lucerne, Berlin, Edinburgh and Vienna) and made his BBC Proms début in 2007. Christian Poltéra’s discography, which has won acclaim from the international press, reflects his varied repertoire that includes the concertos by Dvorak, Dutilleux, Lutoslawski, Walton, Hindemith and Barber as well as chamber music by Prokofiev, Brahms, Beethoven and Schubert.

Christian Poltéra teaches as Professor at the Lucerne University. He plays a Antonio Casini cello built in 1675 and the famous "Mara" Stradivari from 1711.

Booklet for Christian Poltera Plays Martin, Honegger, Schoeck